Power forward Dustin Byfuglien is one of Chicago’s salary cap casualties.
The thrill of winning their first Stanley Cup title since 1961 might not last long for the
Chicago Blackhawks. Not long after lifting the trophy, the team has gone through a quite extensive roster purge because of the dreaded salary cap.
Nevertheless, most offshore sports books monitored by the Don Best real time odds product have installed Chicago as a 5/1 favorite to repeat as champions during the 2011 campaign. If the Blackhawks accomplished the feat, it would be the first time a team captured back-to-back Cup titles since 1997 and 1998 when the Red Wings turned the trick.
However, the Blackhawks must attempt to repeat without tough guy Dustin Byfuglien, on of their main cogs during last year's playoff run. A blockbuster trade made shortly after the Cup celebration sent Byfuglien, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager from Chicago to Atlanta.
Chicago also sent a prospect to Atlanta and acquired first and second-round picks in the draft as well as forward Marty Reasoner and prospect Jeremy Morin.
Though the Hawks were led by young stars such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, they received plenty of help en route to defeating Philadelphia for their first Cup title since 1961.
With one of the deepest rosters in the NHL hockey league, they set franchise records for wins (52) and points (112) in the regular season while finishing second to San Jose in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks went through Nashville, Vancouver and San Jose in the playoffs before beating the Flyers.
However, with major salary-cap issues, changes were expected. NHL hockey real time odds.
Kane and Toews signed lucrative contract extensions with the Blackhawks in December. The two young forwards signed five-year deals worth $31.5 million each.
Marian Hossa (12 years, $62.8 million deal) and Duncan Keith (13 years, $72 million deal), who signed the same day as Kane and Toews have large long-term contracts. Defenseman Brian Campbell just completed the second year of an eight-year, $56.8 million contract.
Goalie Cristobal Huet, who became a pricey backup, has two years left on four-year, $22.45 million deal. Antti Niemi is a restricted free agent who is due a raise.
So, someone had to go, and Byfuglien, Sopel and Eager will take their skill elsewhere next season.
The 25-year-old Byfuglien scored three game-winning goals during a sweep of San Jose in the Western Conference finals that put Chicago in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1992. He also had a hat trick in a victory over the Canucks in the conference semifinals.
Against the Flyers, the 6-foot-4, 257-pound Byfuglien struggled at times against defenseman Chris Pronger but scored three goals over the final two games. He had 11 goals overall during the playoffs after finishing with 17 during the regular season. He has three straight seasons with more than 30 points.
The 33-year-old Sopel had a goal and five assists in the playoffs, but had just one goal in each of the last two regular seasons. Eager, 26, had a goal and two assists in the playoffs after having 16 points in the regular season.
The runner-up Flyers were the big surprise NHL hockey team during last season's postseason, and oddsmakers aren't convinced the squad is for real quite yet. That is evidenced by Philadelphia's 12/1 odds to win the Cup this season, which is the seventh lowest odds of the 30 teams.
Washington and Pittsburgh are both 6/1 to grab the Cup. The Capitals amassed a league-high 121 points during the regular season, while the Penguins had participated in the Cup Finals the previous two seasons.
The San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings follow with 8/1 odds. The Western Conference champion Sharks have now collected 104 points or more in five of the last six seasons, while the Wings needed a 16-3-2 run just to get in to the postseason.
The Edmonton Oilers are the longest shot on the board at 100/1.