The Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season, according to a panel of NHL.com writers and editors.

Stuart Skinner was solid in the playoffs save for the Vancouver series and enters the season as an undisputed No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career. He should be primed for a breakout campaign. With a Stanley Cup-contending team in front of him, there’s no reason to think that shouldn’t happen.

With the defending champions looking for a third consecutive trip to the final and the West loaded with contenders from Edmonton to Dallas, there’s plenty of reason to think 2024-25 can be

Faceoff: Inside the NHL' follows individual players as they and their teams battle in the NHL postseason for the 2024 Stanley Cup.

Granger: The funny thing is, the oddsmakers agree. Washington is a minus-190 favorite to miss the playoffs, and plus-155 to qualify for them. We asked each voter to pick the eight West playoff teams. Here is the percentage of the votes received by each team. (Note: * playoff team in 2023-24)

Last year's conference finalists haven't slipped, and the rest of the league hierarchy beneath them also seems relatively unchanged — even after a busy summer. Here are the Sun-Times' projected standings for every division.