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Last night, the Lightning became just the second team since 2000 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Yet, just like after they won it all in 2020, Tampa Bay isn’t the favorite for the following season’s Stanley Cup odds at William Hill Nevada.
The Lightning opened with the third-lowest 2021-22 Stanley Cup odds at +800, trailing the co-favorite Golden Knights and Avalanche at +600 apiece. That is the same price that Vegas and Colorado were first listed at for 2020-21 Stanley Cup futures, whereas Tampa Bay had a shorter price at +650. The Lightning were actually +500 favorites for the 2019-20 Cup after getting swept by the Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“Both the Knights and the Avalanche had more points in the regular season than the Lightning,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “Obviously the Knights have to be lower because of all the futures action they get every year. But they’re all in the same neighborhood, they’re pretty clearly the three best teams. For the Lightning, it’s almost impossible to go back-to-back, let alone back-to-back-to-back. So a lot of people will stay away from them just on that alone.”
The Hurricanes are next at 12/1, with the Bruins, Islanders and Maple Leafs close behind at 15/1 each. The Capitals, Panthers and Penguins are all at 20/1, while the Stanley Cup finalist Canadiens reside at 25/1 along with the Oilers and Wild.
“The Maple Leafs had a big year last year, and then collapsed up 3-1 to Montreal in the first round,” Bogdanovich said. “But Toronto draws huge money, they’re one of those franchises that has a huge following. They haven’t won in forever, so they think they’re due every year. I guarantee at some point before next season starts that they’ll be lower than 15/1 due to money.”
The Rangers have the lowest odds of any team that missed this past Stanley Cup Playoffs, as they’re at 30/1 with the Blues. The Stars and Flyers follow at 40/1 each, whereas the Flames, Jets and Predators are at 50/1. The Jets and the Predators have the longest 2022 Stanley Cup odds of any participant in this past Stanley Cup Playoffs.
At the bottom of the board, eight teams have odds of 100/1 or higher. That includes the expansion franchise Kraken, who join the Red Wings and Sabres at 200/1 as the biggest 2022 Stanley Cup longshots.
“When the Knights were an expansion team, they were a lot higher than the Kraken were,” Bogdanovich said. “We opened them at 500/1, we ended up having like $5 million in liability on them that year. The Kraken have gotten the most tickets already since we put this up. People are going to bet them regardless, as long as you put up something reasonable.”
Check out William Hill’s opening odds for 2021-22 Stanley Cup futures below.
