NHL Odds – Winter is Coming, Who are the Favorites?

The most hyped college free agent in NHL history finally agreed to a deal, wrapping up the final bit of drama for this offseason. Now that 23-year-old Jimmy Vesey has signed with the New York Rangers, there’s nothing for hockey fans to do but turn their attention towards the upcoming season.

We’re still almost two months away from puck drop, but there’s a lot to catch up on from the summer. Here are the main points:

• The reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have kept their winning team intact, including goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was deemed expendable by many after rookie Matt Murray’s playoff run.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning got a huge discount from pending free agent Steven Stamkos, allowing them to keep their young, talented core together and reaffirm this team as a contender for years to come.
• The Chicago Blackhawks will continue to be awesome until Jonathan Toews retires at age 50.
• The Montreal Canadiens dealt All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban to Nashville for “totally legitimate hockey reasons.” In return, they got an older, slower Shea Weber and Nashville became one of the most fun teams in the league.
• The Edmonton Oilers traded one of the dozens of forwards they’ve selected first overall for an okay defenseman after they failed to master time travel and stop their past selves from drafting Nail Yakupov.
• A bunch of decent role players were overpaid in free agency. (Note: overpaid in the NHL is vastly different from the NBA. Like $10 million-a-year different.)
• Despite signing young stud Jimmy Vesey, the Rangers remain an old, slow hockey team that only have decent odds to win because Henrik Lundqvist is in net. Stay away from them at all costs.

I’d hate to overload your brains with anymore chilly hockey thoughts while the weather outside remains excellent. But if you are looking to get a leg up on betting the upcoming NHL season, now is an excellent time to find value. Here are the latest Stanley Cup futures for the 2016-17 season.

2016-17 Stanley Cup Odds

Pittsburgh Penguins: 8/1
Chicago Blackhawks: 17/2
Washington Capitals: 8/1
Tampa Bay Lightning: 10/1
Dallas Stars: 12/1
St. Louis Blues: 15/1
Anaheim Ducks: 16/1
San Jose Sharks: 16/1
Los Angeles Kings: 18/1
Nashville Predators: 18/1
New York Rangers: 18/1
Florida Panthers: 20/1
Minnesota Wild: 20/1
Montreal Canadiens: 22/1
New York Islanders: 22/1
Boston Bruins: 25/1
Detroit Red Wings: 25/1
Philadelphia Flyers: 30/1
Edmonton Oilers: 40/1
Colorado Avalanche: 45/1
Arizona Coyotes: 50/1
Calgary Flames: 50/1
New Jersey Devils: 60/1
Ottawa Senators: 60/1
Columbus Blue Jackets: 65/1
Buffalo Sabres: 70/1
Winnipeg Jets: 70/1
Carolina Hurricanes: 75/1
Toronto Maple Leafs: 75/1
Vancouver Canucks: 75/1

Photo Credit: Joey Gannon (Flickr)[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/].