LeBrun: surveyed NHL execs say Flames are Canada’s best Stanley Cup hope
By Ryan Pike
2 years agoFolks, the best tournament in sports begins in one week and three Canadian teams – the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames – will aim to be the first club from north of the border to capture the Stanley Cup since 1993. Over at The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun surveyed some executives (from other teams) to see which Canadian club is the best Cup hope.
The answer? The Calgary Flames.
LeBrun asked eight executives their opinions of the three teams and their Cup chances.
Here’s a short excerpt:
Team exec No. 2
As far as teams built for playoff success I believe Calgary is the Canadian team that has the best chance to bring home (to Canada) the Cup. To start, they have the best goaltender of the Canadian teams (Markstrom). Up front they play a fast yet heavy, tough playoff-style game. They have excellent ability to score goals and have very good special teams. I really like how they have built this team — strong up the middle and have a very good group of defensemen, great mix of puck movers and big, strong hard-to-play against defenders. They also have an exceptional and experienced coach who has a great track record — Darryl Sutter is a winner.This is not to take anything away from both Edmonton and Toronto — both very good teams with great players but I just believe that Calgary is the team built the best for the playoffs and has the best chance, even though they have to get through Colorado, St. Louis and/or Minnesota … no easy path in East or West.
Check out the full piece – it’s very detailed and fascinating – over at The Athletic, if you have a subscription.
Do you agree with the assessment of the Flames’ playoff chances? Let us know in the comments!
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