5 2025 NHL Cinderella Teams That Can Win the Stanley Cup This Season

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on April 19. When they do, most of the attention will be fixed on the top-four teams in both conferences as fans and pundits attempt to predict the favorites to win hockey's holy grail.

Nevertheless, there could be a club sitting much lower in the postseason standings that could shock everyone by winning the Cup.

The Los Angeles Kings are a prime example. They held the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference at the end of the 2011-12 regular season but went on to win the first of their two Stanley Cups between 2012 and 2014.

A more recent example is the St. Louis Blues. Sitting dead-last in the standings midway through 2018-19, they rallied to finish fifth overall in the Western Conference and marched to the Cup Final, winning Lord Stanley's mug in seven games.

The Blues are one of five Cinderella clubs that could take home the Stanley Cup this spring. We'll examine how they reached this point and the factors that could allow one of them to cause a major shock by winning hockey's greatest prize.

Entering training camp last September, the Calgary Flames were coming off a season in which several key players were traded, as management attempted to retool the roster.

Expectations were low for this club with few observers considering them a playoff contender.

However, the Flames' leadership felt otherwise. Nazem Kadri, the subject of offseason trade speculation, told reporters to "pump the brakes" about his future with the club. "We're going to rally around each other and surprise some people," he said.

Fast-forward to April 9, and Calgary sits five points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card berth. At times, it's also held that spot while jockeying with the Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

The Flames have two games in hand over the Blues and there's no certainty they'll clinch, especially if the latter win their remaining two contests. Nevertheless, Calgary could be a dangerous opponent if it makes the postseason.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf could play a big part. The 23-year-old could be a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist, posting a record of 26 wins, 16 losses and eight overtime losses with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Veterans such as Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar will also play significant roles. Their experience and leadership have been crucial to the Flames staying in the playoff hunt and would make them a tough postseason opponent.

On Jan. 13, the Minnesota Wild were nipping at the heels of the Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets for first place in the overall standings.

Despite being hampered by injuries, they had a record of 27 wins, 13 losses and four overtime losses for 58 points.

However, the injuries soon took their toll. Surgery sidelined superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov for 40 games. Two-way center Joel Eriksson Ek missed 20 games with a lower-body issue. Jared Spurgeon, Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton were among others who missed times.

The absences of many key players over that period (especially Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek) sent the Wild sliding down the standings. As of April 9, they hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

However, there's reason for Minnesota fans to be hopeful. The return of Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek should help them solidify that final wild card. It's a much better team with those two in the lineup. Middleton could also soon return in time for the postseason.

The injuries to other key players enabled young forwards Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi to take on larger roles. The 23-year-old Rossi looks more comfortable in a first-line center position.

With a healthier roster and buoyed by the solid goaltending of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-André Fleury, the Wild could regain their midseason form in time for the postseason. That will make them a more difficult playoff opponent.

When this season began, the Montréal Canadiens' goal was to play meaningful games down the stretch and be in the mix for a playoff spot.

They wanted to keep expectations realistic for a club in its third full season of rebuilding under executive vice president Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes.

They've not only accomplished that mission; they've exceeded it. On April 9, the Canadiens were in the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 87 points, holding an eight-point lead over the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.

It hasn't been easy for the Canadiens. On December 2, they were last in the Eastern Conference with eight wins and 19 points. A 13-3-1 streak from December 17 to January 21 briefly vaulted them into the final wild-card spot before a 1-7-1 slump leading up to the 4 Nations tournament break left them six points out of that berth.

From the end of the break on February 22, the Canadiens have been among the hottest teams in the league. TSN noted they've gone 14-4-4 for 32 points, sitting first among all teams over the same period. Their goals-per-game (3.32) was ranked fifth and their goals-against (2.64) was third-best.

A speedy, never-say-die bunch, the team is led by young stars like captain Nick Suzuki, wingers Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský, and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson. They are augmented by veteran leaders such as Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Patrik Laine and Christian Dvorak.

The Canadiens weren't expected to make the playoffs and aren't among the Stanley Cup favorites. That could lead opponents to underestimate this promising, hungry young team that has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

After eight seasons of fitful rebuilding, a change of ownership, management and coaching shakeups, the Ottawa Senators clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday. It's the first time they've punched their ticket to the postseason since 2016-17.

It was an up-and-down campaign for the Senators to reach this point. Entering December, they were second-last in the Eastern Conference. They'd surged into third in the Atlantic Division by February 3, only to tumble out of a playoff spot a month later after losing six of seven games.

However, the Senators regained their footing from March 5 to April 9 with a record of 12-5-1 during that 18-game stretch, holding the first wild-card spot with 90 points. Getting hot down the stretch could enable them to upset teams in the postseason.

Thanks to Linus Ullmark, they finally have a reliable starting goaltender. Acquired from the Boston Bruins last summer, the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner has something to prove after two shaky postseason performances with his former club.

It's no coincidence that the Senators improved soon after acquiring Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres at the March 7 trade deadline. The 24-year-old two-way center provided a much-needed boost of two-way play and reliability in the second-line center position.

The Senators have long-time stars like captain Brady Tkachuk, forward Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson and defenseman Thomas Chabot hungry to prove themselves in postseason competition. They also have rising blue-line star Jake Sanderson, who could be a difference-maker in the coming playoffs.

Heading into the 10-day scheduled break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament on February 8, the St. Louis Blues were eight points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 55 points.

Two months later, the Blues hold the second wild-card spot with 93 points. They got there with a record of 18 wins, four losses and two overtime losses in 24 games from February 22 to April 9, including a franchise-best 12-game win streak.

That red-hot run down the stretch has Blues fans reminiscing about their remarkable turnaround during the second half of the 2018-19 season. During that run, they rose from last place in the standings to finish fifth overall in the Western Conference, before claiming their first-ever Stanley Cup title.

Several factors contributed to the Blues' current hot streak. The first began in November by hiring former Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. Winner of the Jack Adams Award in 2022-23, he has a record of 34 wins, 18 losses and six overtime losses behind the St. Louis bench.

Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been outstanding since backstopping Canada to victory in the 4 Nations, regaining the form that carried the Blues to the Cup six years ago. Leading scorers Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou have stepped up as core players and team leaders.

Offseason additions Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg quickly established themselves as key players. The Blues also steadied their blueline depth with the December addition of defenseman Cam Fowler. They're also getting reliable production from winger Pavel Buchnevich.

Stats and standings via NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com.