The 2017-18 NHL regular season drops the puck on October 4th, and ice hockey fans are hungry for action after a summer of free agent moves. The Pittsburgh Penguins begin 2017-18 as the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champions, and sportsbooks believe the team can make it a third straight title winning season. However, the NHL has plenty of teams ready to upset Sidney Crosby and company as the league starts in just three weeks’ time.
NHL Stanley Cup Futures
Pittsburgh Penguins +750
Pittsburgh finished second in points to the Washington Capitals during the NHL’s regular season in 2016-17 before outlasting the competition in the playoffs. Center Sidney Crosby put in another stellar year as he scored 44 goals, which was best in the NHL, and the Penguins scored the most goals in the league (278). If there is one area the team needs to address it is the defense. The Penguins ranked 14th in most goals allowed. When the playoffs started, the Penguins were guilty for giving up the most goals during the post season (57).
Edmonton Oilers +800
Who would have thought the Oilers would be +800 to win the Stanley Cup? The glory years of Wayne Gretzky are long gone, but a new era with Connor McDavid has emerged. McDavid led the NHL in points a season ago with 100. The center notched 30 goals and 70 assists in just his second NHL season. A lot is being expected of the 20-year-old, and fans hope McDavid can take Edmonton to a place they haven’t been since the end of the 1980s. Edmonton finished seventh in points in 2016-17 (103) before losing in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs to Anaheim. The team has worked hard in the offseason to bring in free agents to aid McDavid, but no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993; which doesn’t bode well for Edmonton.
Chicago Blackhawks +1200
The Blackhawks are just two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup, and the team finished last season with the third best points total in the NHL. Yet, a poor playoff performance soured the team for many, as Chicago was swept by eventual Western Conference champions the Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks picked up left wing Brandon Saad in the offseason. He tallied 53 points a season ago, and should help improve the Chicago attack. Meanwhile, Connor Murphy has arrived to provide some help in defense for the team. Whether Chicago is any more likely to make a solid run to the Stanley Cup final is debatable right now.
Dallas Stars +1400
Dallas missed out on the playoffs after winning just 79 points during the regular season in 2016-17. That figure was 15 points fewer than the last Western Conference playoff team Nashville. Dallas’ Achilles heel was its inability to keep goals out of its net. The team gave up the second most goals in the NHL (260). Scoring was slightly better as the team scored 222 goals, but that was only good enough for 16th best in the league. Dallas went big in the offseason, signing center Martin Hanzal to a massive three-year, $14.25 million contract. He tallied 39 points as he split last season between Arizona and Minnesota. Even bigger than the Hanzel signing was the five-year, $31.25m deal Dallas struck with right wing Alex Radulov. He averaged six points per game and could turn the team’s attack into the powerhouse of the league. Dallas has made some great moves, but it remains to be seen if the defense has been improved enough to win the cup.
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