The 2011-12 NHL season ended shortly before 11 p.m. Eastern time Monday night, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils, 6-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the franchise's first NHL championship in its 45-year history. Congratulations to them.
However, life moves on quickly in hockey, and it wasn't long before speculation had already turned to who would contend for the Cup in 2013. Bearing in mind that the season may be shortened by a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad lockout, Bovada put out some fresh odds Tuesday morning. The notable ones are after the jump.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the early favorite at 7-1 (presumably as a reaction to the Tomas Vokoun signing). The Los Angeles Kings are second-favorites, as they have 11-1 odds to successfully defend their title.
As for our Washington Capitals, Bovada puts their odds at 25-1, which puts them on equal footing with Anaheim, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay, and actually leaves them shorter odds than New Jersey (this year's other finalist is at 30-1), Toronto (35-1), Montreal (60-1), Columbus, Minnesota, and the New York Islanders (all with the longest odds at 75-1).