Whatever team Steven Stamkos signs with in July will have its long-term outlook altered drastically, which means there is no time like the present to pore over the 2017 Stanley Cup champion futures at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Stamkos, a four-time 40-goal scorer with the Tampa Bay Lightning, will officially become the biggest star to hit the open market in years when the NHL free-agent period begins on Friday. Teams in more traditional hockey markets, such as the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, are being bandied about as suitors.
The reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have top odds to win the 2017 Stanley Cup at +800, although no team has won back-to-back Cups since the NHL adopted a salary cap in 2005-06. The Penguins are over the cap and will need to make some moves to get into compliance.
The Chicago Blackhawks, led by Jonathan Toews and league MVP and scoring champion Patrick Kane, are listed at +1000. Chicago won the Stanley Cup in both 2013 and 2015. The Washington Capitals, who have more than $10 million in cap room, are overdue to have a playoff breakthrough led by Alex Ovechkin and Vezina-winning goalie Braden Holtby.
The St. Louis Blues, who are listed at +1200, appear to be in the catch-22 of being a good team without the tremendous top-end forwards required to win four playoff series. The Lightning, who are certainly trying to re-sign Stamkos, are listed at +1400. The Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are also at +1400.
The Dallas Stars, who can offer Stamkos talented teammates such as centreman Tyler Seguin and left wing Jamie Benn and a lack of state income tax in Texas, are at +1600. Dallas has more cap room and fewer roster spots to fill than the Anaheim Ducks, who are listed at +1600.
The Red Wings are at +1800, as are the Rangers, whose management might be feeling the itch to pull off a big move after years of playoff frustration. The Bruins are listed at +2500 after missing the playoffs last year, but Boston also has just 14 seasoned players under contract.
As for the Maple Leafs, Stamkos’ de facto hometown team, they share the longest Cup odds at +6600 with the Sabres. Each team is in the early stages of an organizational overhaul that they hope will take them from the draft lottery to a Stanley Cup, as Chicago and Pittsburgh have done in the past decade.
Stamkos is only 26 years old, so going to a team that might not be ready for contention until 2018 or 2019 should not be a deal-breaker for him.