The sports betting world will spend the entire NHL offseason debating the possibilities that the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils will be able to repeat their success in the 2012-2013 season and maybe meet again in the Stanley Cup Finals. The idea is not as far-fetched as you may think. The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins spent the better part of the early 2000's chasing each other back and forth in the Stanley Cup Finals with each team capturing a Cup victory for itself. Can the Kings and Devils do the same kind of routine and generate the same kind of excitement over the next few seasons? The online betting USA experts are not so sure about that. Los Angeles Kings If either one of these teams was going to sustain its success it is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have not been shy about spending the money to get the players it needs to make a run at the Stanley Cup. The final piece in the puzzle was forward Jeff Carter. It is hard to imagine any team with Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Brad Richardson on its roster not being able to sustain its own success. With the Kings, not all of the prime talent is out scoring goals. One of the players that will keep the Kings in the spotlight for the next few years is goaltender Jonathan Quick. The price per head sportsbook experts are always pointing out that, while Quick may be new to the rest of the world, he has been pulling off miracles in Los Angeles for the last couple of years. The core of the Kings' team is young and extremely talented. As long as Los Angeles can avoid the typical player fire sales that championship caliber teams have, then the Kings will be around for a while. New Jersey Devils The Devils usually seem to be in the playoff picture and, with the exception of the 2010-2011 season, New Jersey is usually considered a safe Stanley Cup contender. But a sportsbook review of this Devils' team shows two things. The first is that the team is aging and losing a step. The Devils look sharp now, but the team is realistically only an injury or two away from falling completely out of playoff contention. The other problem for the Devils is that there are a lot of key contracts coming up for renewal in the next couple of years. It is a given that legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur will be staying in New Jersey because the Devils will always take care of Brodeur. But every forward on the Devils' roster will be an unrestricted free agent within the next two years. The only exceptions will be restricted free agents Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby and Adam Henrique. They are all good players, but that is not the core of a champion.
