Adding John Tavares to their lineup has paid dividends for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the sportsbooks, as they’re now set as the betting favourites on the odds to win the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs are now pegged as +600 favourites (wager $100 to win $600) on the Stanley Cup betting futures at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, having pushed ahead of the Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning on the list.
Toronto made Canada Day one to remember for their fans, inking the former New York Islanders superstar to a seven-year, $77-million contract on the opening day of free agency. Tavares will now pair with Auston Matthews atop the Leafs’ depth chart as they look to end their lengthy Stanley Cup drought.
The Predators sit second at +900 on the sportsbooks’ updated odds to win the Stanley Cup, followed by both the Winnipeg Jets and the Lightning at +1000. Tampa Bay’s key moves so far this summer have been locking up two of their roster players, with forward J.T. Miller and defenceman Ryan McDonagh both signing new deals with the team.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, lost forward Paul Stastny to the Vegas Golden Knights after he signed a three-year, $19.5-million contract on Sunday afternoon. Vegas joins the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals on the odds to win the Stanley Cup at +1200 to round out the top tier of contenders.
The San Jose Sharks, considered a top challenger for the services of Tavares, remain a step back at +2000 on the Stanley Cup odds, where they are tied with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. The Kings made big news on Sunday by officially signing franchise defenceman Drew Doughty to an eight-year, $88-million contract extension.
The Chicago Blackhawks made three minor signings in goaltender Cam Ward, forward Chris Kunitz and defenceman Brandon Manning, and are tied with the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues at +2500 on the title futures. The Blues have attempted to bolster their forward corps, adding both Tyler Bozak and David Perron on Sunday afternoon.
Rounding out the Canadian teams, the Calgary Flames, who signed forward Derek Ryan to a three-year, $9.275-million contract on Sunday, are at +3300 on the updated Stanley Cup odds, with the Montreal Canadiens at +5000, and both the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators at +7500.
The Senators are expected to make news this week surrounding the status of defenceman Erik Karlsson, who is now eligible to be offered a contract extension. Should Ottawa be forced to trade away their franchise player their Stanley Cup odds, already ahead of only the +10000 Detroit Red Wings, could sink even further.
[relatedlinks]
