Capitals, Flyers tied for third-best odds to win East in 2021 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Capitals have been given the third-best odds to win the Eastern Conference next season, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers at 7/1 behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.
Washington is coming off a season in which it was bounced in the first round for the second straight year. This time, it was at the hands of former Capitals head coach Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders. After dropping two of three round-robin seeding games, the Capitals were knocked out of the playoffs as the Islanders cruised to a 4-1 series victory.
It’s since been a busy offseason for the Capitals, who fired head coach Todd Reirden and replaced him with 2006 Stanley Cup champion coach Peter Laviolette. They also signed veteran free agent goalie Henrik Lundqvist and re-signed key defensemen Brenden Dillon along with RFA Jonas Siegenthaler. With Alex Ovechkin approaching his age-35 season, Washington is hoping to make another run at a title before he hangs up the skates for good.
According to the sportsbook PointsBet, here are the top 10 favorites to win the East:
Tampa Bay Lightning: +375 (15/4)
Boston Bruins: +550 (11/2)
Washington Capitals: +700 (7/1)
Philadelphia Flyers: +700 (7/1)
Pittsburgh Penguins: +800 (8/1)
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1000 (10/1)
Carolina Hurricanes: +1100 (11/1)
New York Islanders: +1200 (12/1)
New York Rangers: +1400 (14/1)
Florida Panthers: +1700 (17/1)
