The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07 last season and made a number of personnel moves this summer as a result. The club’s offseason rebuild hasn’t helped its odds to win the Stanley Cup, which sit back at 20/1 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com
Boston opened as a 16/1 NHL futures bet for 2015/16 in June but since has parted ways with Milan Lucic, Dougie Hamilton, Carl Soderberg and Reilly Smith while loading up with draft picks and freeing up salary-cap space.
The new-look Bruins have been deemed as a middle-of-the-pack team by the oddsmakers, who have positioned Boston alongside the New York Islanders as a 10/1 bet on the odds to win the Eastern Conference in the upcoming NHL season.
The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks continue to lead the way as strong 13/2 favorites to win their fourth Stanley Cup title in seven years. It has been a tough offseason for the Blackhawks, who were forced to part ways with veteran Patrick Sharp and rising star Brandon Saad, and also must deal with the distraction of an ongoing criminal investigation of star forward Patrick Kane.
A quartet of clubs closely trails Chicago on the Stanley Cup odds, with the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers joining the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning at 10/1.
The Pittsburgh Penguins strengthened an already potent offense with the acquisition of sniper Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer, solidifying their position alongside the St. Louis Blues at 14/1.
Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals lead the middle of the pack, joined by the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators at 18/1, followed by the Islanders at 22/1, while the fast-improving Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars are each pegged at 25/1.
After bringing NHL playoff hockey back to Winnipeg for the first time since 1996, the Jets wind down August deadlocked with the Detroit Red Wings at 28/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup, followed by the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers at 33/1.
The Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks each are pegged at 40/1, ahead of the Vancouver Canucks at 50/1, the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers at 66/1, and the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers at 75/1.
A youthful Maple Leafs squad joins the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes at a distant 100/1, while the Arizona Coyotes are 150/1 NHL futures long shots.
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
