Odds to Win 2016 Stanley Cup(For the latest Odds, connect to Sportsbook.ag) | Chicago Blackhawks | 13-to-2 | | Tampa Bay Lightning | 8-to-1 | | Los Angeles Kings | 10-to-1 | | Anaheim Ducks | 11-to-1 | | New York Rangers | 12-to-1 | | Minnesota Wild | 13-to-1 | | Nashville Predators | 13-to-1 | | Pittsburgh Penguins | 13-to-1 | | St. Louis Blues | 13-to-1 | | Montreal Canadiens | 18-to-1 | | Washington Capitals | 18-to-1 | | New York Islanders | 22-to-1 | | Winnipeg Jets | 22-to-1 | | Columbus Blue Jackets | 25-to-1 | | Calgary Flames | 28-to-1 | | Detroit Red Wings | 28-to-1 | | Boston Bruins | 35-to-1 | | Dallas Stars | 40-to-1 | | Edmonton Oilers | 45-to-1 | | Ottawa Senators | 45-to-1 | | San Jose Sharks | 45-to-1 | | Florida Panthers | 55-to-1 | | Buffalo Sabres | 85-to-1 | | Colorado Avalanche | 85-to-1 | | Vancouver Canucks | 85-to-1 | | Carolina Hurricanes | 100-to-1 | | New Jersey Devils | 100-to-1 | | Philadelphia Flyers | 100-to-1 | | Arizona Coyotes | 200-to-1 | | Toronto Maple Leafs | 200-to-1 |
The Chicago Blackhawks were victorious in their 2015 Stanley Cup matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams will surely be ready to compete once again, but now is a good time to also look at some other squads that will be gunning for the trophy: New York Rangers - The Rangers were unable to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but the team was dealing with a ton of injuries. D Ryan McDonagh (8 G, 25 A, 33 PTS) was playing on a broken foot in that series, but he, along with RW Mats Zuccarrello (15 G, 34 A, 49 PTS), will be healthy entering the year. New York has done nothing but win games since Alain Vigneault took over as head coach and this team will continue to improve with a very solid young core. Having G Henrik Lundqvist (30-13-3, 2.25 GAA, 92.2 SV%) between the pipes and a full season of D Keith Yandle (6 G, 46 A, 52 PTS) running the power play doesn’t hurt either. The Rangers are about as good a pick as any to win the Stanley Cup next season and they’re receiving very solid odds. St. Louis Blues - The Blues were disappointing in the postseason a year ago, but this team should be much better next season. St. Louis is loaded with offensive firepower and guys like RW Vladimir Tarasenko (37 G, 36 A, 73 PTS) and LW Jaden Schwartz (28 G, 35 A, 63 PTS) are not even close to reaching their full potential. C Paul Statsny (16 G, 30 A, 46 PTS) will be a lot more comfortable in his second year in St. Louis and should be in for a much bigger season. With the scoring not being an issue and a solid group of veteran defensemen, the Blues will only need some consistent play out of their goalies in order to contend for the Stanley Cup. It’d be wise to put a unit or two on this group, as it can compete with anybody on any given night. New York Islanders - The Islanders were an extremely tough team to play against last season, racking up 3.0 goals per game (4th in NHL) and using their size to their advantage all over the ice. C John Tavares (38 G, 48 A, 86 PTS) has emerged as one of the best players in the entire league and New York now has a young group of players around him that know how to play their roles. Ds Nick Leddy (10 G, 27 A, 37 PTS) and Johnny Boychuk (9 G, 26 A, 35 PTS) are two very sound defensemen and as long as the Islanders can do a better job of keeping the puck out of their own end, they should be a lot better next season. G Jaroslav Halak (38-17-4, 2.43 GAA, 91.4% SV%) is the only thing keeping this team from being a stronger consideration to win. If he can become more consistent then the Islanders will be an absurd value at 22-to-1. Calgary Flames - Calgary had one of the league’s best offenses last season, scoring 2.9 goals per game (6th in NHL). The Flames have a unique blend of young talent and veteran leadership, and should be ready to take the next step. LW Jiri Hudler (31 G, 45 A, 76 PTS), LW Johnny Gaudreau (24 G, 40 A, 64 PTS) and C Sean Monahan (31 G, 31 A, 62 PTS) are all back to spark this offense once again, but Monahan and Gaudreau will both be better after having the offseason to develop. They are two of the best up-and-coming players in the league. Calgary also added D Dougie Hamilton (10 G, 32 A, 42 PTS) to a group of defensemen that already includes excellent two-way players like Dennis Wideman (15 G, 41 A, 56 PTS), Mark Giordano (11 G, 37 A, 48 PTS) and T.J. Brodie (11 G, 30 A, 41 PTS). This team is a serious force to be reckoned with and could surprise a lot of people by winning the Cup in 2016.
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