With NHL training camps opening up the Chicago Blackhawks continue to lead the way as strong 13/2 favourites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
It has been a tumultuous offseason for the Blackhawks, who were forced to make a number of difficult personnel moves, including shipping sniper Patrick Sharp to the Dallas Stars and budding star Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a pair of trades. As well, there’s been the legal issues surrounding superstar Patrick Kane.
The Blackhawks are trailed by a quartet of squads each sporting 10/1 odds, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers.
The Lightning made few offseason changes to a roster that reached the Stanley Cup final last season, for the first time since 2004, and open training camp sitting alongside the Rangers as 9/2 co-favourites to once again win the NHL Eastern Conference crown.
The Rangers, who amassed 113 points last season, are well positioned to once again lead the Metropolitan Division and claim their second straight Presidents’ Trophy.
The Ducks and Kings hit the ice closely trailing the Blackhawks, who sit as 13/4 chalk to repeat as Western Conference champs.
Deadlocked with the Ducks at 11/2, the two-time Cup-winning Kings will be looking to rebound after failing to qualify for the playoffs last spring, while Anaheim is aiming for a return to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2007 after suffering a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Chicago in last season’s conference final.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues trail the favourites in Stanley Cup betting, each with 14/1 odds, ahead of the Minnesota Wild at 16/1, the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and Montreal Canadiens at 18/1, and the Boston Bruins at 20/1.
The New York Islanders sport 22/1 odds, followed by the Blue Jackets at 25/1, the Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames at 28/1, and the Edmonton Oilers at 33/1.
The Ottawa Senators return to action alongside the San Jose Sharks at 40/1, followed by the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers at 66/1, and the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers at 75/1.
The Toronto Maple Leafs join the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes at 100/1, while the Arizona Coyotes are pegged as 150/1 longshots.
