The Pittsburgh Penguins just finished their skate around the ice with the Stanley Cup, but already the oddsmakers are looking toward next year. Who is the favorite to hoist the Cup in 2017 at the sportsbooks? The same team that hoisted it in 2016.
The odds on the 2017 Stanley Cup winner are out and online sportsbook Bodog has Pittsburgh listed as a +800 favorite. After the Penguins’ solid run through the postseason it would be hard to pick anyone else right now.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that all of their big guns, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang, are under contract for next season. The only members of the Cup-winning squad that are unrestricted free agents are Ben Lovejoy and Matt Cullen. That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, though, as the Penguins have to decide what to do with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury after the emergence of Matt Murray.
Coming in behind the Penguins on the Stanley Cup odds are the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, both at +1000. The Blackhawks will continue to be major contenders as long as they have Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith leading the way. Chicago has a few players coming off the books, including in-season acquisitions Andrew Ladd, Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise.
The Capitals were the favorite to claim the Cup most of last season, but once again couldn’t get it done in the postseason. They’ll also return most of their roster, most importantly Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby.
Rounding out the top five teams on the Stanley Cup futures are the St. Louis Blues at +1200 and the Los Angeles Kings at +1400. The Blues could be in the market for a new captain with David Backes expected to test the free agent market. The Kings’ biggest free agent is Milan Lucic, but their former captain Dustin Brown is also rumored to be headed out of town if the Kings can find a buyer.
The team with the biggest question mark heading into free agency are the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Steven Stamkos able to leave town the Lightning are listed at +1400 on the futures. Tampa Bay did reach the Eastern Conference final without him so their future may be bright with or without Stamkos.
Odds to Win 2017 Stanley Cup at Bodog
Pittsburgh Penguins +800
Chicago Blackhawks +1000
Washington Capitals +1000
St. Louis Blues +1200
Los Angeles Kings +1400
San Jose Sharks +1400
Tampa Bay Lightning +1400
Anaheim Ducks +1600
Dallas Stars +1600
Detroit Red Wings +1800
Minnesota Wild +1800
Nashville Predators +1800
New York Rangers +1800
Montreal Canadiens +2000
New York Islanders +2000
Boston Bruins +2500
Florida Panthers +2500
Philadelphia Flyers +2500
Colorado Avalanche +3300
Calgary Flames +4000
Edmonton Oilers +4000
Ottawa Senators +4000
Arizona Coyotes +5000
Carolina Hurricanes +5000
Columbus Blue Jackets +5000
New Jersey Devils +5000
Vancouver Canucks +5000
Winnipeg Jets +5000
Buffalo Sabres +6600
Toronto Maple Leafs +6600