The Winning Formula.

It’s an oft-used expression and something that every professional sports franchise is chasing. But what is the “winning formula” in the NHL? If it were as easy as applying a template, surely one of the great hockey minds out there would have solved it by now. While some sportswriter isn’t going to crack the code, we can look for common themes, styles of play and specific attributes. Let’s look at the most recent Cup champions to find out.

What was the winning formula for recent Stanley Cup champions?

2026: Carolina Hurricanes = dominant possession depth contributions overwhelming territorial advantage

2024 and 2025: Florida Panthers (sorry Edmonton Oilers fans) = formidable roster depth & scoring suffocating defence

2023: Vegas Golden Knights = scoring depth protecting the middle surprise elite goaltending

2022: Colorado Avalanche = superstar talent up front and on defence depth to supplement the stars

2020 and 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning = superstars in all three major positions defensively responsible bottom-six playoff experience

The first common theme that sticks out is depth – in one form or another. I’m not blowing anyone’s mind with depth contributions being paramount to winning the Stanley Cup, however, the different types of depth are what are interesting. For the Hurricanes, Panthers and Golden Knights, depth meant depth scoring – every line was dangerous. For the Avalanche and Lightning, depth contributions came more in the form of shutdown defence and role players, allowing more contributions from superstars. Bottom line, while scoring up and down the lineup is nice, it’s not a must. As long as everyone is filling their role – whether that be winning key faceoffs, shutting down the opponent’s best player or filling the net – winning seems to follow.

For many of these teams, aggressive roster management and key adds at the deadline created depth. Picks and prospects were moved to add players like Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Ivan Barbashev, Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson, and Blake Coleman. Each of these players was a key contributor in their teams’ Cup runs.

Another (not surprising) trend – playing excellent defence also seems to lead teams to the promised land. Again,........

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