‘Zito deserves golf clap for bringing back Ekblad, Marchand & Bennett’: Fuhrman on free agency

‘Zito deserves golf clap for bringing back Ekblad, Marchand & Bennett’: Fuhrman on free agency

What a highly anticipated edition of Todd’s Odds with our good friend Todd Ferman, our sports betting analyst. It’s brought to you by FanDuel. You may notice that Todd is wearing a season 2 Las Vegas Golden Knights season ticket holder gift jacket. He’s feeling good. Almost as good as Mitchell Marner is right now. Todd, you’ve got a new star player on your team. He’s 60 to1 to win the Heart Trophy next season. Will you take that bet?
I mean, Jay, people may call me a turncoat. I was all in on the Edmonton Oilers, but as soon as that Stanley Cup was handed out in Sunrise, that Oiler loyalty washed off of me like yesterday’s dirty laundry. And we are back on the Golden Knights bandwagon. But I’m not running to the window to try and bet Mitchell Martner at 60 to1. However, I do wonder if he’d like to wear the uh red retro in his quest for a heart trophy. maybe the uh glow-in-the-dark version that lasted for about six games as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. So, look, we’re gonna roll out the red carpet for him. He’s going to be playing on that top line with Jack Eel and most likely Pavle Dorf. And you hope he can replicate that 100point performance, but if I’m making a case this far out for somebody to win the heart trophy, it’s the man that was the leader in that race before he was sheld early in the season for the Minnesota Wild. I actually think 12 to1 offers upside on Carell Capri off and have to imagine the Minnesota Wild would be smart to sign him to an extension sooner rather than later.
Yeah, it seems like that is very likely to happen. Now, let’s take a look, Todd, at the updated odds to win the Stanley Cup according to FanDuel. And after resigning their big three free agents, the Panthers are now the favorite. A week ago at this time it was the Hurricanes that had everyone baffled. The Golden Knights also jumped to a tie for third with the addition of Mitchell Mner. The Panthers finally at the top of the Stanley Cup odds. Feels like oddsmakers finally finally have it right, doesn’t it, Todd?
Yeah, look, Florida, I mean, Bill Zo deserves a golf clap for being able to bring back Aaron Eblad, Brad Marshian, and Sam Bennett. Getting them all to fit in under the salary cap. And I think the underrated move was trading for Denil Terasov as well. a player that the Florida Panthers have coveted for a while as a backup to Sergey Babroski playing out the final year of his lucrative deal. You mentioned the Golden Knights and we’ve seen their odds shorten from around 12 to1 with the addition of Mitchell Martner arguably the only team in the Western Conference that actually got better through free agency adding a high ticket item to the top of their top six. And you look at the Oilers, in my opinion, they take a step back. The Dallas Stars do as well. And Jay, much like you, I am still very confused about where this love comes in for the Carolina Hurricanes. They’re a team in the Eastern Conference that still doesn’t have a second line center on their roster, nor a veteran defenseman and Brent Burns, who signed a one-year deal with the Colorado A.
Burns gone to Colorado. Let’s go back to the Oilers, though, for a second. Uh, judging by what you just said, despite the fact that the Oilers are tied with your Golden Knights for the third best odds to win the Stanley Cup next season, I I take it that you’re not as bullish on the Oilers as you were all of last season and in the postseason.
And not at all. Not the way they’re currently constructed. when you lose some of that grit and depth down the lineup in the form of Cory Perry on a short-term deal to the LA Kings. You trade a Vander Kane to your division rival in the Vancouver Conucks and Connor Brown signs a deal with the New Jersey Devils. I don’t see how the Oilers see themselves being better right this minute than what they were coming up short in six games against the Florida Panthers. Yes, Andrew Maniaani is a nice addition, but they didn’t address the 800 pound gorilla in the room. And if they’re going to run back the same tandem of net minders, I think this Oilers team is still flawed. And even a Pacific division that takes a step down with the LA Kings doing something that I don’t think anybody can explain. The last laugh in the entire NHL might be Rob Blake as he sits with his surfboard out there in Hermosa Beach.
Let’s talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs, Todd. Not just the fact that they lost Mitchell Marner, but the fact that they open as 22 to1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup next season after opening as 14 to1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup at the beginning of last season. Do you think the Leafs have fallen off that much after the loss of Mitchell Marner?
I don’t think they’ve fallen off that much, but I do think this roster is going to take some work throughout the season and the trade deadline. Maybe there’s still a big splash. We know one key free agent waiting in the wings as we await to see where he’ll ultimately land. But the one thing I will say about the Maple Leafs, we wonder how you replace 100 plus points of offensive production in Mitchell Martner. But this team is still stout on the blue line. I like what they have in net and maybe they fit the mold more of what Craig Barubi is looking for than anything else. This will be a team I think throughout the course of the year we’ll be looking to bet them under their total on a nightly basis, but I think is currently constructed. They’re not going to get me investing at them even at a number significantly higher than where they were at this time last year.
Awesome job as always, buddy. Todd will be back next week where we uh take part in our most exciting summer tradition, making Todd pick overunders eight weeks away from the National Football League season.

Todd Fuhrman joins SC with Jay Onrait for another edition of Todd’s Odds, where they discuss Mitch Marner’s odds to win the Hart Trophy next season, why he likes Kirill Kaprizov for the Hart much more, the 2026 Stanley Cup odds that now have the Panthers at the top, why he’s not as optimistic about the Oilers moving forward, and whether he believes the Maple Leafs have taken a step back.