Ryan Whitney makes shocking Maple Leafs prediction, snubs Oilers to name $1.4B franchise as #1 favorite to win 2025 Stanley Cup

Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is officially in the books.

Sunday night's miraculous Winnipeg Jets double-overtime comeback win over the St. Louis Blues completed the first round of the bracket. Now, all eyes shift to the second-round matchups, as it's narrowed down to eight teams remaining.

For the first time since 2004, three Canadian teams will be among the final eight: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. However, one former NHLer is not too high on the chances that the Stanley Cup makes a return to Canada for the first time since 1993 this spring.

Ryan Whitney from "Spittin' Chiclets" ranked the eight remaining teams by who he believes has the best chance to win the cup. Whitney put the reigning champions, the Florida Panthers, worth $1.4 billion per Forbes, at No. 1 on his list.

Viva La Stool shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).

"This is gonna get me in trouble," Whitney said. "Florida one, OK. Dallas two. OK, Vegas three, Washington four, Edmonton five. Winnipeg six, Carolina seven, and who am I forgetting? Yeah, Leafs, perfect.

"I can admit Edmonton's an underdog here. And, yeah, they get through Vegas, and I come back on like, if they beat Vegas, they're No. 1. They are."

The Montreal Canadiens were the last team north of the border to hoist the Stanley Cup during the 1992-93 season. Edmonton came close last year, ultimately losing in heartbreaking fashion to Florida in Game 7 of the finals.

Oddsmakers aren't giving the Maple Leafs much love to win the Stanley Cup

Among the eight teams left in the dance, the Toronto Maple Leafs are tied with the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals for the longest odds to win the cup.

According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Toronto has +1000 odds to finish as champions, while it has +400 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

The Dallas Stars (+410) and Florida Panthers (+420) are the two clear-cut favorites heading into Round 2, while Carolina (+500) and Edmonton (+550) round out the top four.

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs will begin in Toronto for Game 1 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers on Monday night. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Scotiabank Arena.