The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Saturday after a riveting playoff race in both conferences. How lucky we are to have the Battle of Ontario, the Battle of Florida, the Mikko Rantanen Bowl and Round 4 of Kings-Oilers in the first round.
Many years, the initial round of the playoffs seems to produce the highest quality of series, since it is before teams lose players to injury. This year, there are real rivalries and intrigue right off the hop.
Every team has a chance to win it all, but not every team is a true contender. Then, there are the teams who are contenders on paper but have a habit of folding in the playoffs -- looking at you, Toronto and Winnipeg.
The common denominator is that every team has a fatal flaw -- an issue that could be its undoing. The positive? The team that best mitigates its fatal flaw and gets some luck is likely to lift the Stanley Cup in June. Here's a look at those major flaws for the 12 top contenders.
