- Sportsbooks are starting to post Stanley Cup futures odds for the 2021-2022 National Hockey League (NHL) season.
- The Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning are the top three teams on the betting board.
- Six teams are +10000 longshots including the expansion Seattle Kraken.
The NHL and fans in the Tampa Bay area are waiting to see if Game 5 can be played on Wednesday night after Hurricane Elsa passes over the area but sportsbooks are already looking ahead to the 2021-2022 hockey season. NHL hockey futures odds to win the 2022 Stanley Cup are starting to go up at sportsbooks worldwide despite the fact that the current season’s finals are still underway. That’s also the case in the NBA where the futures odds were posted several days before the finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns began.
There is definitely a familiar look to the opening 2022 Stanley Cup futures odds. That’s because the same three teams are at the top of the betting board as before the 2020-2021 season. On October 1, 2020 the top three teams heading the futures odds were the Colorado Avalanche (+800), the Tampa Bay Lightning (+900) and the Vegas Golden Knights (+1000). In the opening numbers at BetOnline.ag, it’s the same three teams–though in slightly different order and pricing. The Colorado Avalanche are once again favored to win the Stanley Cup priced at +500 just ahead of the team that eliminated them in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Vegas Golden Knights at +600. The Tampa Bay Lightning–on the verge of winning the 2021 Stanley Cup–are the third choice at +700. Every other team on the betting board is priced at +1100 or higher.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are six teams priced as +10000 longshots. This includes the expansion Seattle Kraken, who will be playing their debut season in 2021-2022. Based on this pricing, it doesn’t look as if bookmakers and the betting public are expecting a reprise of the Vegas Golden Knights unprecedented debut season when the expansion team shocked the world by making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before being defeated by the Washington Capitals.
In addition to the Kraken, the other +10000 longshots are the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. Of this group, the Sabres might be the team in the most desperate straits coming off a league worst 15-34-7 record with 37 points. No other NHL team had fewer than 43 points. In addition, the status of team captain Jack Eichel is up in the air with many expecting him to be traded during the offseason. Conversely, the Red Wings and Blue Jackets both finished with 48 points and scrapped out winning records at home.
2021-2022 NHL STANLEY CUP CHAMPION
Colorado Avalanche +500 Vegas Golden Knights +600 Tampa Bay Lightning +700 Carolina Hurricanes +1100 Boston Bruins +1400 Toronto Maple Leafs +1400 Florida Panthers +1800 Montreal Canadiens +2000 New York Islanders +2000 Minnesota Wild +2200 Edmonton Oilers +2500 Pittsburgh Penguins +2500 Washington Capitals +2500 New York Rangers +2800 St. Louis Blues +2800 Dallas Stars +3300 Philadelphia Flyers +3300 Nashville Predators +4000 Winnipeg Jets +4000 Calgary Flames +5000 Chicago Blackhawks +5000 Vancouver Canucks +5000 Ottawa Senators +6600 Los Angeles Kings +7000 Arizona Coyotes +7500 San Jose Sharks +8000 Anaheim Ducks +10000 Buffalo Sabres +10000 Columbus Blue Jackets +10000 Detroit Red Wings +10000 New Jersey Devils +10000 Seattle Kraken +10000
Like the NBA, the NHL is hoping to return to a more or less ‘normal’ season in 2021-2022. This is contingent upon travel issues between the US and Canada–obviously a bigger issue for the NHL than the NBA–being resolved.
