The 2015-2016 NHL season is right around the corner and while the spotlight in Canada will shine brightly on the Toronto Blue Jays and their postseason journey, the main focus will soon be hockey. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the seven Canadian teams and their NHL Odds to win the Stanley Cup.
Montreal Canadiens
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +1800
The Canadiens are Canada’s best shot according to the oddsmakers. That’s because they’re anchored by Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Carey Price, who is fresh off an incredible season. They need to find more offense and that might hinge on the development of youngsters Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, as well as the incoming veterans Zack Kassian and Alex Semin.
Calgary Flames
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +2800
The Flames ventured to the second round of the playoffs last season with a very young team. Now many of their young studs like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett are a year older, and the team bolstered the lineup with a couple of big acquisitions in Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik.
Winnipeg Jets
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +2800
The Jets made a brief playoff appearance last season and will be hoping that their offseason plan of keeping the team intact pays off. This team is loaded with burgeoning young prospects and they have a lineup that features Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd and Mark Scheifele. How far they go will be determined by who else they can add to their lineup.
Edmonton Oilers
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +3300
The Oilers have retooled once again and enter the season with a new coach, a new general manager, a new No. 1 pick and renewed optimism. Can they finally put it together? It would be wise to keep an eye on the Oilers this season.
Ottawa Senators
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +4000
The Senators had an incredible rally down the stretch of last season thanks to the feel-good story of goaltender Andrew Hammond. They’ll look to carry over that magic in to 2015. Hammond’s emergence down the stretch, along with the young roster’s growth has a lot of Senators fans excited about what this team can do over a full season.
Vancouver Canucks
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +6600
The Canucks were a playoff team last season, but it was clear that to get beyond the first round, they had to get younger. That’s why they overhauled the roster and cut ties with veterans Kevin Bieksa, Eddie Lack and Nick Bonino. However, with veteran goaltender Ryan Miller and the Sedin twins still serving as the backbone, along with a youth movement led by Bo Horvat, this team could surprise in 2015-2016.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: +10000
New head coach Mike Babcock has his work cut out for him in Toronto, but the good news is that the cupboard is not bare. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier, defenseman Dion Phaneuf and a couple of quality forwards like James Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri form a solid base of talent. Remember, this was a playoff team in 2013. A lot of their flaws over the last couple of season were effort-related, and Babcock should be able to rectify that.
*Odds as of October 1, 2015