10 favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2018-19

The Predators have no weaknesses. Pekka Rinne is probably going to win the Vezina and remains one of the best goalies in the league. The defense has four defensemen better than the top blue liner on some teams. Even the forward group, the ostensible "weakness" of Nashville, has names like Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. From front to back, this is the strongest roster in the league.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — do we really need to say anything more? If so, there's also Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist and Kris Letang. Matt Murray struggled this season, but that could be an anomaly. He's only 24 and has a career save percentage of .917, which can suffice as is with room for improvement. There is a reason the Penguins won the Cup the two seasons prior to the most recent one. They are going nowhere.

3. Washington Capitals

Repeating is incredibly difficult, which is why Pittsburgh was the first team to do it since the Red Wings pulled off the feat in 1997 and 1998. However, the Capitals are loaded, and Ovechkin remains a truly elite force. Veterans looking to chase a ring will be excited to sign a cheap deal to give Washington more depth. Plus, the Caps did all this even though Braden Holtby had a .907 save percentage this season, which isn't likely to happen again. It won't be easy, but the Capitals weren't a fluke.

4. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets feel like the "next big thing" in the NHL, and that's not just because they have a roster than can throw its weight around. They were almost the team of this season before they went down in the Western Conference Final. Not only do they have talent, but they are young. Guys like Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor aren't in their primes yet even. Connor Hellebuyck came into his own in net, finally giving the Jets stability in goal. If this core doesn't win a title in the next five years, it will be considered a disappointment.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning were the highest-scoring team in the league this year by a wide margin. They scored 3.54 goals per game, and the team in second, the Jets, managed 3.33. So Tampa knows how to score, and the only real question is whether or not Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was uneven during the 2017-18 season, can be the guy. They may be a little top-heavy. If anything happens to Steven Stamkos or Nikita Kucherov, the offense could be in trouble, but that's a problem that hasn't arisen yet. Scoring goals is the name of the game, and the Lightning can do that.

6. Los Angeles Kings

Though the Kings were the first casualty of Vegas' Cinderella run, that overshadowed just how good this team was. They had the best team goals against average and the league's top penalty kill. With a defense led by Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick in net, that doesn't feel like a fluke. Anze Kopitar is also a great defensive forward, in addition to being a scoring threat. Los Angeles could use some more punch on offense, which the team could add via free agency, but the Golden Knights showed us what a hot goalie can do. In the past, the Kings have done that as well.

7. Boston Bruins

It feels like there is a drop-off at this point in terms of potential to win it all. That's not to knock the Bruins, who have some real talent up front. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are as impressive a trio as you will find on a team. They also had a couple young players with promise, such as Jake DeBrusk and Charlie McAvoy, take steps forward this season. The Bruins were also strong defensively, as they were in the top five in goals against average and shots allowed per contest. They are a well-rounded bunch that could hoist a Cup with a little luck.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

So the Golden Knights make it to the Stanley Cup Final and only finish eighth in these rankings? Hey, let's not forget that they were an expansion team that wasn't expected to make it to the playoffs, let alone to the final two. There are no real stars, and they relied on career years from a lot of players. William Karlsson won't have a 23.4 shooting percentage again. The Stanley Cup Final showed us that Marc-Andre Fleury can't be a miracle worker game in and game out. All that being said, if they were able to do this in their first season, you have to be intrigued with what the Golden Knights can do with another offseason to work with.

9. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are the only team on this list that didn't make the playoffs, but there are still plenty of things going for them. For starters, Corey Crawford had a 2.27 goals against average and .929 save percentage, but he was held to only 28 games due to injury. Had Crawford stayed healthy, it would have been a different story for Chicago. Yes, salary cap issues have hurt the Blackhawks' depth, but Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are still there. The window is closing, but it's still open a smidge.

10. Columbus Blue Jackets

It's easy to overlook the Blue Jackets, given their location and lack of both history and success. However, this is an impressive group. Sergei Bobrovsky is an elite netminder when he's on his game. Zach Werenski and Seth Jones are as impressive a duo as you will find on any blue line. There's also quite a bit of young, promising talent offensively, and Artemi Panarin showed he wasn't just a product of playing for the Blackhawks' then-potent offense. The argument against the Blue Jackets is that they haven't done it before, but until this season the Capitals hadn't even been to the Eastern Conference Final since 1998. All it takes is one postseason to change all that.