Stanley Cup Odds in 2012

Regardless if a fan supports the Vancouver Canucks or Ottawa Senators, this is the time of year for optimism.

Every team begins the season with zero points, and every year there are teams that shock the league with their performance.

Last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators were better than expected, and the New Jersey Devils flopped despite their blockbuster signing of Ilya Kovalchuk.

This year it could be Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers or Los Angeles Kings as the up-and-coming contender. Fans in Boston or Vancouver are hoping their team does not suffer a Stanley Cup hangover.

The following are all 30 teams ranked by their odds to make the Stanley Cup this season.

Calgary Flames

Stanley Cup: Not worth calculating

There’s a chance, a chance, that this team makes the playoffs, and anything can happen.

However, they probably will spend this season in the cellar wondering why they did not begin their inevitable youth movement earlier.

Calgary has had great teams in the past, but it may be a long transition for the Flames as they move on to the post-Iginla era.

Ottawa Senators

Stanley Cup: Not worth calculating

It’s time for an extreme makeover in Ottawa.

Florida Panthers

Stanley Cup: 0.73 percent

Fans in Calgary are going to be upset that the Panthers have a better chance of winning the Cup this year.

At least this team is doing the right things to become a genuine contender sometime in the distant future.

Winnipeg Jets

Stanley Cup: 0.73 percent

The Jets need to get Zach Bogosian signed, but otherwise the core they inherited from Atlanta is mostly intact.

It will be years before Winnipeg is a contender, but the franchise is moving in the right direction.

New York Islanders

Stanley Cup: 0.73 percent

There’s young talent in New York, but the Islander’s off-ice mess makes it look like the Devils have things under control.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Stanley Cup: 1.09 percent

If this team played in a different division, the odds would be higher.

Despite having established stars in Rick Nash, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and James Wisniewski and up-and-coming players in Derek Dorsett, Matt Calvert and Steve Mason, Columbus is still the fifth best team in the Central.

Edmonton Oilers

Stanley Cup: 1.09 percent

The youth in Edmonton is still marinating.

25-and-under for the Oil include Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Linus Omark, Cam Barker and Ladislav Smid.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may be able to provide some scoring as well for this team.

Fans in Alberta must continue to be patient, but the Oilers are moving in the right direction and could, if everything goes right, sneak into the playoffs this season.

Phoenix Coyotes

Stanley Cup: 1.45 percent

Coach Dave Tippett has done a great job getting a mediocre team into the playoffs the past two years, but the Pacific is getting tougher. This club is bound to get lost in the mix.

Gone is Ilya Bryzgalov, who has been a stellar goaltender throughout the past few years, and it’s doubtful that Jason LaBarbera or Mike Smith will play to his level this year.

Keith Yandle is signed long term, Shane Doan is still around, and there’s promise in young players, like Martin Hanzal, Kyle Turris and Oliver Okman-Larsson, but it’s not enough to compete with Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose in their division.

This team will probably be on the outside looking in this season.

Minnesota Wild

Stanley Cup: 1.45 percent

For the Wild to make the playoffs this year, three things must happen:

1)    Guillaume Latendresse needs to stay healthy and play like he did the year he came from Montreal.

2)    Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi need to connect with premiere setup men in Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

3)    Someone in the system needs to step up and supplement the production on the blue line. Jared Spurgeon, Justin Falk and Nate Prosser (and maybe, maybe Tyler Cuma) are the names to watch.

Dallas Stars

Stanley Cup: 1.82 percent

The Pacific is going to be tough this year, and Dallas is going to feel the loss of Brad Richards.

Dallas got off to a great start last year, but the Sharks and the Kings are the class of the division right now.

Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson and Trevor Daley are all in their prime, Alex Goligoski was a great acquisition last season, Michael Ryder was pilfered from the champs and Brenden Morrow and Stephane Robidas are established veterans and strong leaders.

However, Dallas’ best chances at getting into the playoffs are passing an Anaheim team on the rise and joining the postseason as a late seed.

New Jersey Devils

Stanley Cup: 2.18 percent

The Devils, on paper, look like a team talented enough to make a Stanley Cup run.

