The NHL Trade Deadline has now come and gone, with several teams around the league patching up some holes and adding impact talent in order to make a run at a Stanley Cup championship. The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs are two of the most skilled teams in the league, and both made significant improvements to their teams at the deadline. Based on the latest Stanley Cup odds, the Rangers and Maple Leafs are two teams to keep and eye on for the remainder of the NHL season.
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2023 Stanley Cup Odds: Maple Leafs & Rangers on the Rise
The Maple Leafs (38-16-8) trail only the NHL-best Boston Bruins (48-8-5) in the Pacific Division and made some subtle moves at the deadline that should prove worthwhile come time for the NHL Playoffs. Their odds jumped from +1000 to +850 after the Trade Deadline.
The team announced earlier in the week that they were acquiring defenseman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty from the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, and made some other minor moves during Friday's deadline to help their depth.
McCabe had been playing on the first line of defense with the Blackhawks and should give the Maple Leafs a reliable presence on the blue line.
"We played against him a lot when he was in Buffalo and spoke to them in the summer of '21 when he was a free agent coming off an ACL injury," Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said, per the NHL website. "Just always liked how physical he is, competitive he is in the neutral zone and combined with how he can defend and move the puck. He seems to relish that role. With Jake Muzzin out, that creates the hole there that we've talked about and feel like he fits that."
The Rangers made more on the flashy moves prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, bringing in veteran stars Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane to help bolster the already-dynamic offense. Kane had a full no-trade clause in his contract but was willing to waive it to get the chance to play in New York.
“You go back and forth in your head a bunch of times about a trade, but I just feel like this is such an amazing opportunity with what they have going on here in New York,” Kane said in his first press conference as a Ranger Thursday afternoon, per the NY Post. “And you know, when the option was still there to possibly make a move, it wasn’t the easiest decision, but I’m just really excited to be here.
“With this team, with the amount of skill and good players that they have here, it’s just another chance to make a run.
The Rangers Stanley Cup odds jumped from 20-1 to 13-1 with the additions of Kane and Tarasenko.
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