Depth Trumps Superstars in Cup Formula

Front offices wrestle with the eternal dilemma of splurging on a superstar who bends defenses or spreading the wealth for unpredictable scoring that keeps goalies guessing. Data from the last five Stanley Cup champs reveals most winners leaned middle-of-the-pack in expected goals entropy, not superstar-heavy explosions. Vegas stands as the outlier where balanced depth nearly split 35 playoff goals three ways, forcing GMs to rethink the superstar-or-bust blueprint as the playoffs loom.