Few bettors have Stanley Cup odds on the mind these days. After all, it’s warm and sports like baseball and golf have center stage. Heck, even most NHL general managers aren’t thinking much about their teams’ Stanley Cup odds; they did most of their work on or shortly after July 1 and are sitting back to enjoy their precious bit of holiday time.

But what about Detroit?

Has Ken Holland earned his time off this summer? Yeah, he re-signed big guns like Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg to long-term deals before the season was up, but he’s done absolutely nothing this offseason. The high-and-mighty Detroit logic probably says “well, we’re the Red Wings, we were a win away from a second straight Cup, so we’re not changing anything.”

Well, Detroit, the 2006 Oilers were a win away from the Cup too, then they missed the playoffs the next season. Should they have stood pat? Obviously, I can’t compare Detroit’s Northbet Stanley Cup odds to that Edmonton team, as the Wings are still a great team and will contend next year. But I also don’t think Detroit should employ the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. They lost Marian Hossa, Chris Osgood ain’t getting any younger and they’re one of the league’s smallest teams.

Remember, the champion Wings teams were still always boosted by key acquisitions. The 1996-1998 run got a boost from Brendan Shanahan; the 2002 group added Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille; the 2008 champs signed Brian Rafalski and brought back Osgood.

If you still want great Stanley Cup odds, don’t rest on your laurels, Detroit!