Odds to win the Stanley Cup
Now that the nasty lockout is over we can finally stop hearing the words “proposal”, “escrow” and “revenue” and finally focus on what is really important – the Stanley Cup. The top 10 favorites are littered with some familiar teams but offseason moves have allowed a few fringe teams to emerge on the Cup radar this season.
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Here is a look at the odds for each team and an explanation why bettors fancy a few of these teams:
Pittsburgh Penguins 8/1 – no team boasts a top 6 forward group like the Pens. With names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal, Brandon Sutter, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis – this team is scary. The defense consists of names like Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik and Deryk Engelland and Thomas Vokoun comes in to give Marc-Andre Fleury an occasional rest between the pipes this season.
Pittsburgh has the talent and the experience to make them an unquestioned favorite but they are only one injury away from slipping down to the second tier of NHL teams! But a shortened season will only help in keeping this team healthy and focused.
New York Rangers 8/1 – no team improved this offseason like the New York Rangers. They now have Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Ryan Callahan and rookie Chris Kreider at forward, they have names like Jeff Halpern, Brian Boyle, Aaron Asham, Taylor Pyatt and Mike Rupp to provide some sandpaper and some depth, they have a very nice group of blueliners including Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Michael Del Zotto and of course they have Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes – arguably the best in the business.
Vancouver Canucks 10/1 – The Canucks have had a hard time parlaying success in the regular season to success in the post season. Still, on paper this team is one of the best in the league. The Sedins, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Kevin Bieksa, Jason Garrison and Cory Schneider make up a darn good nucleus. This team should receive some quality pieces WHEN they trade Roberto Luongo and when Ryan Kesler eventually returns from injury the Canucks will boast one of the deepest rosters in the game.
Los Angeles Kings 12/1 – defending champions always have a hard time repeating but names like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick still exist. If this team can score goals like they did in the playoffs last year, they will be extremely difficult to stop on their way to a repeat Cup performance this year, especially with Jonathan Quick looking All-World.
Philadelphia Flyers 14/1 – the Flyers are a very worrisome 14/1. Out are Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Carle, Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Kubina and James van Riemsdyk and in are Luke Schenn and Ruslan Fedotenko – not exactly ground breaking moves! And the Flyers will have to depend on Ilya Bryzgalov (unless they make a play for Roberto Luongo). Chris Pronger is still OUT and this team proved that without him, they are simply average.
Chicago Blackhawks 14/1 – Despite not being in the Top 5 favorites going into the season there is little doubt that the Hawks have a very talented team – both up front and on the blue line. With names like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marion Hossa, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, it is extremely difficult to keep the Hawks out of the conversation. Only goaltending is holding this team back from being a serious contender this year!
Boston Bruins 14/1 – The Bruins are only one season removed from their Cup run and enter 2013 with a lot of the same pieces in place – Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin up front and Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference on defense. Tuukka Rask is ready to assume the full time role between the pipes and should thrive as the go-to-guy. Boston is dangerous as always but must navigate a very competitive Eastern Conference to get to the final.
St. Louis Blues 16/1 – The Blues came out of nowhere last year and could surprise again this year. With David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Andy McDonald, Alex Steen and David Perron up front and names like Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Barret Jackman on defense, the Blues will likely stay under the radar this season. But the goaltending tandem of Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak should keep this defensive-minded team in the race.
Detroit Red Wings 18/1 – you can’t help but think that the window has almost closed on this team until you realize that this is the Wings we are talking about – the deepest and perhaps the best run organization in the NHL. Nicklas Lidstrom retired along with Thomas Holmstrom, Juri Hudler and Brad Stuart moved on but this team will, as always, find a way to be competitive. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula still remain and new additions Mikael Samuelsson and Jordin Tootoo will find a way to fit in. But is this team a legitimate Cup contender? Unlikely!
Minnesota Wild 18/1 – added Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the offseason which immediately puts this team in the conversation. Keep in mind however that this team has not been a playoff team the last few seasons and still has some major question marks entering the season. [ad-4437448]
Edmonton Oilers 18/1 – the youngest and arguably the most exciting team heading into 2013 – reminiscent of the Pittsburgh Penguins of a few years ago! It may not be this year that Edmonton contends but they certainly aren’t far off!
Outside the Top 10, there are still some interesting teams – here is a brief glance
San Jose Sharks 20/1 – they always have success during the regular season – a shortened schedule can only help a team that runs out of steam during the playoffs!
Carolina Hurricanes 22/1 – is a decent sleeper team this season – perhaps the best value on the board with the addition of Jordan Staal and Joe Corvo to an already decent lineup. With Cam Ward between the pipes and a major upgrade up front, the Canes should be poised to get into the playoffs for the first time since the 2008/2009 season.
Washington Capitals 22/1 – new coach, new philosophy – same old Caps?
Buffalo Sabres 25/1
Nashville Predators 28/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 28/1
Montreal Canadiens 30/1
New Jersey Devils 30/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 30/1
Anaheim Ducks 40/1
Colorado Avalanche 40/1
Dallas Stars 40/1
Florida Panthers 40/1
Ottawa Senators 40/1
Phoenix Coyotes 40/1
Calgary Flames 50/1
Winnipeg Jets 50/1
New York Islanders 66/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 100/1
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