However, as they learned last year, that does not matter once the team takes the ice.

At best, the Devils are the third-best team in their division (behind both Pennsylvania teams), but the Rangers look tough this year, and the Devils will probably be a non-playoff team thankful that the Islanders’ futility masks the franchise’s fall from grace.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Stanley Cup: 2.91 percent

This year should be the year the Leafs bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs back to Toronto.

Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf need to play to their potential, Jonas Gustavsson or James Reimer need to establish themselves as the go-to goaltender and youngsters like Nazem Kadri, Keith Aulie and Luke Schenn need to step-up big-time.

Boston and Buffalo will probably be one-two in the division, but it is not absurd to think that the Leafers can catch the Habs and sneak into a playoff spot this season.

Colorado Avalanche

Stanley Cup: 2.18 percent

The Avs are young and eventually will return to Stanley Cup form, but this year the focus will be on making the playoffs and, perhaps, ruining a division leader’s hopes in the first round.

Just for the record, all these players are 25-and-under: Matt Duchene, TJ Galiardi, Peter Mueller, Ryan O’Reilly Paul Stastny, Kyle Cumiskey and Erik Johnson.

The future is bright in Denver.

St. Louis Blues

Stanley Cup: 2.18 percent

St. Louis’ playoff prospects sit on the shoulders of three players entering their prime: David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Jaroslav Halak.

They need to set the tempo for the rest of the team.

The team brought in experienced players in Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner to help established veterans Andy McDonald and Barret Jackman bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs back to Missouri.

Youngsters Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk, who came from Colorado in the Eric Johnson trade, will also be expected to pull their weight this season.

Anaheim Ducks

Stanley Cup: 2.91 percent

The Ducks have a couple of years before they are considered a bona fide Cup contender.

Fans in Anaheim can count on their team going to the playoffs (Although, it is hoped they will fill the Pond before that happens.).

The X-factor for the Ducks is their defensive corps.

19-year-old Cam Fowler should continue to improve, but veterans Francois Beauchemin, Toni Lydman and Lubomir Vishnovsky need to take the initiative with an otherwise green blue line.

Carolina Hurricanes

Stanley Cup: 2.91 percent

Expect the Hurricanes to make the postseason this year. When that happens, this team is capable of winning—regardless of where they are seeded.

A solid combination of established stars (Eric Staal, Tim Gleason) and youth (Jeff Skinner, Jamie McBain) is enough to get this team into the playoffs.

Without lofty expectations in Raleigh, this team can play loose and be a thorn in a division leader’s side come playoff time.

Montreal Canadiens

Stanley Cup: 3.64 percent

This team will not be scoring goals, meaning that veterans Hal Gill and Andrei Markov must set the tone defensively.

The positive for the Montreal is that P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber are legitimate young defensemen who will be filling ice time when the grizzly old vets are sitting on the pine.

Buffalo Sabres

Stanley Cup: 4.36 percent

Buffalo is moving in the right direction.

Fans in Western New York should expect a lot from the team’s youth.

Tyler Myers overcame the sophomore slump and is a premiere defensemen in the league, and Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mike Weber came into their own in the playoffs.

Offensively, Tyler Ennis may emerge as a star and supplement the typical scoring trio in Buffalo: Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford and Derek Roy.

Nashville Predators

Stanley Cup: 4.36 percent

The Preds will be looking to capitalize on their milestone season last year.

Their youth has playoff experience and proved they will not freeze under the bright lights. The bigger question is, however, whether they can play well enough in their division to merit a playoff berth.

Philadelphia Flyers

Stanley Cup: 4.73 percent

The Flyers experienced an extreme makeover, shipping off superstars Jeff Carter (Columbus) and Mike Richards (Los Angeles), which effectively passed the torch to James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux as the team’s leaders.

Ilya Bryzgalov is an upgrade at goaltender, and the team has retained Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere and Chris Pronger.

However, Jaromir Jagr will have to prove he can still play NHL-caliber hockey, and JVR and Giroux will have big shoes to fill in roles that they are unfamiliar with.

