Seguin and Bishop Out Five Months, Stars 2021 Stanley Cup Odds at +2000

• Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop are both expected to be out five months following surgery
• The Dallas Stars are listed at +2000 in the 2021 Stanley Cup odds
• Read below to see how this news will impact their season and betting odds

The Dallas Stars are sitting at +2000 in the 2021 Stanley Cup odds after the team announced on Tuesday that goaltender Ben Bishop and forward Tyler Seguin will both be out approximately five months after undergoing surgery.

Bishop underwent right knee surgery on Oct. 21 and could return in late March, while Seguin had surgery on his right hip on Nov. 2 and is expected to return in early April.

How is this news going to affect the team in a potentially shortened season? Is there value betting on Dallas?

2021 Stanley Cup Odds

Odds taken Nov. 3 at FanDuel

Seguin And Bishop Are Key Pieces

Losing Seguin and Bishop for around five months is a major blow for a Stars team that is looking to make another run in 2021 after falling just short last season. Seguin led the team in scoring with 17 goals and 50 points last season, while Bishop was one of the league’s top goalies with a .920 save percentage in 43 starts.

One of the reasons the Stars lost to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final was a lack of goal-scoring. They were held to two or fewer goals in three of the six games and had managed just nine total goals in the prior series against Vegas. Seguin, playing through injury, finished the playoffs on a 15-game goalless streak.

Goaltending isn’t as big a concern because the team proved they can win without Bishop. Backup Anton Khudobin was tremendous in the playoffs after taking over for an injured Bishop, starting 24 games and posting a .918 save percentage. 21-year-old Jake Oettinger is also a very impressive goaltending prospect waiting to get his shot in the Dallas crease.

Impact of a Shortened Season 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has stated that he wants to begin the 2020-21 NHL season on Jan. 1 with fans, but latest reports are indicating that the start date could be pushed back to early-February. Either way, it’s going to be a compressed schedule with a reduced slate of games.

I'm hearing the NHL season won't start until February. I hope what I'm hearing is wrong.

— Steve Simmons (@simmonssteve) November 2, 2020

The Stars have already proven they can thrive in a unique schedule format that doesn’t include many rest days. They’ve allowed the fewest amount of goals out of any NHL team over the last two years (2.48 GA/GP) and have added Andrej Sekera to their elite defense group led by Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg.

Losing Bishop would really hurt in a compressed schedule if the Stars didn’t have a goaltender capable of backing up Khudobin. Oettinger is a breakout candidate in 2021 after posting a .917 save percentage with Texas in the AHL last season.

Verdict on Stars’ Cup Chances

Losing Bishop and Seguin for five months is tough, but it isn’t a reason to count Dallas out for next season. They’re returning basically their entire roster that came just two wins away in 2020 and also took the interim tag off head coach Rick Bowness, who has thrived since taking over the reins.

RUN IT BACK 💪

Rick Bowness has officially been named head coach of the @DallasStars! Congrats, Bones! #GoStars pic.twitter.com/qGz3Xr8YSL

— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) October 29, 2020

The issue for the Stars is they’ve been one of the lowest-scoring teams over the last several seasons. Goaltending and defense can only take a team so far, so the team likely needs to add an elite offensive forward to help them take that next step.

The Stars should see their Cup odds drop following this news, but it’s hard to justify a wager when you look at their scoring issues and the additions Vegas and Colorado have made. If the Stars add some firepower up front, consider making a longshot bet before the puck drops.