It’s been a week since the eighth seeded Los Angeles Kings shocked the sports betting world, by defeating the New Jersey Devils for the Stanley Cup in six games. The Kings, a team built through the NHL draft, as well as key trades and free agent signings has suddenly sparked a domino affect within the league. Essentially, the Kings showed that where they placed in the playoff rankings was simply a number. With the possibility that anyone can beat anyone for the biggest championship in sports, this offseason has suddenly become that more important. It didn’t take long for the NHL offseason to begin, as although the draft and free agency do not begin until later this week and two weeks from now respectively, teams are already making major moves. Late last week, the Tampa Bay Lightning under the guidance of GM Steve Yzerman, made a trade with the Nashville Predators to finally fix their goaltending issues. The Lightning sent two second round draft picks in Friday’s draft, along with a third round pick in the 2013 draft and sparsely used goalie Sebastian Caron’s expiring contract to Nashville. In return, the Lightning will receive six foot six inch online betting goalie Anders Lindback, forward Kyle Wilson and a seventh round pick in the 2013 draft. In Lindback, the Lightning receive a highly touted yet inexperienced goalie, that has the potential to be a star for the next decade. Lindback it was believed was a highly sought after commodity for several teams that nearly missed the bookie software playoffs this past season. One team that may be forced to make a bigger splash for a goalie, now that Lindback is gone, is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Plagued with goaltending issues since the end of the lockout eight years ago, the Leafs are the only team that hasn’t made the playoffs in that time period. With GM Brian Burke desperate to save his job, he may be forced to give up a lucrative prospect package to acquire a bonafide starting goalie. The Leafs could be forced to give up their fifth overall selection in the weekend’s draft to receive a goalie such as Roberto Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks. Goalies won’t be the only attractions during the offseason, as defensemen, and forwards alike may be on the move. For instance, by moving the aforementioned Lindback, the Predators now may have the money to sign both of their top pairing defensemen, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. As the captain, Weber is more likely to resign with the Predators then Suter. With the retirement of Nick Lidstrom in Detroit, it is believed that Suter may sign a 5Dimes deal with Detroit. On the other hand, a forward that will be on all 30 teams radars at the start of free agency, is New Jersey Devils captain Zach Parise. After signing Ilya Kovalchuk to a 17-season deal, the Devils found themselves in financial trouble. As a result, two issues came to a head, as the owners could no longer afford to run the team, and sign Parise to a long-term contract. For this reason, the NHL is expected to take over their second franchise in three years, as the Devils like the Phoenix Coyotes will be run by League executives. As for Parise, with ownership uncertainty, it is believed he may sign with a new team. Want to read more about possible NHL moves ahead of Friday’s draft? Log on to www.betonline.com/sportsbook
