Odds on Next Canadian Team to Win Stanley Cup: Leafs Listed as Favorites, Flames Given 17-4 Odds

• The Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship, which is the first major title of any kind for a Canadian team in 25 years
• The Toronto Maple Leafs have the best odds to be the next Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup
• Mitch Marner is a pending RFA who could sign an offer sheet with another team as of July 1st
  

  ---

The Toronto Raptors have finally brought a championship North of the border. It’s the first major sports title for the country in 25 years, an impressive feat for sure. Books have released odds on which NHL team will be next to take the Raptors’ lead and bring a trophy home to Canada.

Next Canadian Team to Win Stanley Cup

*Odds taken 06/14/19

The odds have the next championship up North also heading to Toronto, and for my money they are the best bet to do it, despite not having won a Stanley Cup since 1967.

Proper attire for the gym today #WeTheNorth #NBAChamps @89SGagner pic.twitter.com/zhoDo9J7Rx

— John Tavares (@91Tavares) June 14, 2019

Maple Leafs Boast Best Core of Any Canadian Team

Other teams may be in better cap position or have better prospects, but there’s no other Canadian team with the depth of top end talent than the Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly, and Frederik Andersen are all top players at their positions. The only superstar on a Canadian roster better than that bunch would be Connor McDavid, and he’s currently toiling away on an Oilers team devoid of talent.

Game recognize game.

The @Raptors are NBA Champs! What a ride on the North Side! #WeTheNorth x #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/B0dPMw2d8F

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 14, 2019

The Maple Leafs finished last season with 100 points, better than every other Canadian team with the exception of the Calgary Flames. Those Flames won only one playoff game while Toronto went seven games with the Boston Bruins, who came one game shy of winning the Stanley Cup.

Will Mitch Marner Sign a Big Ticket Extension?

The one major question mark in Toronto is the pending extension due to Mitch Marner. He’s a restricted free agent eligible to sign an offer sheet with any other team as of July 1st. Toronto would have the right to match, and certainly would, but with cap concerns already an issue this contract definitely has their attention. Marner led the team in scoring with 94 points last year and is expected to ask for a contract that rivals Auston Matthews’ new five-year, $58 million deal.

#WeTheNorth congrats to the @Raptors for winning the NBA championship!

— Mitchell Marner (@Marner93) June 14, 2019

I’d expect the Leafs’ odds to improve once they get this deal done, and I believe it will. If you’re with me and believe the next Stanley Cup to head to Canada will be in Toronto, you should strongly consider making this bet sooner rather than later.

Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (+325)