Stanley Cup predictions for 2018-19

The San Jose Sharks didn't just land an all-star in defenseman Erik Karlsson when they acquired him a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13, they also brought in the final piece to a Stanley Cup championship team, according to seven of the 18 NHL.com panelists who have made their preseason predictions.

The Sharks, who have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 18 of the past 20 seasons, have never won the Cup, reaching the Final in 2016, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
Karlsson, who played his first nine NHL seasons with the Senators, will also be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs, three of panelists predicted. Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (2), forward Logan Couture (1) and goalie Martin Jones (1) were the other picks for Conn Smythe from San Jose.

Though the Sharks received the most votes to win the Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, were selected by six experts to win it all.
The Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets each got two votes and the Penguins got one. The Washington Capitals, the defending Stanley Cup champions, were not picked by any of the experts to repeat. In fact, the Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights, who played in the Stanley Cup Final last season, were not selected by any of the experts to get back there this season.
The Lightning are the overwhelming favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Cup Final, receiving votes from 13 of the 18 experts. The Toronto Maple Leafs (2), Penguins (2) and Boston Bruins (1) got the other votes from the East.
In the West, the Sharks got nine votes to reach the Final while the Jets got five and Predators four.
Of the six who picked the Lightning to win the Cup, three predicted defenseman Victor Hedman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, two choose forward Nikita Kucherov and one picked goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The other Conn Smythe picks were Filip Forsberg of the Predators (2), Sidney Crosby of the Penguins (1) and Mark Scheifele of and Patrik Laine of the Jets.

Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals | 2: Pittsburgh Penguins | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference wild cards
1: Dallas Stars | 2: Calgary Flames
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Martin Jones (SJS)

Tim Campbell, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Buffalo Sabres
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators | 2: Dallas Stars | 3: Winnipeg Jets
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: St. Louis Blues | 2: Edmonton Oilers
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Erik Karlsson (SJS)

Brian Compton, NHL.com deputy managing editor

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Tampa Bay Lightning | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | No. 2: New York Islanders
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators | 2: St. Louis Blues | 3: Winnipeg Jets
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Los Angeles Kings | 3: Vegas Golden Knights
Western Conference wild cards
1: Colorado Avalanche | 2: Calgary Flames
Conference champions
East:Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

Nicholas J. Cotsonika, NHL.com columnist

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Tampa Bay Lightning | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: Vegas Golden Knights | 2: San Jose Sharks | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: St. Louis Blues | 2: Los Angeles Kings
Conference champions
East:Tampa Bay Lightning
West:Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

Matt Cubeta, director, NHL International

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Columbus Blue Jackets
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: New York Rangers
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: Edmonton Oilers | 2: Chicago Blackhawks
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion:: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Victor Hedman (TBL)

Sebastian Deschambault, LNH.com managing editor

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals |3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Boston Bruins | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference wild cards
1: Los Angeles Kings | 2: Calgary Flames
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion:: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Erik Karlsson (SJS)

Sergei Feldman, content manager, NHL International

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: St. Louis Blues | 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Los Angeles Kings | 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference wild cards
1: Chicago Blackhawks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins
West: Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup champion: Pittsburgh Penguins
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Sidney Crosby (PIT)

Tom Gulitti, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Tampa Bay Lightning | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Columbus Blue Jackets
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Nashville Predators | 2: Winnipeg Jets | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Anaheim Ducks
Western Conference wild cards
1: Chicago Blackhawks | 2: Minnesota Wild
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion: Nashville Predators
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Filip Forsberg (NSH)

Pete Jensen, NHL.com senior fantasy editor

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Boston Bruins | 3: Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals | 2: Pittsburgh Penguins | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Buffalo Sabres
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference wild cards
1: Dallas Stars | 2: Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Boston Bruins
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Erik Karlsson (SJS)

