Las Vegas Sees Boston Bruins As Top Ten Contender.
You have got to love Las Vegas. The post-Cup hangovers are still raging in Chicago, and the odds makers in Sin City (courtesy of Bovada) have already announced the preliminary odds for NHL teams winning the Stanley Cup in 2016.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the odds on favorite just one day after winning this year’s Cup. Their chances of winning their fourth Cup in seven years are currently 7/1.
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Here are the rest of the top ten favorites from the folks in Sin City. The New York Rangers are second on the list with an 8/1 chance. Anaheim Ducks – 10/1, St. Louis Blues – 12/1, Tampa Bay Lightning – 12/1, Los Angeles Kings – 14/1, Minnesota Wild – 14/1, Montreal Canadiens – 14/1, Pittsburgh Penguins – 14/1, and the Boston Bruins at 16/1.
Well, that’s better than expected. Last season, the Black and Gold were made black and blue by a series of injuries that severely compromised their defensive core. (The Johnny Boychuk trade didn’t help matters at all.) For Vegas to put the Bruins in the top ten, it looks like the odds makers are seeing a turnaround at the TD Garden.
So what will change? (Assuming the Bruins come up with a reasonable bridge contract for Dougie Hamilton.) Dennis Seidenberg will be close to or at one hundred percent come training camp. Zdeno Chara will also be back to full strength. As long as the Bruins commit him to playing quality minutes on the blue line, that will only help the B’s chances next season. Kevan Miller will also be back, and that will fill in most of the major holes on defense.
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The forwards will also have gotten better. David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner will be full time players as top six forwards. The slower fourth line is gone, in their place fast young talent (who will certainly put up more goals than Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille did). As long as the team stays relatively healthy, a top ten position sounds right this early on.
Here are the rest of the teams in the league and their chances:
Nashville Predators – 16/1, Washington Capitals – 18/1, New York Islanders – 22/1, Winnipeg Jets – 25/1, Columbus Blue Jackets – 33/1, Detroit Red Wings – 33/1, Edmonton Oilers– 33/1, Calgary Flames – 40/1, San Jose Sharks – 40/1, Vancouver Canucks – 40/1, Ottawa Senators – 50/1, Colorado Avalanche – 66/1, Dallas Stars – 66/1, New Jersey Devils – 66/1, Philadelphia Flyers – 66/1, Toronto Maple Leafs – 66/1 (All Shanahan’s horses and all Babcock’s men, couldn’t make Toronto a contender again.), Florida Panthers – 75/1, Buffalo Sabres – 100/1, Carolina Hurricanes – 100/1, Arizona Coyotes(or future home to Las Vegas, Seattle, or even Quebec City) finish out the league at 100/1.
It’s nice to see projections that put the B’s back in the top ten. It’s not the Stanley Cup, but it’s a positive sign for the team as they move forward to an improved 2015-16 season.