NHL Rumors: Steven Stamkos free agency landing spot odds

Bovada has released its odds for which NHL team free agent center Steven Stamkos will sign with this offseason.

Steven Stamkos is set to become arguably the most coveted and sought after NHL free agent of the past 30 years, and perhaps ever. No fewer than 15 teams have expressed interest in Stamkos and one has to wonder what the other 15 teams are thiking considering how great of a player Stamkos is. With free agency officially opening on July 1, Bovada has released its odds for which team Stamkos will sign with.

Bovada lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as the favorite at a +105 rate. Given the conversations between Stamkos and the Lightning recently, that’s understandable. More surprising is that the Detroit Red Wings are listed at +275 (second lowest only to Tampa) to sign Stamkos if he doesn’t re-sign with the Lightning. They traded Pavel Datsyuk’s cap hit at the draft so they are clearly planning something and that something could be a bid for Stamkos.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are listed at +350 odds to persuade Stamkos to come home, like LeBron James did with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Maple Leafs’ recent moves suggest they might not have the cap space necessary to sign Stamkos, but they should be a strong contender regardless.

If you like dark horses, the Buffalo Sabres are an interesting option at +800. For the same reasons Stamkos should sign with the Maple Leafs, one could argue that he should sign with the Sabres. While the Montreal Canadiens have not officially been linked to Stamkos in recent weeks, they are listed at +1200 odds. The Vancouver Canucks are the biggest long-shot, listed at +2200 odds. Canucks general manager Jim Benning wants Stamkos so badly, he got fined for tampering, so they can’t be ruled out.

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