Sportsbook.com
Posts Stanley Cup Odds
Sportsbook.com has posted
updated odds on the quest for the 2006 Stanley Cup,
with the fortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary
Flames and Edmonton Oilers looking brighter following
some key off-season moves.
The original odds by Sportsbook.com were made after
the new collective bargaining agreement between
the League and the union was signed. The Toronto
Maple Leafs have seen their odds improve from 15-1
to 12-1 following the signings of Eric Lindros,
Jeff O'Neill and Jason Allison; this despite criticism
from local media. The Canadian team to make the
biggest splash has been the Edmonton Oilers. Their
odds have improved dramatically to 25-1, from an
opening line of 40-1, following the acquisition
of Chris Pronger and Michael Peca. The Calgary Flames
have also made a big splash, locking up Jarome Iginla
and Miikka Kiprusoff and adding Tony Amonte to a
line-up that reached the last Stanley Cup Final.
Their odds have gone from 25-1 to 20-1.
"The Canadian teams have all been very active
in either signing high profile new players or retaining
the services of their key players, like Iginla in
Calgary, Naslund in Vancouver and Kovolev in Montreal,"
said Peter Childs, Odds Maker, Sportsbook.com. "Everyone
in Canada is excited about the upcoming season and
we're already starting to see a lot of wagers coming
in."
The Ottawa Senators, perhaps the best Canadian
based team in the NHL, has seen its odds drop to
10-1, from an opening line of 8-1. The Montreal
Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks remain at 20-1 and
12-1 respectively.
The biggest jump in odds, not surprisingly, has
been for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went from
100-1 favourites to 35-1 after drafting Sidney Crosby
and signing Ziggy Palffy and Sergei Gonchar. Their
interstate rival, Philadelphia, has the best odds
at 5-1, following their acquisition of Peter Forsberg
and Derian Hatcher.
"Canada is the hotbed of hockey, but Pennsylvania
may give us a run for our money this year. Pittsburgh
and Philadelphia are going to be a lot of fun to
watch," added Childs.
Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes are a 75-1 long
shot to win the Stanley Cup in the Great One's first
season behind the bench.
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