Maple Leafs’ odds to make playoffs remain slim

Tyler Bozak in a joking mood when asked whether or not the team was excited to get their head coach Mike Babcock back after Canada's WCH championship.

The arrival of top draft pick Auston Matthews at Toronto Maple Leafs training camp has fans of the team hoping for a return to the NHL playoffs this season.

While Matthews is joined by top prospects William Nylander and Mitch Marner, and new starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, the Maple Leafs remain a long +250 wager to make the playoffs this season at Sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Maple Leafs finished dead last in the NHL last season, with their 29 victories marking their lowest full-season win total since the 1990-91 campaign. Toronto is expected to climb out of the basement this season, but with -325 odds of missing the postseason for the 11th time in the past 12 years, Leafs Nation must set realistic expectations for at least one more year.

Early betting lines indicate it could be another long year for Canadian hockey fans, with just one team north of the border clearly favoured to play meaningful games next April.

The Montreal Canadiens kicked off last year with nine straight wins but saw their campaign quickly go south following a season-ending injury to goaltender Carey Price.

With Price healthy and fresh off a victory at the World Cup of Hockey, oddsmakers are confident about the club’s playoff chances this year, listing them as -165 chalk to reach the postseason.

The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames also took steps back last season after reaching the playoffs in 2015. The Jets finished with just 78 points last season after tallying 99 points the previous year. Winnipeg sports -115 odds to return to the postseason next spring, but are also a -115 bet to once again finish outside the playoff picture.

The Flames’ playoff appearance in 2015 ended a five-year drought, but after struggling to earn 77 points last season, Calgary opens the new campaign with -145 odds of failing to make the playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years last spring. With the Sedin twins and goaltender Ryan Miller entering the twilight of their careers, expectations remain low for Vancouver, which sits as a -260 bet to be an also-ran this season.

And the Edmonton Oilers gained experience and leadership with the offseason signing of forward Milan Lucic. However, following seven straight losing campaigns, the Oilers remain an underdog to make the playoffs with +125 odds.

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