After a perfect 3 for 3 on his NHL Draft Props, Matt DiLeo makes his “way too early” predictions on who will take home the 2020 Stanley cup.
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2020 Stanley Cup Odds (via Draftkings)
Tampa Bay Lightning +700 Philadelphia Flyers +2700
Vegas golden Knights +1000 Columbus Blue Jackets +3000
Boston Bruins +1150 New York Islanders +3200
Toronto Maple Leafs +1400 Edmonton Oilers +3500
Nashville Predators +1500 Montreal Canadiens +3500
St. Louis Blues +1500 New Jersey Devils +3500
Winnipeg Jets +1500 Chicago Blackhawks +3700
Washington Capitals +1600 Minnesota Wild +4000
Calgary Flames +1700 Buffalo Sabres +4000
Colorado Avalanche +1700 Arizona Coyotes +5000
Pittsburgh Penguins +1700 New York Rangers +5000
San Jose Sharks +1700 Anaheim Ducks +5500
Carolina Hurricanes +2000 Los Angeles Kings +5500
Florida Panthers +2000 Vancouver Canucks +5500
Dallas Stars +2300 Detroit Red Wings +10000
Ottawa Senators +25000
There is obviously tremendous value in picking a team right now, but with free agency and trade rumors still lurking it is hard to dive in on any team at the moment. However, with that being said, let’s dive in to which teams I think are a good bet for their current price.
1. Dallas Stars (+2300)
I like this stars team a lot, but I am not 100% sold on them. However, they lost to the Blues in 7 games and if Ben Bishop can stay healthy, they will be in a great position to make another run. This is a great team at home and if they can fix some minor kinks, they should be a dangerous team come playoff time. If they can get some offensive help this offseason, they will be a legitimate contender. In my opinion they should be at +1500 or so and I will definitely take advantage of their generous price of +2300. In my opinion this is the best value for a legit contender.
2. Colorado Avalanche (+1700)
The Avalanche had a surprisingly great season and a convincing playoff run as well. They slaughtered the Flames in 5 games and lost to the Sharks in the 2nd round in 7 games. Last season I was consistently betting against them and they would somehow come out victorious and I would always question it. That was at least until I realized that this team is just flat out good, and they never seem to get the credit they deserve. They were 1 game away from the Conference Finals and they should be returning almost everyone. I think they are a threatening team and at +1700 I’m definitely rolling the dice with them.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning (+700)
I’m obviously going to include the best overall hockey team in the league in my prediction. The Lightning are coming off the best season EVER and they are returning the winner of the Hart trophy for MVP in Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning are the most balanced team and they should be the favorites to take home the cup. They were just swept off of their feet in the 1st round and they have some unfinished business. I will take them with a chip on their shoulder any day of the week. The Lightning at +700? Sounds like a pretty good bet and price to me.
4. Vegas Golden Knights (+1000)
The Golden Knights had another successful season in the books even though they fell short in the playoffs. They lost in 7 games to the Sharks who made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, but some crucial calls definitely did not go their way. This team is still hungry for the cup after basically tasting it 2 years ago when they lost to the Capitals in the Finals. In all honesty if they survived game 7 of that series, who knows what could have been. Fleury is still very solid in goal and Marchessault should have a better season than the one he just posted, and they still feel as if they can win the whole thing. After going to the finals and then losing a heartbreaking game 7 might make them really buckle down to get some vengeance. They just re-signed Karlsson and now they can fully look on to the 2020 season and hopefully get back on track.
5. New Jersey Devils (+3500)
Last, but certainly not least. I had to throw in a fun cinderella story for my prediction. This is clearly a little biased as I am a New Jersey native and resident, however with their odds already dropping from +5000 to +3500, Vegas is thinking they are obviously better than originally posted. They drafted Jack Hughes #1 Overall and traded for P.K. Subban who just might be exactly what they need to get over the hump and start threatening for the Cup. I’m not saying they are a shoe in by any means, but if they re-sign 2018 Hart Trophy Winner Taylor Hart to keep him alongside Subban, 2017 #2 overall pick Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes; who knows where they can end up. Maybe the Devils can somehow get back to the early 2000’s days when they were arguably the most dominant team in the league.
Conclusion
Overall there is a ton of value in this pool of teams. The NHL Playoffs are the most exciting playoffs in all of sports as upsets happen left and right and a streaky team can end up going on a run and stealing the Cup from everyone. So, pick a team or two, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
