betED.com?s Got the Ducks Flying High Among NHL Elite
For the first time in franchise history, the Anaheim Ducks are among the pre-season favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
It?s more than a bit ironic that the Southern California NHL team has earned serious contender status the same season they are no longer ?Mighty,? having dropped that part of the team name in the off-season.
The Ducks join the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings as early Stanley Cup picks in NHL Futures betting at betED.com. All three teams are +700 to hoist Lord Stanley?s mug in late spring, 2007.
The New Jersey Devils (+900), and Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes (tied at +1000) round out the top 5 picks at www.betED.com.
The fact the Ducks have waddled all the way to the top of the heap shouldn?t be a surprise. After a few seasons of steady improvement, Anaheim clearly has one of the best line-ups in the NHL going into the 2006-07 season.
Last year, the team went 43-27-12, returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and upset the Calgary Flames and swept the Colorado Avalanche before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
Last summer's signing of defenseman Scott Niedermayer was a huge move for Anaheim and Burke make an equally big addition this summer when he acquired dominating Chris Pronger from the Oilers.
The Ottawa Senators compiled an Eastern Conference-best 113 points last season, the second-highest total in the League, and were among the circuit's most entertaining and offensively explosive teams.
But a stunning loss to the upstart Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the playoffs led to some major-retooling in the off-season, and the Senators will be looking to prove themselves once and for all this year.
Despite winning the Presidents' Trophy last season, the Detroit Red Wings have not stood pat, either. Captain Steve Yzerman decided to hang up his skates, ending a brilliant career with the Red Wings. Yzerman's loss became even more pronounced when the team lost elder statesman Brendan Shanahan to the New York Rangers.
This season, the Wings will still be an elite-level club, especially with defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom manning the blue line and young guns like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg filling the opposing net with pucks.
To place a bet on NHL Futures, go to www.betED.com, click on NHL, and then NHL Futures.
For the first time in franchise history, the Anaheim Ducks are among the pre-season favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
It?s more than a bit ironic that the Southern California NHL team has earned serious contender status the same season they are no longer ?Mighty,? having dropped that part of the team name in the off-season.
The Ducks join the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings as early Stanley Cup picks in NHL Futures betting at betED.com. All three teams are +700 to hoist Lord Stanley?s mug in late spring, 2007.
The New Jersey Devils (+900), and Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes (tied at +1000) round out the top 5 picks at www.betED.com.
The fact the Ducks have waddled all the way to the top of the heap shouldn?t be a surprise. After a few seasons of steady improvement, Anaheim clearly has one of the best line-ups in the NHL going into the 2006-07 season.
Last year, the team went 43-27-12, returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and upset the Calgary Flames and swept the Colorado Avalanche before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
Last summer's signing of defenseman Scott Niedermayer was a huge move for Anaheim and Burke make an equally big addition this summer when he acquired dominating Chris Pronger from the Oilers.
The Ottawa Senators compiled an Eastern Conference-best 113 points last season, the second-highest total in the League, and were among the circuit's most entertaining and offensively explosive teams.
But a stunning loss to the upstart Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the playoffs led to some major-retooling in the off-season, and the Senators will be looking to prove themselves once and for all this year.
Despite winning the Presidents' Trophy last season, the Detroit Red Wings have not stood pat, either. Captain Steve Yzerman decided to hang up his skates, ending a brilliant career with the Red Wings. Yzerman's loss became even more pronounced when the team lost elder statesman Brendan Shanahan to the New York Rangers.
This season, the Wings will still be an elite-level club, especially with defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom manning the blue line and young guns like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg filling the opposing net with pucks.
To place a bet on NHL Futures, go to www.betED.com, click on NHL, and then NHL Futures.
