NHL Futures Report
By Scott Rickenbach
Heading into action on Monday, March 9th, here are FIVE teams that might be worth a look for an NHL futures play. Listed next to each team is the current odds from Bookmaker as of Monday, March 9th.
Vancouver Canucks @ 35 to 1: These are amazingly long odds considering the Canucks offense has been rejuvenated and their goaltending is nothing short of fantastic with Roberto Luongo back between the pipes. After some initial "rustiness", Luongo is back in top notch form and he is fully capable of putting this team on his back and making a post-season run. The resurgent offense is the key to seeing the Canucks as being worth a look if you’re someone who likes "taking a shot" with a solid long-shot! The Canucks odds may be long, but the way they’ve been playing it’s hard to doubt them as a legitimate threat to make a run at the Cup.
Detroit Red Wings @ 2.3 to 1: Even though the payback is not nearly as large with the Red Wings as it is with other contenders, no Stanley Cup title contender discussion would be complete without mentioning Detroit. While their goaltending has been a concern at times through the season, they’re offense is truly "scary good" and scares the living daylights out of opponents. Also, the Red Wings have proven to be one of the league’s best year in and year out in terms of shots on goal differential. This is enhanced by their ability to generate a lot of shots on goal while at the same time they limit their opponents’ shots by staying within their system. The Red Wings have a system that keys their success and their shots on goal differential allows them to be a little weaker in terms of their goaltending and yet still enjoy tremendous success.
San Jose Sharks @ 2.2 to 1: The Sharks, similar to the Red Wings, are not offering a big payback to their backers. However, they absolutely should be the subject of any Stanley Cup discussion. They are a tough, physical team with a goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, who is capable of dominating for long stretches when he’s hot. Simply put, the Sharks are "built well" for playoff success. While Ron Wilson couldn’t quite "complete the deal" here, the Sharks could be a different "animal" this spring and their coached by a former Red Wings assistant who knows all about taking a team to the ultimate goal – a Stanley Cup title! While they’ve slumped some early this spring, don’t write-off one of the best teams in the league just yet!
New Jersey Devils @ 5.75 to 1: The Devils, thanks to the return of Martin Brodeur, are a legitimate Stanley Cup threat again. Brodeur is one of the top goalies in the game and that makes a big difference when it comes to making a playoff push! As for the rest of the Devils, how about that offense? Yes indeed, New Jersey is now a legitimate offensive force that is capable of beating teams in more ways than one. Used to be the Devils had to win games 1-0 or 2-1 but this team really is able to find the back of the net with surprising consistency as they’ve opened up their style with great success. This arguably makes the Devils even more dangerous than they’ve been in prior seasons. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will hoist The Stanley Cup but they’ve certainly got a lot of the right pieces in place to make a legitimate run!
Calgary Flames @ 13.5 to 1: The Flames, similar to the Devils, were often thought of as a team that could only go as far as their goalie would take them. However, Calgary is proving to be about much more than just Miika Kiprusoff and, as a result, they may be worth a look as a big of a "darkhorse candidate" for the Stanley Cup title. Like New Jersey, we’ve seen Calgary start to "flex some muscles" offensively. This means that the Flames are no longer incapable of winning if Kipper has an unusually poor game. This use to be the story for the Flames but that is no longer the case. They’ve been one of the higher scoring teams in the league over the last few months! Calgary has struggled some on their recent road trip at the time of this writing but some of that almost seems to be underestimating the opposition. Look for the Flames to finish up the remaining five weeks of the schedule in solid fashion and then, come playoff time, this is likely to be a team no one wants to face. A stellar offense and a goalie capable of getting "red hot" is not an appealing combo for an opponent to deal with. Flames might be worth a look at this impressive comeback price!