WhatIfSports 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Power Rankings

Using our NHL simulation engine, we placed the 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks in a round-robin tournament featuring the last 25 Stanley Cup champions. Every team in the tournament played every other team 51 times. The simulation generated each team's winning percentage (Win %) and average goals for (GF) and against (GA) per game.

To simulate these games or any other theoretical matchups of your choosing, try the WhatIfSports.com NHL SimMatchup tool.

The Chicago Blackhawks captured their third Stanley Cup title in six years, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. After uncharacteristically surrendering four goals in Game 2 and three goals in Game 3 to trail in the series 2-1, goalie Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks defense allowed just two goals over the final three games. For the 2014-15 season, there is no question that the Blackhawks are the NHL's best. But how does the team compare to past Stanley Cup champions? We put the Blackhawks into a tournament against 25 past champs to see how they stacked up.

The Blackhawks ranked in the middle of the pack, finishing 17th with a 45.7 winning percentage. Of the 26 teams in the field, the Blackhawks were 23rd in scoring, averaging 2.14 goals per game. But their 2.37 goals allowed was the seventh-lowest mark. The statistics align with the Blackhawks' performance during the 2014-15 season, ranking 17th in the NHL in goals with an average of 2.68 per game, balanced by a 2.27 goals allowed figure that was second-best in the league.

The team to beat in the tournament was the 1988-89 Calgary Flames, which averaged a simulation-best 3.92 goals per game. On the other end of the spectrum, the worst-performing team was the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings, which won the Cup despite being a No. 8 seed.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS DYNASTY

The Blackhawks are on a roll lately. After reaching the playoffs just once in a 10-year stretch, Chicago has been postseason-bound in seven consecutive years. Using the same style of simulation, we placed each of the past seven Blackhawks teams into a tournament to determine which is best.

This year's 'Hawks finished fifth in the simulation, winning nearly half of their games. The best Blackhawks team was the 2012-13 Stanley Cup champions, winners in more than 66 percent of simulations.