Detroit Red Wings

Stanley Cup: 4.73% percent

The old core is aging and, Red Wings fans may not like it, but Detroit’s window is closing before young blood must take the ice for Detroit.

Think of this team as the anti-Avalanche.

30-and-above for the Wings: Todd Bertuzzi, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom.

However, this team is a perennial playoff team and has owned the Central Division for the past decade.

There’s always hope in Detroit.

New York Rangers

Stanley Cup: 5.09 percent

It may seem preposterous that the New York Rangers are considered a Stanley Cup contender, but this team has the right mix of veteran leadership and young talent to get past the first round this season.

Marian Gaborik and newcomer Brad Richards are proven scorers in the league. Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle and Marc Staal are all entering their prime and can take their game to the next level this season.

As far as youth goes, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh have the talent to be impact players for years to come.

This team could be a serious contender this season, even if they cannot win their difficult division.

Los Angeles Kings

Stanley Cup: 5.09 percent

The young Kings have a chance this season to shed the franchise’s history of disappointment by winning their division and a playoff series this season.

Assuming the team comes to terms with Drew Doughty sometime in the near future, their core is capable of filling the STAPLES Center on a nightly basis and reminding loyal fans of the Gretzky era.

Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup: 5.82 percent

The Hawks are back.

After suffering cap casualties following their championship two years ago, Chicago has the core that took them to the Finals and added the pieces they need (Andrew Brunette, Steve Montador, Sean O’Donnell) to get them back.

Like in Buffalo, expect youth to step up for the Hawks this season.

Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz, Victor Stalberg and Nick Leddy should all see plenty of ice time and come into their own this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Stanley Cup: 5.82 percent

They’ll have to prove that last season was not a fluke, but the new-look Bolts are fully capable of entering the next era of Tampa Bay hockey strong and could bring the city it’s first Stanley Cup since 2004.

Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis remain from the 2004 club, and the team has established veterans in Ryan Malone, Eric Brewer and Mattias Ohlund to help keep the team from having a hangover following their loss in the Eastern Conference Championship.

Sounds crazy but Steven Stamkos is capable of scoring more and the team would love it if Victor Hedman had a breakout season.

However, the real question is in goal. Dwayne Roloson is 41, Mathiew Garon was never really that great and 21-year-old Dustin Tokarski is unproven.

Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup:  6.18 percent

Like the Sharks in the West, the Capitals have gained a reputation of falling short in the playoffs.

However, the core of Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom is still intact, and GM George McPhee went out and got three veterans—Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward and Roman Hamrlik—with ample playoff experience.

Marcus Johansson and John Carlson will be expected to take on big roles this season, as well. Both players are big difference-makers in the nation’s capital.

San Jose Sharks

Stanley Cup: 6.18 percent

The window is closing on the Joe Thornton/Patrick Marleau era, but it’s not far-fetched to think that the Logan Couture generation may be stronger than any Sharks team in franchise history.

Assuming that Martin Havlat is productive and Brent Burns stay healthy, the Sharks faithful will not miss Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi from the San Jose-Minnesota trades.

The difference-makers for the Sharks will be the youth. The team knows Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be productive.

However, Logan Couture needs to avoid the sophomore slump, James Sheppard needs to thrive with a chance of scenery and Jamie McGinn needs to prove last season was a fluke and he is the player he is capable of being.

If that happens, San Jose is fully capable of being the best team in the West and Stanley Cup Champions.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup: 6.55 percent

It’s simple in Pittsburgh.

If Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin stay healthy, this team is a bona fide contender and, potentially, the best team in the East.

Vancouver Canucks

Stanley Cup: 6.55 percent

The Canucks broke through last season and are fully capable of making up for their crushing game-seven loss this year.

Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup: 6.55 percent

The defending champs have retained most of their Stanley Cup Championship team.

Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic and David Krejci should continue to come into their own, and Benoit Pouliot may thrive now that he is surrounded by talent in an offensive system.

Defensively, the Bruins added Joe Corvo, a veteran defensemen who rounds off a strong veteran corps. His playoff experience will be valuable to the B’s late in the season if all goes as expected.