Last season, I seemed to run into several people who made bets on the Las Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup before the NHL season started at 500/1. I remember speaking to one individual in particular who had a $200 wager to $100,000 just prior to game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.
I asked him if he was going to hedge and guarantee himself around $55,000, with the Capitals being a slight underdog heading into the series.
He confidently and defiantly said NO.
I have not seen him since but I wonder if he regrets his decision...
Before we jump in, just a friendly word to all online sports bettors. Check Multiple sites before you place a wager to see who offers the best line.
For the purposes of this article we are using the Outrights provided by WILLIAM HILL and BET365.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup at WILLIAM HILL
And with the books almost taking a major loss last season they've made the adjustment and this season the biggest longshot is the Ottawa Senators at 200/1:
Now perhaps it would be wise to wait a couple of weeks as these odds won't change much for the first month or so.
If you follow the NHL on a regular basis, you can observe the first 10-15 games to see who has regressed and improved from last season. Who suffers and early season injury to a big player that hurts their chances. What young starlet emerges out of nowhere giving that team and improved shot at making a deep run.
Do Washington (+1300 on BET365) and Las Vegas +1400 start slow or come crashing out the gate looking to make another run?
But let's start with two teams that made the biggest acquisitions this summer.
Toronto Maple Leafs +850
The Odds on favorite to win the Stanley Cup on some sights, partly due to the fact that they are publically backed the way the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys are. With the acquisition of John Tavares in the offseason and a head coach in Mike Babcock who has won Stanley Cups and Olympic Golds, the stock ticker for this team is definitely a green arrow pointing upwards.
However, at this price do you really want to invest in a regime to win the Stanley Cup that you haven't even seen win a playoff series?
And in a loaded division with Tampa Bay and Boston, the path out of the first round will be very difficult. Personally I need to see this team walk before they run.
San Jose Sharks +1400
The sinking ship that will be the Ottawa Senators this season traded their best player, Erik Karlsson, to the San Jose Sharks, where he gets to join a loaded roster that is accustomed to always making deep playoff runs but ultimately coming up short.
If I was making this line with no credence to prior history of a Franchise, the Sharks may have been my favorite to win the whole thing, but unlike the Leafs, we've seen Joe Thornton and co. walk and run; they've just always stumbled before the finish line.
But the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin were writing a similar story for themselves as perennial losers until they finally triumphed last season. Could this finally be the Sharks' time?
I would encourage a 1 unit bet on San Jose to win the Stanley Cup.
This is recommendation based on what I perceive to be good value. There's tons of reasons to justify investing in the futures of the Winnipeg Jets (+1100 on BET365) and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the two teams that lost in the Conference finals last season. But the value just doesn't seem to be there at this junction.
So let's dive deep and try to find this season's pontential Cinderella.
The Long shot: Calgary Flames +3300
And be a good friend to yourself. If you ever have hedge opportunity to guarantee yourself a 5-digit payout on a futures bet, take it. Sportsbetting is a long term game. Take the nice wins when they appear.
From all accounts the Calgary Flames under new head coach Bill Peters, will be playing a possession based offensive game. And IF successful (a big IF), could turn into a poor man's version of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With a good mix of Veterans and Youngsters and the addition of Mike Smith giving them stability in net, there is chance for this team to surprise this season and the Red Mile could return to our lives once again.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
You can follow me on twitter @zahir_gilani
Category : Online Betting News
Tag : 2018/19 NHL
, NHL
, NHL Futures
, nhl odds
, stanley cup
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