The Detroit Red Wings extended their playoff series into an amazing 25 straight seasons in the 2015-16 NHL campaign, but proceeded to bow from the initial round to the Steven Stamkos-less Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit’s crime was lackluster to say the least last year, as the team finished 23rd in the league in goals (211). Longtime franchise stalwart Pavel Datsyuk departed the team to return into Russia, but promising young players like Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin will help to fill the void and usher in the next generation of talent in the Motor City.
If priest Henrik Zetterberg can put together his 10th season of 50 points or more, the offense ought to be OK. There are larger question marks in net, however, as Petr Mrazek is going to be forced to shoulder the load between the plumbing. Mrazek signed a yearlong, $8-million deal with the Wings in the offseason and he is going to have to prove it after fading at the end of last season.
Here’s a look at the publication’s odds for the Red Wings, courtesy of BetOnline:
Stanley Cup +2500
Oddsmakers are not anticipating the Wings, usually a perennial Cup contender, to be in the championship dialogue come June. Detroit gets the 14th-best odds to capture Lord Stanley’s holy grail, which seems a bit low, in my opinion.
Much like the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, this group knows how to have it done when the bets are at their highest. It is a long chance, but there are worse worth bets that can be made now.
Eastern Conference +1200
Since linking the Eastern Conference in the 2013-14 campaign, the Wings haven’t scared the rest of the seminar as they used to perform West. Detroit hasn’t appeared in a Cup final because its last championship in 2009, and the Wings will be in hard to get by deep teams like Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay.
Atlantic Division +700
It’s been quite some time since the Wings had the fourth-best chances to capture their own division, but that is where they locate themselves this year. Tampa Bay (+130), Florida (+400) and Boston (+650) all rank ahead of Detroit when it comes to Atlantic Division chances.
Anything could happen in the NHL, though it will not be easy for Jeff Blashill’s team to leapfrog the aforementioned squads.
Point total OVER/UNDER 89.5
The number of 89.5 will be intriguing for OVER bettors that think the Wings will not regress as much as sportsbooks do. Detroit hasn’t finished with over 90 points because the new point system has been implemented in 2005-06. A general rule of thumb is to never bet against the Red Wings in the regular season, so I’m taking the OVER here.
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