Congratulations to the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ve got their fourth Cup in franchise history, and in the process have placed a nice big bull’s eye on their back for the 2016-2017 season.
The Pens will unsurprisingly begin next season as one of the favorites, but not the favorites. Let’s check out the very early Stanley Cup odds of some other contenders who are ahead of the champs, as well as the odds of some other teams that are flying under the radar.
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2016-17 NHL Stanley Cup Futures Odds Update
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Washington Capitals
The team’s bound to experience a bit of regression, especially with likely Vezina-winning goalie Braden Holtby. But Alex Ovechkin still isn’t showing signs of slippage, as his league-leading 50 goals can attest, and he’ll continue to be surrounded by more than enough talent to contend in the East.
Chicago Blackhawks
Despite the best efforts of Art Ross winner Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks just couldn’t rediscover the magic of past Cup runs this year. Now, the Hawks are faced with another offseason where they’ll need to do some salary cap gymnastics in order to construct another team that can make their +750 odds to win the Stanley Cup pay off.
They’re highly unlikely to keep midseason acquisition Andrew Ladd and other unrestricted free agents, while Andrew Shaw is a restricted free agent and will be looking for a substantial raise. How general manager Stan Bowman will keep him happy, while also strengthening the team’s shallow blue line remains to be seen, but he somehow always seems to find a way.
Pittsburgh Penguins
It’s now coming up to 20 years since an NHL team has successfully defended the Stanley Cup. But that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from pricing the Pens at +850 to achieve that feat next year. It’s hard to blame them as well, with virtually the entire Penguins team is locked up for next season.
And with the emergence of rookie goalie Matt Murray during the playoffs, they will have one tasty trade chip to deal with Marc-Andre Fleury, who can fetch some much-needed fresh blood for next season.
Sleeper
New York Islanders
The Isles were dispatched rather easily in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they might have gone further in the Stanley Cup playoffs if they weren’t so decimated by injuries. Regardless, coach Jack Capuano still has his team trending upwards. They’ve topped 100 points in back-to-back years for the first time since their glory days in the early ‘80s.
With some better injury luck, the addition of a solid winger to play alongside superstar center John Tavares, and a capable replacement for trade-requesting defenseman Travis Hamonic, the Isles’ +2,000 odds to win the Stanley Cup next season could turn out to be a bit of a bargain.
Long Shot
Edmonton Oilers
Of all the long shot bets to win the Stanley Cup, the Oilers at +7,500 might just be the best value. They’ve got a budding superstar in Connor McDavid, who will be eager to make up for lost time after missing much of his rookie season due to injury.
They’ve finally landed themselves a goalie with Cam Talbot, who was one of the team’s few bright spots ilast season. And they’ll have some pieces they can move – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, possibly Taylor Hall – in order to finally land that top pair defenseman they desperately need.
Can’t wait till October? Create a betting account now and start wagering on some NHL Stanley Cup futures today.
