The Leafs have been leapfrogged by another Canadian team in the Stanley Cup betting odds
The Leafs are always among the betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup. This is both because they are a talented team that offensively can compete with anyone in the league and because of Leaf Nation's passion - oddsmakers know that they can get some money out of Leaf fans. In a shocking turn of events, the Leafs have been leapfrogged by the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup betting odds.
While the Leafs have struggled because of poor defence and goaltending, the Flames are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, having gone 12-3 in their last 15 games. They also enjoyed a 10-game winning streak in February.
The Flames play an system that is built for the playoffs. They may not be the most talented team but the players have bought into Darryl Sutter's system and they've even made players like Milan Lucic useful in 2022. Additions like Tyler Toffoli have payed off for the Flames and made their already good offence even more dangerous. They are a fantastic team that has the magic to them where if they get hot in the postseason they could shock the world and win it all.
The Leafs have been the betting favourites for Canadian teams to win a Stanley Cup for the better part of the Matthews era. However, because of the Flames' play as well as both the Leafs struggles and how tough the Atlantic Division is, their betting odds have fallen to +1200. The Flames' odds have jumped to +1000.
It shows a lot about the direction both clubs have gone in over the past couple of months. We'll see if these odds hold up after the trade deadline and going into the playoffs.
