Music: {allcanada} Will another long Stanley Cup drought end this season?

The Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 won their first Stanley Cup since 1961, and the Boston Bruins last season followed that up by ending a drought that had lasted since 1972.

Can it be done three years in a row? Sizing up the chances of teams that have a title drought of at least 30 years:

Vancouver Canucks

Last Cup: Never won. In the league since 1970-71.

Reasons for hope: This team got within one victory of a Stanley Cup last season, losing Game 7 on home ice to the Bruins. That creates a whole lot of what-ifs. What if former Cup winner Mikael Samuelsson had been available in the postseason? What if Ryan Kesler was healthy instead of dealing with a hip injury in the Final? What if defenseman Dan Hamhuis hadn't been hurt in Game 1? What if Aaron Rome had pulled up on his hit on Nathan Horton? The Canucks wouldn't have been short-handed on defense in Game 3, and the Bruins wouldn't have had that as motivation to turn around the series. What if Roberto Luongo hadn't compared his and Tim Thomas' styles after Game 5? The comments were innocuous enough, but the Bruins took it as a slam on their goalie and knocked Luongo out of Game 6 with quick goals. What if Mason Raymond wasn't hurt at the start of Game 6? The list goes on. So the Canucks might have pulled it off last season if conditions were right. That should give them extra motivation this season, especially since the theory in hockey is that you have to fail once to learn what it takes to win. And despite offseason departures, the Canucks, who dominated the regular season, have the last two scoring champions in brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Selke Trophy winner Kesler, gold-medal-winning goalie Luongo and other key players in Alex Burrows, Manny Malhotra, improving Jannik Hansen, etc.

Areas of concern: Stanley Cup runners-up usually aren't able to follow up. The offseason is shorter, disrupting training schedules, and the lack of a shiny trophy is deflating. The 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins were the only recent runner-up to win a Cup the next season, and before that the 1995 Detroit Red Wings were the last team to get as far as the conference finals. Even without the ring, teams in your conference are gunning for you. A fast start is crucial, but Kesler and Raymond are expected to miss the start of the season. The Canucks' defense last season was solid, but they lost a key piece when Christian Ehrhoff joined the Buffalo Sabres.

Los Angeles Kings

Last Cup: Never won. In the league since 1967-68.

Reasons for hope: This is a young team that is growing together, and the acquisition of veterans Mike Richards and Simon Gagne could help speed up that process. In their last full season together in 2008-09, they combined for 64 goals. The Kings appear to have two lines that will be dangerous every night, and that should help boost Anze Kopitar's numbers, too. On defense, Drew Doughty appears poised to win a Norris Trophy one day and Jack Johnson seems ready to take the next step. Goalie Jonathan Quick had an impressive .918 save percentage last season.

Areas of concern:Ryan Smyth asked to go back to the Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles accommodated his trade request. He provided leadership and 23 goals. His departure and the trade of Wayne Simmonds also rob the Kings of some grit. Gagne has battled injuries the last two seasons. Doughty missed most of training camp because of a contract dispute. He was working out with a junior hockey team, but it remains to be seen if that absence will have any impact on the start of his season.

Washington Capitals

Last Cup: Never won. In the league since 1974-75.

Reasons for hope: The Capitals switched in midseason to less of a run-and-gun system and still won the Eastern Conference regular-season title. That style served them well in the first round of the playoffs, though the Tampa Bay Lightning swept them in the second round. Coach Bruce Boudreau had a full training camp to install tweaks to the system. Aiding his cause will be the arrival of goaltender Tomas Vokoun, who accepted a major pay cut by agreeing to a one-year, $1.5million deal. Despite playing for a bottom-rung Florida Panthers team, his save percentage topped .920 the past three seasons. General manager George McPhee filled in the roster with defenseman Roman Hamrlik, center Jeff Halpern and wingers Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward, who had a breakthrough run for the Nashville Predators during the postseason.

Areas of concern: By taking fewer risks, the Capitals also scored fewer goals. Alex Ovechkin had a career-low 32 goals, Nicklas Backstrom's point total plunged to 65 and Alexander Semin (28 goals) had his second-worst production. Boudreau also must find a way to boost the 16th-ranked power play, which was even less productive during the playoffs. Though Vokoun has experience, he never has advanced past the first round in his NHL career.

Philadelphia Flyers

Last Cup: 1975.

Reasons for hope: The main one is in net. The Flyers early on had a stellar history of goaltending: Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh, Ron Hextall. But lately, they lacked a star-quality goaltender. This summer, the Flyers addressed that by trading for and signing Ilya Bryzgalov. Though last season might have been a drop-off for him, he had 36 wins and a .921 save percentage. He also has a Stanley Cup ring, jump-starting the Anaheim Ducks' run in 2007 before Jean-Sebastien Giguere took over. The Flyers needed that after watching Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky and Michael Leighton struggle in the playoffs. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren was busy during the summer, ripping up the roster. Cornerstones Richards and Jeff Carter are gone, giving youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk a chance to accelerate their development. He also addressed lack of size on the wings by bringing in Jakub Voracek, Simmonds and Jaromir Jagr.

Areas of concern: The Flyers have lost a ton of goals. Carter had 36, Richards had 23, traded Kris Versteeg had 21 between Toronto and Philadelphia and free agent Ville Leino had 19. If Giroux, van Riemsdyk, the newcomers and rookie Brayden Schenn don't produce as expected, they might not make up that nearly 100-goal deficit. Chris Pronger had bad luck with injuries last season. Also, as much of a reputation as Bryzgalov has, he never got out of the first round with the Phoenix Coyotes. He was swept by the Detroit Red Wings last year, and, though he faced a ton of shots, he had a sub-.900 save percentage in each game.

Buffalo Sabres

Last Cup: Never won. In the league since 1970-71.

Reasons for hope: Owner Terry Pegula has allowed general manager Darcy Regier the freedom to spend, and he spent wisely this summer. The Sabres never recovered last season from the loss of free agent defensemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder, but Regier signed Ehrhoff and traded for Robyn Regehr this summer. Defense shouldn't be an issue for the Sabres. Newcomer Leino should boost the offense, as will the return of Derek Roy, who was limited to 35 games last season because of injury. And, as we saw in the 2010 Olympics, goalie Ryan Miller can carry a team on his shoulders.

Areas of concern: The Sabres' summer moves put them above the cap. They sent down Ales Kotalik and Shaone Morrisonn, but even with those moves, they're less than $1 million under the cap. They could run into issues if they have short-term injuries. Miller experienced a drop-off last season from his Vezina season, though that could be attributed to the struggles on defense.

The other big droughts

St. Louis Blues (never won; in the league since 1967-68): Injuries to T.J. Oshie, Andy MacDonald and David Perron hurt last season. With Perron looking like he'll return this season from a concussion, they have the depth to make the playoffs if they stay healthy, and goalie Jaroslav Halak has made a run before. Still, they seem like they need more time to jell.

Phoenix Coyotes (never won; in the league since 1979-80): The Coyotes haven't won a playoff round since their Winnipeg days. They dealt goalie Ilya Bryzgalov instead of losing him for nothing, and replacement Mike Smith has only 120 minutes of playoff experience.

Toronto Maple Leafs (1967): The Leafs improved by 11 points and five places in the standings last season. But their goal differential was still well in negative territory.