posted June 5, 2008 at 16:15 in NHL Free Picks

The 2007-08 NHL hockey betting season is in the bag, and the Red Wings were the ones left hoisting the Stanley Cup. Detroit has been a mainstay in the NHL for years, which is why they’ve been dubbed “Hockeytown”. As heartbreaking as it is to see a young team like the Penguins hit the bricks empty handed, Detroit is as deserving as any team of winning the Cup.

Simply put, nobody should’ve been surprised by this result. I myself am very disappointed that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin weren’t the ones hoisting it at the end of the sports betting series, but that’s the breaks. Don’t forget – Gretzky lost his first Stanley Cup series too. That story eventually had a very happy ending, so keep your head up, Kid.

Now that the summer is hitting us, the ice melts, as the trade market and the free-agent market heat up. The question that every Penguins online betting faithful is wondering is whether they can retain Marion Hossa. Lemieux has been adamant that they won’t be able to afford him, but losing in the Stanley Cup is going to leave a sour taste in his mouth. Is he willing to take a pay cut for another shot at glory?

Not if the Montreal Canadiens have anything to say about it. The Habs are the leading team to land the talented Slovakian because they have the most money. An added bonus is that Hossa compliments their system. With the Rangers looking flat and underachieving across the board, Montreal and Pittsburgh will again lead the pool in the NHL Betting Futures to dominate the Eastern Conference.

Do not ever underestimate Alexander Ovechkin. He had a taste of glory, and now he wants more. The Caps will always be heavy hockey betting underdogs to win the East, especially if they fail to land a more secure blue-line. But that’s what the summers for. The Eastern Conference is going to be busy with action, and the BetUS.com Locker Room will be doing weekly updates so that you can invest your sports betting dollars properly.

Of course, in the West, Detroit is going to be very hard to beat once again. The perennial President’s Cup winner has perhaps the best coach in the game, the best blue-line and proven scoring talent. Will Osgood hold up amidst a surprising season? Who knows. He’s damn old.

Anaheim is on the way down. Way down. Dallas, meanwhile is spiraling up the board especially with Brad Richards on board and producing. A full season with Richards will develop chemistry. Dallas and Detroit look to be the two best teams in the West once again. Who can challenge them?

Literally, anybody in the Northwest Division. Vancouver, Calgary and Minnesota are all scrappy, relatively young squads that love to push the puck and always overcome their doubters. Whatever the hell happens to San Jose is anyone’s guess. How a team can possible get better than that and still suck in the playoffs is beyond my online betting understanding.

For now, however, Detroit will bask in the glory of the Stanley Cup [read – by “glory” I mean “blazingly drunk”], while Ovechkin will find solace as the league MVP. What happens in the summer is anyone’s guess. But this we know for sure – the Leafs will most definitely be bottom feeding in 2008-09. At the very least, that should please the NHL betting community.

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