The Stanley Cup has been handed out, the marathon NHL season is over. Now it’s time for clubs to look ahead to next year but before they do just that, the oddsmakers have already placed the odds.
Yahoo Sports reported this earlier today and can be seen here. The Edmonton Oilers have been given 33/1 odds to Win the 2016 Stanley Cup. That places them in a 3 way tie with Columbus and Detroit for the 15th best odds.
Yes, you would be reading that correctly. Between the changing of the guard and the right to Draft Connor McDavid, the Oilers are now notably ranked ahead of the Flames, Canucks, Senators, Leafs, Sharks, and Stars by Vegas.
These are all teams that finished well ahead of Edmonton this past season but still the oddsmakers think its more likely Edmonton catches fire and makes a magical run than them. I don't proclaim to know why these other teams are considered longer shots than the Oilers but I can wager a guess or two!
Flames: Finished higher than expectations all year and outran the percentages but those could/should catch up to them eventually.
Canucks: The window is closing and they would need to mix it up or get an unexpected boost from somewhere to reverse the aging process.
Sens: Missing Star power in their forwards maybe. I actually like the Sens. They could catch teams by surprise still next year.
Leafs: They are telegraphing a painful year.
Sharks: See Canucks.
Stars: Finished with the year with the NHL's 1st and 7th ranked scorers but still couldn't make the playoffs. They definitely need to prove they can Win before they get credit now.
Those are my guesses as to why those teams aren't seen as Cup contenders today but there's a lot that can happen between now and next April. The league is more even today than it ever has been.
Even as everything still feels like it’s a dream with regards to Edmonton and McDavid, the reality is that the Oilers are expected to make a big leap forward. Lord knows it’s about time.
Every June hope springs eternal in Edmonton and it feels like every Fall those hopes get pummeled into ground and used as pot-hole filling. This time those hopes are being shared by Vegas. That’s a comforting sight for Oiler fans.
Now it’s not as if Bovada, who sets the lines, are perfect in their predictions but they did predict the Hawks would win the Cup this year when they set their lines before the 2014-2015 season.
Where did they get things wrong? Well they did place the odds of the Flames winning the Cup at 66/1 last year while Edmonton was rated higher at 50/1. So there’s that. Still though, to see Edmonton in the middle of a pack is a big jump.
As Cooper of Puck Daddy writes, “Connor McDavid clearly has that impact.… And he probably does. The Oilers are set to have two solid scoring lines and maybe even a capable 3rd if they end up going with a Drai-Lander-Purcell combination or something like it.
Naturally the Oilers are hooped without a new Goaltender or some upgrades to the Defense but those things are available in some form or another. So yeah, I wouldn’t be planning the parade just yet, but I honestly do not expect the Oilers to wallow in the league’s basement much longer.
There’s just too much there in Edmonton. They have too many high end forwards, the right coach, and a proven GM. I would certainly expect the Oilers to be closer to the middle than the bottom in 2015-2016 and so does Vegas based on these odds.
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