The underdog can be dangerous. We’ve seen it time and again in the NHL. The Kings winning the Stanley Cup in 2012 as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Nashville Predators reaching the Stanley Cup Final as the playoff team with the fewest points in 2017. The Canadiens in 2021 and the Panthers in 2023 doing the same thing as the Predators. So why not the Senators? They’re raw, new to this dance, but they’ve got elite goaltending in Linus Ullmark, and a captain, Brady Tkachuk, who wills players into the battle. They have skill on the back end. They are soaring with confidence based on how they’ve played down the stretch. And they don’t have any pressure to win. All of it makes Ottawa dangerous. — Dan Rosen, senior writer

Toronto Maple Leafs

There are a lot of choices here, a lot of good choices. And while I can’t say I think the Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup this season, I do think they could be the last Canadian team standing. Part of that is they’re an Eastern Conference team and it’s almost impossible to predict which team will ultimately come out of the East. Part of that is the impact coach Craig Berube has made on them this season. Part of that is simply the increasing maturity shown by Toronto’s core members, including a stunningly strong season from center John Tavares, bolstered by players like forward Matthew Knies and the goalie tandem of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. The Maple Leafs can take a step this season, and I think they will. — Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

There are a few reasons I’m a believer in the Maple Leafs finally breaking through this season to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967, but they all stem from Berube. In his first season with Toronto, Berube knows what it takes to succeed during the playoffs from his experience winning the Cup as coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Under Berube, the Maple Leafs play a simpler, more straightforward game that is better suited for the postseason. Berube also brings an attitude and a confidence that will be needed for the Maple Leafs to overcome their past playoff demons and string together the 16 victories they need to win the Cup. — Tom Gulitti, senior writer

Yes, I know it’s been 57 years since the Maple Leafs last won the Cup, but it has to happen at some point, right? And there is no better year for it to happen than this season. Toronto is loaded, with a strong goalie contingent in Stolarz and Woll, and most importantly, the Maple Leafs won’t have the Bruins standing in their way. In fact, after winning the Atlantic Division, they will only have to go through either the Panthers or Lightning, not each, and those two teams are going to beat the heck out of each other in the first round. I think the Jets can make noise in the Western Conference, but I worry about the Oilers having to face a hungry Kings team in the first round. The Senators and Canadiens are nice stories, but their roads will end in the first round. It’s all right there for the Maple Leafs, and I believe this is the year they will be the class of the Canadian teams in the postseason. — Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

My NHL.com colleagues were shocked when I picked the Maple Leafs to be the Canadian team most likely to win the Stanley Cup, primarily because I’m cynical about Toronto each spring. Understandable, given they’ve won just one postseason series in the past 21 years. Why change now? First, I have little confidence in the other Canadian teams. The Oilers, my Stanley Cup pick in September, are banged up and the loss of defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the first round is crushing. In Winnipeg, the Jets and goalie Connor Hellebuyck have yet to show me they can win the big game. For their part, neither have the Maple Leafs. But there’s a different vibe under Berube and his low-risk style. Defensemen Brandon Carlo, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe bring a defense-first mentality and Stolarz had shutouts in three of his final four regular-season starts. Do I think they’re Cup favorites? No. But there’s an opportunity here. Fizzle again in the first round, however, and the cynicism will return. — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer