Professional oddsmakers have posted their initial unscientific predictions for the 2010 Stanley Cup and at the moment they have the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoff mix. While Detroit is the favorite to win the Cup with Pittsburgh a close second, Carolina is tied with the Rangers for 12th. The following odds can be found on bodog.com
| Odds to win | ||
| 2009-10 Stanley Cup | ||
| 1 | Detroit | 4/1 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 5/1 |
| 3 | Boston | 8/1 |
| 4 | Chicago | 8/1 |
| 5 | San Jose | 8/1 |
| 6 | Washington | 11/1 |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 16/1 |
| 8 | Anaheim | 18/1 |
| 9 | Calgary | 20/1 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 20/1 |
| 11 | Vancouver | 20/1 |
| 12 | Carolina | 26/1 |
| 13 | NY Rangers | 26/1 |
| 14 | Montreal | 30/1 |
| 15 | St. Louis | 36/1 |
| 16 | Buffalo | 40/1 |
| 17 | Dallas | 40/1 |
| 18 | Edmonton | 40/1 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 40/1 |
| 20 | Columbus | 45/1 |
| 21 | Ottawa | 45/1 |
| 22 | Nashville | 50/1 |
| 23 | Florida | 55/1 |
| 24 | Los Angeles | 60/1 |
| 25 | Colorado | 70/1 |
| 26 | Tampa Bay | 70/1 |
| 27 | Toronto | 70/1 |
| 28 | Phoenix | 85/1 |
| 29 | Atlanta | 100/1 |
| 30 | NY Islanders | 150/1 |
Of course, these numbers are pretty much meaningless at the present time. The Hurricanes faced odds of 100/1 in August of 2005 the preseason before they won the Cup, and probably deservedly so. They had a horrible season before the lockout and Martin Gerber and Cam Ward were unknowns in goal. Also, the so-called "experts" were unimpressed with the bargain basement free agent acquisitions of Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney, and Cory Stillman.
Still, while the numbers don't mean much, it is nice to see the team get some respect. Will they be able to live up to it?