2017 Stanley Cup Betting Favorites

Since the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisted the Stanley Cup back in June 2016, there hasn’t been much hockey to talk about for quite a while. Fortunately, that should change over the next couple of weeks, as we begin to prepare for the 2016-2017 NHL season that is set to commence on Wednesday, October 12th. First off in our list is a sweeping NHL betting preview of the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Odds. Take a look.

2017 Stanley Cup Betting Favorites

There hasn’t been a repeat Stanley Cup champ in the 2000’s, but the #Penguins might be built to do so. #NHL https://t.co/uiNNepmzOG pic.twitter.com/dxbgU4N2tr

— OddsShark (@OddsShark) October 3, 2016

Best Stanley Cup Odds Favorites

The defending national champs have retained the majority of the core that led them to their fourth franchise cup while adding a couple of talented players for depth, and are therefore considered as strong contenders to repeat as champs, trading atop the favorites in the 2017 Stanley Cup Odds. As one of the last two teams to have repeated as Stanley Cup Champions, the Penguins (consecutive winners in 1991 and 1992) will definitely fancy their national title chances on the ice this season. The Penguins are closely followed by perennial national contenders in the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, who’ve combined to win five of the last six Stanley Cups, and the ever-lively Washington Capitals. This, of course, shouldn’t be a surprise considering how these franchises are absolutely stacked with talent in nearly all positions and have stellar playoff experience to fuel their ambitions.

Best Stanley Cup Odds Sleepers

The Tampa Bay Lightning were amongst the most-talked about teams in the offseason, following a flurry of bold– and mostly positive moves– in the offseason that included resigning team star Steven Stamkos. A bit of some balance will, however, need to happen on both sides of the puck if Tampa Bay is to be considered as a truly legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Following their strong record-setting 2015-16 campaign, the ceiling couldn’t be any higher for highly-motivated Florida Panthers. Besides bringing back a surging group of young players that are meshed up with trusty veterans from last season, Florida made some pretty solid moves in the offseason; something that should help offer continuity in the team after it won the Atlantic Division last year with a franchise-record 103 points. Meanwhile, the acquisition of star defenseman P.K. Subban (from Montreal) for Shea Weber immediately transformed the Nashville Predators from an average team to a squad with great winning potential. Add that to veteran goalie Pekka Rinne and a versatile group of forwards (Viktor Arvidsson, Miikka Salomaki et al.) to take care of things offensively, you get a darn good team that is sure to make plenty of noise in this season’s Stanley Cup lines.

Best Stanley Cup Odds Longshots

Rarely do we find Stanley Cup betting value in longshots who are placed down in the NHL betting boards, so we highly doubt if the likes of the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators will be crashing the party at the top. But in the unlikely event that some seismic shakeup happens in the 2016 NHL lines, then the Edmonton Oilers (who have a solid top line and made some well-advised offseason moves) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (thanks to the addition of top talents like rookie center Auston Mathews and goalie Frederik Andersen) should figure into the Stanley Cup mix, or at least challenge for the 2016-17 NHL playoffs.