Stanley Cup Runneth Over: Foundation Makes Panthers Good Bet to Repeat

Franchises that win it all have a shorter offseason to rest, often must recover from injuries and invariably have to deal with salary cap issues. Only two teams have accomplished the feat since 1998.

The Florida Panthers may be the team to make it three. The Cats have built a culture the past two seasons, similar to what their state rival Tampa Bay Lightning had to win back-to-back Cups in 2020-2021.

The Panthers showed heart to shake off three straight losses and beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Cup Final. As Oilers superfan Shania Twain once sang, the Panthers are “Still the One,” if they can navigate a difficult offseason of free agency.

After 30 years @FlaPanthers are the true example of patience, passion and perseverance. Bottom line hard work pays off. Whoever didn’t believe in the Panthers, I bet they do now. It’s no longer a dream. Live it, enjoy it, get off the chain and that’s how you make history, Dale! pic.twitter.com/efVxpBHSsn

— Pitbull (@pitbull) June 25, 2024

Florida will likely still be the pit bull teams have to tame.

Sam Reinhart Among Top Decisions for Panthers

Florida General Manager Bill Zito won’t have too much time to celebrate a Stanley Cup triumph. He will be back to work to try and build a roster for next season that rivals the champs and earns your sport bets.

If he does a job that resembles last season, the Panthers will be fine. Zito rebuilt his defense and added pieces to the forward crops that clicked perfectly.

Now, Zito must either re-sign or replace that group. The big decision will be 57-goal scorer Sam Reinhart, who leads the unrestricted free-agent group. It is possible that either Reinhart or UFA defenseman Brandon Montour may be gone.

The other UFAs include defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov, along with forwards Vladimiir Tarasenko, Kevin Stenlund, Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins and Steve Lorentz. Forward Kyle Okposo is likely to retire and backup goalie Anthony Stolarz could move on.

Zito and coach Paul Maurice built a strong structure and have standouts like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and RFA Anton Lundell. That’s a good foundation to start with.

Last night, Aleksander Barkov concluded his 11th season with the @FlaPanthers as the first Finnish-born player to captain his team to a #StanleyCup.#NHLStats: https://t.co/LO090DD4jo pic.twitter.com/ymz7GLkvI4

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 25, 2024

Stars a Value Pick to Dethrone Panthers

The Panthers, Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes are the early favorites in the NHL future odds to raise the Cup in 2025 at +900.

But the team to watch might be the Dallas Stars at +1100. That is, if GM Jim Nill can keep his team mostly intact for another run. UFA defenseman Chris Tanev is the biggest target and the Stars will likely have to fight off the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are desperate for a D man.

Stars GM Jim Nill on his current efforts to re-sign Chris Tanev, one of the top priorities for the Stars this offseason:

“That’s the juggling act: trying to keep the band together. I keep changing the batteries in my calculator because I don’t like the numbers I’m seeing.” https://t.co/24uZkh5JdL

— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) June 25, 2024

Bet the Stars if they keep Tanev or replace his role well. They have some strong young talent and goalie Jake Oettinger.

No doubt the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers will be a factor (+1100) and the Boston Bruins (+2000) are a few smart moves away while you can never count out the Tampa Bay Lightning with their high-end talent (+2500).

The Colorado Avalanche (+1000) and Vegas Golden Knights (+1200) are tough calls and the Maple Leafs (+1600) are never a value bet. Carolina is a tough call as well with all the hard work new GM Eric Tulsky has to do.

Flyers Lead Stanley Cup Longshot Bets

It will take a big leap for teams that missed the playoffs in 2024 to make a big run in the next postseason.

Looks like Matvei Michkov is ready to step into the NHL! 👀pic.twitter.com/D2zrQI829w

— TSN (@TSN_Sports)June 25, 2024

Three teams in the Eastern Conference appear to be sneaky good longshot bets to be contenders next season. The Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils could all be strong NHL expert picks to reach the playoffs.

The Devils (+2200 to win the Cup) were a MASH unit last season and their goaltending was a mess at times. They have some cap room to build under emerging superstar Jack Hughes and a strong base. They also acquired top-notch veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom.

Buffalo (+3000) was expected to be better last season and learned a lot in a disappointing campaign. There are still some very good players to work around if GM Kevyn Adams can add the right pieces.

The real wild card is Philadelphia (+5000). Flyers coach John Tortorella pushed the rebuild forward last season and GM Danel Briere now must decide how to proceed. That is likely to be aided by the signing of last year’s first-round pick Matvei Michkov. He could be an instant star.

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Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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