The Royal Rumble has nothing on the NHL’s Eastern Conference, especially now that Patrick Kane appears headed to the New York Rangers.
The arms race is very much on in the East, and it appears Friday’s official NHL trade deadline day will suffer because of it. But it’s also easy to see why teams wanted to get these deals done with plenty of time, and Tuesday’s reported Blackhawks-Blueshirts blockbuster is no different.
The Rangers are very much all the way in. Adding Vladimir Tarsenko to New York further cemented its claim to be one of the NHL’s most talented rosters, and that’s before even considering Kane. If reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin gets hot, no one will want to see the Rangers in the playoffs.
New York has not been alone in its trade activity, though, at least not in the East. Here’s how the conference’s top teams have approached the deadline thus far.
1. Boston (97 points): Acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from Washington
2. Carolina (86 points): Acquired Jesse Puljujarvi from Edmonton
3. New Jersey (83 points): Acquired Timo Meier from San Jose
4. Toronto (82 points): Acquired Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty from Chicago
5. Tampa Bay (78 points): Acquired Tanner Jeannot from Nashville
6. New York Rangers (77 points): Acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis; acquired Patrick Kane from Chicago
Despite the fact the Bruins are having a downright historic season, they are far from a runaway in the East. DraftKings Sportsbook still has Boston as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, but it’s not a lock.
Eastern Conference champion odds
Boston +275
Carolina +400
Toronto +500
Tampa Bay +650
New York Rangers +650
New Jersey +700
The East absolutely dominates the top of the betting board when it comes to Stanley Cup odds.
Stanley Cup champions odds (East italicized)
Boston +475
Colorado +600
Carolina +650
Toronto +850
Tampa Bay +1200
New York Rangers +1200
New Jersey +1300
Winning the Stanley Cup is hard enough. The regular season is certainly a grind, but excelling over the first 82 games doesn’t mean much by the time spring rolls around. No one will know that better than whatever team is fortunate enough to escape this gauntlet with a chance to represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
