Toronto One of Three East. Conf. Cities on Shortlist for “Playoff Hubs”; Leafs’ Odds Still +1800

• The NHL’s return-to-play plan includes the use of two “hub” cities to host playoff games
• Toronto is among the 10 cities being considered; Pittsburgh and Columbus are the only other traditional Eastern Conference cities on the list
• The Maple Leafs still have long odds to win the East, but could home ice help?

Next week, the NHL will begin Phase 2 of its four-phase return-to-play plan. That will allow players to return to their team’s training facilities in small groups on a volunteer basis. Full training camps are still more than a month away — at least — from reopening.

In other words, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The prospect of the 2020 NHL playoffs happening is still in doubt. But it’s exciting to look at the possibilities — and certainly worthwhile for bettors.

When considering the Maple Leafs — the high-flying, high-octane group of youngsters in hockey’s mega market — it’s interesting to note that Toronto is among the finalists to serve as a “hub” city for the NHL playoffs (i.e. to host a bulk of playoff games in order to reduce travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic).

Toronto, the No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament that pits them against No. 9 Columbus, is a bit of a longshot in the 2020 Stanley Cup odds. Could home ice help?

Stanley Cup Odds for Eastern Conference Teams

Odds taken June 4th.

Possibility As Hub City

When the NHL released its return-to-play plan, there were 10 hub cities listed: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The understanding is that two of those 10 will be selected as hub cities, with one hosting the Western Conference teams and one hosting the Eastern Conference teams. Interestingly, only three of these cities represent teams in the East (Pittsburgh, Toronto and Columbus), so it makes sense that one of those would be selected for time-zone purposes — though it’s no guarantee that this will be the case.

Here’s a clip of the Toronto Maple Leafs scoring three goals in under a minute against the Carolina Hurricanes to take the lead during an afternoon game pic.twitter.com/Plh58ViBDA

— Michael (@TheLeafsIMO) March 16, 2020

What makes Toronto an unlikely host, however, is a stipulation put in place by the Canadian government. Any teams entering Canada would be subject to a 14-day quarantine, which could add an extra challenge to an already wildly difficult situation.

Oh, and even if Toronto happened to be the pick from the East, no fans will be attending these games. Where’s the home-ice advantage in that?

Maple Leafs’ Challenging Road

Before thinking too hard about the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup odds, consider this: they might not even make the playoffs. Their best-of-five play-in matchup comes against a very dangerous Columbus team that will have several of its top players back from injury (including top goal scorer Oliver Bjorkstrand and top defenseman Seth Jones).

Oliver Bjorkstrand for the lead! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/9xrzcOhhFc

— CBJ Front Line (@CBJFrontLine) January 23, 2020

The Blue Jackets finished with the same number of points as the Maple Leafs, despite amassing more than 400 man-games lost due to injury (an NHL high).

A five-game series, between two of the youngest teams in the NHL, has the makings of a coin flip. Even if the Maple Leafs survive, they’d likely be on their way to face the Lightning or Bruins, the top two teams in the conference.

Last thing to keep in mind regarding Toronto: they haven’t won a playoff series since 2004.

Decision Time

In short, the potential of hub-city status (as unlikely as that may be) won’t do much to help the Maple Leafs, who have their work cut out for them in the play-in round as it is.

A preferred bet here is the Pittsburgh Penguins (+1400), who present incredible value as a team that has won two of the past four Stanley Cups and will see playoff stud Jake Guentzel (43 points in 41 career playoff games) return to the lineup after a long injury absence.

Let's S L O W it down and see that Guentzel goal one more time. pic.twitter.com/eNbtzc6B7N

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 11, 2019

Of course, the Penguins do have a play-in round to get through — against the hapless Canadiens. If you’re looking for a bargain bet, Pittsburgh is your team.