Coming off a frustrating and disappointing 2024-25 season, you would think that the Boston Bruins have nowhere but up to go, right? Well, guess again.
Betting has been a huge part of sports lately, and betting sites have begun posting odds for teams in their divisions to win and to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the Bruins, it appears an underwhelming offseason has not impressed bettors with the latest odds released.
FanDuel has grim outlook for the Bruins with latest odds
FanDuel Sportsbook has odds posted for the upcoming NHL season, and the outlook for the Black and Gold isn't good, but should it really surprise you? The Bruins have the seventh-best odds to win the Atlantic Division, is +4400, with only the Buffalo Sabres having worse odds at +4900. As for making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, those odds are +320 for Boston, which is the 14th worst in the Eastern Conference. Only the Sabres (+330) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (+590) have worse odds.
To be honest, this shouldn't come as a surprise to most Bruins fans, but it's not like they made many big moves to improve the roster from last year. They added Viktor Arvidsson from the Edmonton Oilers right before free agency began on July 1, but once free agency opened, the biggest contract given out was handed to Tanner Jeannot, a five-year, $17 million deal.
You could make the case that the Bruins will get better just on injured players returning, with defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm returning from injuries. However, while that is all well and good, it doesn't solve the biggest needs they have, depth scoring and center depth.
Boston is still lacking a true No. 1 center with Elias Lindholm currently projected to be that player again in 2025-26, but is really the answer? His contract says he is, but truth be told, he isn't right now. Oddsmakers rarely miss big enough for teams like the Bruins to slide up into a Top 3 spot in the Atlantic Division, but one big trade or move by general manager Don Sweeney might do that. If that move is made, let's recheck the odds.