Ben Arledge, ESPN.com 6y

Best Stanley Cup value bets

NHL, null

The 2018-19 NHL season is months away, and Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals are still celebrating the franchise's first championship. No matter. There are a handful of teams worth considering making an early futures wager on to win the Stanley Cup next season.

Keep in mind, when looking for value this early, it is smart to seek out the longer shots rather than focus on the more likely champions. Those short odds aren't likely to improve greatly, so there is no value to making a bet now, with the exact level of a team's prowess still unclear. Instead, look for the teams that are likely to be much better than the current offseason odds given to them.

With that said, the Tampa Bay Lightning currently sit at 7-1 and have a strong chance at still landing Erik Karlsson via trade to improve an already stacked roster. If you can get the Bolts at that number, do it. Karlsson would make the Cup favorites even better, and you won't see odds that low on Tampa Bay for the rest of the season. You could do worse than the Winnipeg Jets at 10-1 as well. If you are looking for real value, however, here are three teams that are a good bet now.

Note: All odds are via Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of July 10.


Boston Bruins (12-1)

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