If you like taking long shots, it never hurts to take them from a long ways out.
The Stanley Cup odds for 2015 were released Monday—because when you’re a true degenerate, it’s never too early—and, yes, there’s very little value to be found in betting on favoured teams 12 months away from the final games. All it takes is a couple of injuries, a contract dispute or a coach’s words falling at long last on deaf ears to sideline a true contender.
The Chicago Blackhawks, for instance, are the early favourites at 7-1. And if you think they’re going to raise the Cup next summer, just hang tight. You’ll be able to get a similar—or even better—price at various points during the 2014-15 season. Same goes for the Boston Bruins (8-1) and L.A. Kings (9-1). We know who those teams are, and there’s not a lot of upside to those bets.
Now, if you’re crazy enough to make a bet on the team that will next win a trophy that was literally awarded three days ago, you should at least make it worth your while. A lot can happen between now and next June—so you’re looking for teams for whom there is more room for things to go right than wrong.
Which club is just a goalie away? Who’s the coach with a boatload of kids all ready to make the leap? Where is there nowhere much to go but up? Which GM has cap space to burn and an owner who can afford spending to the max?
These are the teams that can at least offer you a large enough potential return to make a bet right now, an example of savvy marketplace valuation and not just a pathetic need to keep the hockey season going a few more days.
WHY NOT US: The Eastern Conference
Philadelphia Flyers: 28-1. Yes, the Flyers lost in the first round. To the Rangers. The eventual Eastern finalists. In seven hard-fought games, including a Game 7 on the road decided by a single goal. The Flyers are good enough, and they’ll have a chance to retool and tighten their defence. The Eastern Conference is wide open, and while Philly is far from a lock, the Flyers offer twice the payout as does San Jose (a team in a similar position in the West).
Detroit Red Wings: 22-1. Not quite as nice a payday, but look at it this way—you get to bet on a team with established stars, the aforementioned plethora of young stars-to-be and the best coach in the business. The Wings’ biggest off-season issue is defence, which isn’t much to look at beyond Niklas Kronwall and some hopeful kids—but the Wings should have sufficient cap space to address it, and certainly have enough prospects to make a deal if it comes to that.
Ottawa Senators: 50-1. The Senators probably won’t win the Cup next season. Probably. But it was only a year ago that they were a young team on the rise. When we put together our Sportsnet Magazine NHL preview last year, more than one analyst surveyed picked them to go deep, and another had them in the final. There’s talent here, and there’s room for a reboot. If they can net a solid return for Jason Spezza and get continuing growth from their kids—and assuming they can figure out their goaltending… you never know. It’s a lot of ifs, true, but ifs are what you’re looking for when you’re betting $5 to win $250.
THE HARD ROAD: The Western Conference
Minnesota Wild: 20-1. This is the lowest we’d ever go for a pre-pre-preseason bet. The Wild are a solidly built team who qualified for the playoffs despite a season of total instability in net. If they can get that settled—and wouldn’t the return of a healthy Josh Harding be a boon?—as well as add a little finishing touch (Thomas Vanek, anybody?), they’d vault themselves up this list to 14-1 or so.
Dallas Stars: 33-1. Tough to find much value in the top-heavy Western Conference—but the Stars are tantalizing. A young team, with several blossoming stars, combined with strong goaltending and an identity that seemed to only solidify as the season moved along? Sign us up. The Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin duo could rival Toews and Kane with a little luck, and there are other flashy pieces here as well. It’s tough to see them knocking off the Hawks or Kings—but not 33-1 tough.