The Cup Stays East Again - And The West Has Questions

Another Stanley Cup run is tilting east, and that is starting to look less like a coincidence and more like a conference problem. The Western Conference keeps sending good teams into the grind, but good teams are not always the same thing as surviving four rounds without getting shredded. Front offices out west know the league’s balance is not just about stars - it is about depth, health, and whether your contenders can withstand the kind of attrition that eats seasons alive.