Predicting where every NHL team finishes in 2025-26

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The Colorado Avalanche are going to win the 2026 Stanley Cup.

I made the declaration about a month ago when pressed for a Cup pick. At the time, I thought I was being a Brooklyn hipster going against a wave of sentiment behind the Edmonton Oilers, who have lost consecutive Stanley Cup Finals; the Dallas Stars, who have lost three straight Western Conference finals; and the Vegas Golden Knights, who added Mitch Marner in the offseason.

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the ESPN hockey family's season predictions and saw the Avalanche were in fact the chalk of a very crowded field. A hipster picker's nightmare, indeed.

As is tradition, I revealed my Stanley Cup selection to…