LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 23: The betting line for the Stanley Cup Final series shows the Vegas Golden Knights favored over the Washington Capitals at the Race & Sports SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on May 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two teams will meet in Game One of the series in Las Vegas on May 28. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

New Jersey Devils: Now That Offseason Is Here, Time To Get To Work

New Jersey Devils: Now That Offseason Is Here, Time To Get To Work by Joseph Stanislau

In the introductory odds for the 2020 Stanley Cup, the New Jersey Devils are second to last. They are actually a really good bet to make right now.

Congrats to the St. Louis Blues on winning the Stanley Cup. They went from last to first in less than six months. It’s an inspiration for all the teams that struggled in 2018-19. That includes the New Jersey Devils.

That’s why Devils fans should take advantage of their odds right now.

New Bovada odds have the New Jersey Devils tied for second to last in odds for next year’s Stanley Cup Championship. They are currently 80/1 for next season. The only team worse is the Ottawa Senators, who are currenly 300/1 (that’s a huge jump). The Devils are tied with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings.

We may be biased, but we feel the Devils have a much better shot to win next year’s Stanley Cup.

Think about it, the Blues won this year’s Cup thanks to one really good offseason acquisition and a young goalie who went on a run. The Devils will likely go into next season with both those in tow.

The Devils have more than $35 million in cap space. The biggest restricted free agent they have to sign is defenseman Will Butcher. He’s not going to cost a ton. That means the Devils are going to make a splash this offseason because they don’t really have a choice.

Also, there’s the looming Taylor Hall contract discussions. The Devils have to make moves in order to show him he’s on a team looking to contend. Ray Shero will likely look to make this at least an outside contender to the title this season. We expect them to make a major trade at some point, close to what the Blues did for Ryan O’Reilly.

This roster isn’t that bad on paper. Without any moves, the Devils have a top six of Hall-Nico Hischier–Kyle Palmieri, Jesper Bratt–Jack Hughes-Jesper Boqvist. They will likely upgrade one of their second-line wings, moving one of the Jespers down. Then, they would still have the money and assets to make a move for a defenseman.

With Boqvist coming over, he helps give the Devils something they were desperate for this past season; depth. One injury was going to derail the 2018-19 Devils, and they had 20 of them. Now, they have a ton of players who could fill in with NHL experience. Kevin Rooney played well last season, and he might be their sixth option to get called up. Michael McLeod is a former 1st-round pick who has little chance to make the roster because there’s so many players who are playing well enough to be considered.

John Quenneville was the Devils first option to make the team last season. Now, he’s way down the list. Sure, that’s partially because of his bad season, but it’s also because players like Joey Anderson and Nathan Bastian showed flashes they could play in the NHL.

Then, we look at the goalie situation. After having the worst tandem in the first half of last season, the Devils may have one of the most desirable next season. Mackenzie Blackwood played like one of the better goalies in the league for half a season. His numbers were comparable to Carey Price over a full season. Cory Schneider could easily be a Jake Allen type backup. He will root for the team even if he’s not the man in net, and he will gladly take a back seat like he did at the end of the 2017-18 season.

We’ve seen Blackwood go on a run before, and he could do it in the playoffs. That’s one of the most important factors for a team going to the Cup Finals. That team needs a goalie who can make a miraculous save when you need it.

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A $100 bet on the Devils right now would pay out $8,000. That’s not chump change. That $100 bet could get you a Smart Car by next June. So go to William Hill, or whatever betting site the Devils have partnered with this week, and put some cash down on your New Jersey Devils before they make their offseason splashes.