2020 Stanley Cup Odds – September 30th Edition

Wednesday night marks the beginning of the 2019-20 regular season for the National Hockey League. Once again, the oddsmakers have the Tampa Bay Lightning as the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup — despite the fact that the Lightning got swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and that wild card teams beat all four division winners in that opening round. The postseason in the NHL is a little different, as momentum can shift — and the pressure on favorites is immense. We have the betting odds for each franchise to win the 2020 Stanley Cup as well as thoughts on some of the contending teams.

2020 Stanley Cup Odds – September 30th Edition

Power Rankings: Breaking down the good and bad for each NHL team heading into the new season https://t.co/W0N3FpMdZU

— SI NHL (@SI_NHL) September 30, 2019

• Tampa Bay Lightning                                                                                               +750
• Toronto Maple Leafs                                                                                                +900
• Vegas Golden Knights                                                                                             +1000
• Boston Bruins                                                                                                           +1100
• Colorado Avalanche                                                                                                 +1300
• St. Louis Blues                                                                                                          +1500
• Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars                                                                                +1700
• Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks                                                                   +1800
• Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames                                                                   +2000
• Winnipeg Jets                                                                                                           +2200
• Pittsburgh Penguins                                                                                                +2400
• New Jersey Devils                                                                                                    +2500
• New York Islanders                                                                                                  +3000
• Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks                       +3300
• Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers                               +3500
• Arizona Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks                                                                  +4000
• Columbus Blue Jackets                                                                                           +5000
• Minnesota Wild                                                                                                         +5500
• Buffalo Sabres                                                                                                          +6600
• Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings                                    +8000
• Ottawa Senators                                                                                                       +20000

Tampa Bay Rays

The Lightning is once again the best team on paper — which explains their position at the top of the list. They have the league’s best goalie and the best offense — with the most depth. Their defensemen are also near the top of the league. The problems for the Lightning come in the postseason, when for some reason the pressure of the situation overwhelms them.

Boston Bruins

They somehow are behind Toronto in the odds list, even though the Bruins have eliminated the Maple Leafs in each of the last two playoffs. It is true that the Bruins are aging, but they still have a pair of terrific goalies in Tukka Rask and Jaro Halak, and they have Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy. Will Charlie Coyle keep up the hot streak he showed in the postseason? The problems for Boston center on the fact that they get too much scoring out of one line, and it is too easy to shut down one line in the postseason.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafes added Jason Spezza, who is on the wane in his career, for depth on offense, and Cody Ceci and Tyson Jost are improvements on the blue line. But what about the allegations against Auston Matthews? Can Frederik Andersen be an elite goaltender? Will they miss Nazem Kadri?

St. Louis Blues

Stanley Cup defending champs return mostly with the same roster that won the Cup last June. They brought in Justin Faulk, and Zach Sanford and Robert Thomas will continue to develop as players. However, Pat Maroon, a team leader in the locker room as well as on the ice, is now in Tampa Bay. Can goalie Jordan Binnington stay as hot as he was in the last three months of the season last year?

Nashville Predators

Nashville has Matt Duchene as a legitimate danger on offense, and they have plenty of depth at the center position. Defense is a concern, as Dante Fabbro is a little young to be a first-team blueliner, and Steven Santini and Dan Hamhuis make for a somewhat porous third pair.

Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas lost some key contributors in Erik Haula, Colin Miller and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. They should have Mark Stone for the whole season, which is a good thing, and their top line is equal to any other in the league.

Washington Capitals

The Caps has an elite offense, not just in terms of first-line personnel but in terms of depth as well. The defense may have developed some flaws as Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen have moved on. Radko Gudas has a lot of promise…but also a lot of turnovers.

Calgary Flames

The Flames has their whole offense healthy with the return of Matthew Tkachuk. However, neither Cam Talbot nor David Rittich could be considered a front-line elite goaltender.