The Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2016 Stanley Cup in six games, getting the best of the San Jose Sharks. For the Sharks, it was the team's first trip to the Cup final, whereas the Penguins have made it a habit of reaching the final, making it there three times since 2008 and winning the ultimate prize twice in that span.  

With few changes to the roster, the Penguins should once again threaten to win the Cup, but who else will join them in the hunt? Here are the three favorites in 2017.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks entered the 2015-16 season as the defending Stanley Cup champions. By the time the first round of the Western Conference playoffs ended, the Blackhawks were on the outside looking in, bounced by the St. Louis Blues in an entertaining series that featured two overtime games and six games decided by one goal.

Chicago lost some key players due to salary cap restrictions over the summer, shedding Andrew Ladd, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrew Shaw, and Dale Weise. The team's "big" offseason acquisition was an aging Brian Campbell.

While Chicago is always under pressure to win the Cup, the pressure might be higher this season because Artemi Panarin, the 2016 Rookie of the Year, is in his contract year. Panarin is going to demand a huge increase in pay, which could force Chicago to deal him or sacrifice some less expensive players to work with the salary cap.

The good thing is that Panarin will be around for at least this season, as will Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks have all the key pieces in place to return the Cup to Chicago.

Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Brett Howden poses for a photo after being selected as the number twenty-seven overall draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning were within one game of representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals last season, falling to the eventual Cup champion Penguins in seven games.

It was kind of amazing the team made it that far when you consider what Tampa Bay had to overcome. Namely, that team captain Steven Stamkos missed the first two rounds of the playoffs and only played in Game 7 of the Pittsburgh series. Starting goaltender Ben Bishop also went down to injury in Game 1 of the series.

Heading into 2017, Stamkos and Bishop are healthy and backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy showed that he's ready for some additional ice time when he took over for Bishop against Pittsburgh. Also, star-in-waiting Jonathan Drouin should be ready to spend the entire season with the team.

All the pieces are in place for the Lightning to make another deep playoff run.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins will contend for the Cup again. They lost no key pieces from last year's team, and Trevor Daley, who missed the entire Stanley Cup final series due to a leg injury, will be healthy and ready to play at the start of the season.

Another thing to consider is that both Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel didn't play well early in the 2016 season. There's no reason to believe that they will start the 2017 campaign in the same manner, considering that Crosby won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP and Kessel was under consideration for the same award.

The only worry for the Penguins is the always dreaded Stanley Cup hangover.

By Trent Reinsmith