Adam Kimelman, NHL.com deputy managing editor

Atlantic Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 2. Toronto Maple Leafs | 3. Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
1. Washington Capitals | 2. Pittsburgh Penguins | 3. Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1. Boston Bruins | 2. Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
1. Nashville Predators | 2. Winnipeg Jets | 3. St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1. San Jose Sharks | 2. Vegas Golden Knights | 3. Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1. Dallas Stars | 2. Los Angeles Kings
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Brent Burns (SJS)

Mike Morreale, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Boston Bruins 3: Toronto Maple Leafs
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets | 3: Pittsburgh Penguins
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Philadelphia Flyers | 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: St. Louis Blues | 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: Vegas Golden Knights | 2: San Jose Sharks | 3: Edmonton Oilers
Western Conference wild cards
1: Calgary Flames | 2: Dallas Stars
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Victor Hedman (TBL)

Bill Price, NHL.com Editor-in-Chief

Atlantic Division
1: Boston Bruins | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Carolina Hurricanes
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: New Jersey Devils | 2: Florida Panthers
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: Anaheim Ducks | 2: Edmonton Oilers
Conference champions
East: Toronto Maple Leafs
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Logan Couture (SJS)

Rob Reese, NHL.com fantasy

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Boston Bruins | 3: Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Dallas Stars | 3: Nashville Predators
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Los Angeles Kings | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: Vegas Golden Knights | 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Toronto Maple Leafs
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Brent Burns (SJS)

Shawn P. Roarke, NHL.com director of editorial

Atlantic Division
1: Toronto Maple Leafs | 2: Boston Bruins | 3: Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Columbus Blue Jackets | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: Washington Capitals
Central Division
1: Dallas Stars | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: Winnipeg Jets
Pacific Division
1: Los Angeles Kings | 2: San Jose Sharks | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: Anaheim Ducks | 2: St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup champion: Nashville Predators
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Filip Forsberg (NSH)

Dan Rosen, NHL.com senior writer

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Washington Capitals | 2: Pittsburgh Penguins | 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Florida Panthers | 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Los Angeles Kings | 3: Vegas Golden Knights
Western Conference wild cards
1: Dallas Stars | 2: Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Victor Hedman (TBL)

Dave Stubbs, NHL. com columnist

Atlantic Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 2. Toronto Maple Leafs | 3. Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1. Columbus Blue Jackets | 2. Pittsburgh Penguins | 3. Washington Capitals
Eastern Conference wild cards
1. Florida Panthers | 2. Philadelphia Flyers
Central Division
1. Winnipeg Jets | 2. Nashville Predators | 3. Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1. San Jose Sharks | 2. Vegas Golden Knights | 3. Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1. Anaheim Ducks | 2. St. Louis Blues
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup champion: Winnipeg Jets
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Mark Scheifele (WPG)

Mike Zeisberger, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1: Tampa Bay Lightning | 2: Toronto Maple Leafs | 3: Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
1: Pittsburgh Penguins | 2: Washington Capitals | 3: Columbus Blue Jackets
Eastern Conference wild cards
1: Philadelphia Flyers | 2: Buffalo Sabres
Central Division
1: Winnipeg Jets | 2: Nashville Predators | 3: Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1: San Jose Sharks | 2: Vegas Golden Knights | 3: Calgary Flames
Western Conference wild cards
1: St. Louis Blues | 2: Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Tampa Bay Lightning
West: Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)

Tracey Myers, NHL.com staff writer

Atlantic Division
1. Boston Bruins | 2. Tampa Bay Lightning | 3. Toronto Maple Leafs
Metropolitan Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins | 2. Columbus Blue Jackets | 3. Washington Capitals
Eastern Conference wild cards
1.: Philadelphia Flyers | 2: New Jersey Devils
Central Division
1. Winnipeg Jets | 2. Nashville Predators | 3. Dallas Stars
Pacific Division
1. San Jose Sharks | 2. Vegas Golden Knights | 3. Arizona Coyotes
Western Conference wild cards
1. St. Louis Blues | 2. Colorado Avalanche
Conference champions
East: Pittsburgh Penguins
West: Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup champion: Winnipeg Jets
Conn Smythe Trophy winner: Patrik Laine (WPG)