At the beginning of last season, there were few that believed that Tampa Bay of all teams would be in the Stanley Cup. A lot of their stars were still unproven, and odds makers want to go with someone more proven. However, plenty of the more conventional picks, such as Los Angeles and Boston, did not make the playoffs, and Tampa Bay proved that their young team could compete against anyone.
Well, the Vegas odds are out on Vegas Insider and not a whole lot has changed as far as top teams are concerned. Chicago is the favorite, with the defending Stanley Cup champions getting 13/2 odds. Last year’s Cinderella team Tampa Bay cannot be considered an underdog, with 8/1 odds. The Kings, Rangers and Ducks all have 10/1 odds. Of these five teams, all of them were among the favorites last year except for Tampa Bay.
So while, yes, it would be safe to pick one of those five teams to win the Stanley Cup, where is the fun in that? Hockey isn’t played on paper, and teams that may seem inferior in the off-season could end up winning the Cup. So, without further ado, here are five teams that could potentially surprise people and make a Cup run.
Dallas Stars- 45/1
You cannot argue that a team that scored 3.1 GPG last year is one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Captain Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy by leading the league last year with 87 points. He also put up 35 goals last year after scoring 34 goals the season before. Line mate Tyler Seguin was tied for fifth in the league last year with 37 goals. Since joining the Stars in 2013-2014, Seguin has 74 goals and 161 points in 151 games. Jason Spezza also had 62 points of his own, bringing his career total to 749.
The team tried to get better on defense by grabbing Johnny Oduya from the Blackhawks. He has a 28 +/- over the last three years, and played heavy minutes in the post season for the Blackhawks. John Klingberg is a young defender, but last year he proved he was first line material with a 5 +/- in 21:50 minutes a game. He also scored 40 points in only 65 games.
The real make or break position for the Stars will be their goalies. The normally trustworthy Kari Lehtonen put up a career low 90.3 SV% that caused the season to go completely haywire. At 31 years old, he cannot be done already. Dallas hopes that it was just a fluke season, and that Lehtonen will return to his old self this year. The team signed another starting caliber goalie in Antti Niemi in case that does not happen.
Boston Bruins- 35/1
Not too long ago, the Bruins were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. After winning the cup in 2010-2011, the Bruins were always a popular pick for Stanley Cup champion, until last year’s disaster of a season. The team failed to make the playoffs even though a large chunk of their team were a part of the Stanley Cup team.
With the window closing on this team, they have to feel extra motivation to possibly grab the Cup for one last time. Zdeno Chara is 38, but is still one of the best defenders in the league. His linemate Dennis Seidenberg is also in his late 30s, so time is of the essence.
The team still has plenty of stars. Patrice Bergeron may be the most complete forward in the game. David Krejci and Brad Marchand can score, and play physical. Loui Eriksson is a proven scorer in the league, and Tuukka Rask is as good as it gets in net. The teams new young guys Jimmy Hayes and Brett Connolly should add depth to a veteran team that knows how to win.
Calgary Flames- 28/1
Calgary was one of the more surprising teams to make the playoffs last year. It was even more surprising when the Flames beat the Canucks to face the Ducks in the second round. They learned a lot of important lessons last year as their inexperience cost them against the Ducks. They should not be caught by surprise again by the Ducks.
Jiri Hudler announced himself to the world last year as one of the premier scorers in the game. He scored 31 goals to go along with 76 points, good enough for eighth in the league last year. John Gaudreau had over 60 points, and at age 22 should only improve.
The team did not rest on their laurels. They went out and got Dougie Hamilton, who is a top of the line defender. He has the body and the offensive skillset to be an immediate impact. The fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Sam Bennett, is expected to make the Flames roster this year. He is an offensive force, who should help take the pressure off of the Hudler line. The team also went out and grabbed winger Michael Frolik. His athleticism will do him favors with a young team trying to continue on last year’s successful campaign.
Detroit Red Wings- 28/1
Detroit is one of the most successful teams in the league over the past two decades. Their twenty four year old winning streak is actually older than the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have won four Stanley Cups during this streak, including one in 2007-2008. The guy who won the Conn Smythe award, Henrik Zetterberg, returns this season. His current teammates Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart, and Darren Helm all were a part of that championship team.
New coach Jeff Blashill is leading a youth movement of players he coached to an AHL championship a few years ago. Last years leader in goals, Tomas Tatar, played under Blashill in the AHL, along with budding stars Gustav Nyquist, Danny Dekeyser and Petr Mrazek.
The team was also active in acquiring new talent this offseason. With the injury to Datsyuk, free agent Brad Richards could see a spot on the top line in the early part of the season. Mike Green also joined the team via a trade. He too should make a significant contribution to the team.
Montreal Canadiens- 18/1
You would expect that the team with the best goaltender on the planet would be considered favorites to win the Stanley Cup, but that is not the case according to Vegas Insider. The Canadiens are the ninth most likely team to win, with 18/1 odds. Anybody who watches playoff hockey knows that nothing is more dangerous in the playoffs than a hot goalie, and when Carey Price gets in the groove, he is the best goalie around. He led the league in wins, SV% and GAA to win the Hart trophy as a goalie.
Montreal also has other stars. Max Pacioretty led the league last year with a 38+/-. He also scored 37 goals, which was tied for fifth in the league. Defender P.K. Subban led the team in assists with 45. His 26:12 minutes a game were among the league leaders in the regular season last year, and he played more in the post season with 26:45 minutes a game.