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Which NHL Teams Have The Longest Stanley Cup Windows?
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- Which NHL Teams Have The Longest Stanley Cup Windows?
Building a Stanley Cup-contending team is no easy task.
The window can close at the cost of one injury, enough to shake a locker room, and building a window that is active must require all the right pieces, from a maturing young core to superstars in their prime.
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Even with a prolonged Stanley Cup window, it doesn't guarantee long playoff runs or a Stanley Cup victory. Each season is critical, and wasting an opportunity can be catastrophic.
Today, we take a look at NHL teams that have the longest Stanley Cup window.
Montreal Canadiens
Making the post-season in back-to-back seasons since the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Final appearance, it is projected that the young-core-driven team's window is opening right now for at least the next six years, with most contracts ending around the 2033-34 season. The group potentially has the longest young-core window.
The Montreal Canadiens have done what most franchises can only dream about: signing all their young, fast-rising talent and superstars to long-term deals, all under $10 million.
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Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson, and Lane Hutson are all on eight-year contracts, with the earliest to end being captain Suzuki in the 2030 season. With cost certainty for the Habs and players who provide elite production value, the team doesn't just have an open window solely because of numbers, but because of how the young players have transformed and transitioned into their impact roles and as faces of the team.
Watching the Canadiens grow into the contending team they are, and with promising prospects to keep the organization's future bright, they are maintaining one of the top draft and prospect systems in the league.
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Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have one of the longest open Stanley Cup windows, especially with Cale Makar signing an eight-year deal, pushing the stability of the core all the way into 2035.
In the prime stages for Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen, and Makar, with veteran support from Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Brent Burns, it is hard to believe that, with such a high-profile team, they didn't win the Cup last season. However, they are one of the longest-established contenders.
The immediate window falls from 2026 to 2029. Several of their veteran contracts are set to expire in 2028-29, and they are witnessing the work of MacKinnon and Makar, who are set to stay with the team throughout their prime years . The only issue faced is depth pieces aging out, which will require a roster retool in the 2030s.
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New Jersey Devils
When it is said that a Stanley Cup window can come to an end in a short timeframe, the New Jersey Devils fit the bill.
The team was originally viewed as a decade-long powerhouse consisting of star players Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier. However, with injuries to Hughes, the departure of Jacob Markstrom, and a change in management, a once-standout team in 2022 is hitting its peak over the next three years, with the Devils' core window projected to stay open for the next five years.
Their top-six forward core is all signed and secured for the next three seasons, and with a new support wave in GM Sunny Mehta, who has been working hard on trades for 24-year-old Luke Evangelista and the off-season signing of veteran Anthony Mantha.
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With Hughes' contract expiring at the end of the 2029-30 season, the front office is continually working to build a deep roster around him. Health dependency hinges on whether the team can produce its best product over a full season. The ceiling is high, but immediate results are necessary.
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Ottawa Senators
After making the playoffs in 2025 and 2026, the Ottawa Senators , once in a rebuild, continue to have success. Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto, and Dylan Cozens are the names providing depth and leading the way for the organization. When clinching both recent playoff berths, the team did so with heavy injuries and a low team save percentage.
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With the loss of long-time captain Brady Tkachuk in exchange for two 2026 first-round picks and a conditional 2029 first-round pick, the group is developing and hopes to add pieces to contribute alongside current stars and establish themselves as their own.
With netminders Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson providing a stable goaltending structure that gives their overall play a chance to elevate further, and with center depth as strong as Cozens, Pinto, and Stutzle, they can match up effectively against top lines. The group is young and emerging but has things to prove.
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Carolina Hurricanes
After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights and becoming the 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes ' window is open and extended, with the opportunity for a back-to-back championship. With players locked into long-term contracts well into the 2030s, the window is far from being closed.
Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jaccob Slavin, and Taylor Hall are strong foundational players, with the next wave of Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven playing in the top six and entering the prime phases of their careers.
Not having a set single superstar and relying on territorial control and heavy shot volume, the group hounds pucks on the forecheck and can fit any addition into the lineup seamlessly. With a healthy financial position and their young core signed into the 2032 season, the next five to seven years are promising.
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Instead of roster gutting, usually due to cap constraints, Carolina's top performers are signed through the end of their prime or close to it.
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