Stanley Cup Odds 2019: Vegas No Longer A Longshot

Getty Las Vegas is no longer the massive underdog it was last year.

The NHL season is over, and the for the first time in franchise history, the Washington Capitals are champions. It was an historic series, not just because of it’s the first title for one of the league’s best players in Alex Ovechkin, but it was part of an incredible inaugural season by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights were an afterthought at +5000 to win the cup at the start of last season, but oddsmakers now know this team is capable of contending.

Stanley Cup 2019 Odds

Here are the latest Stanley Cup odds from BetOnline:

Tampa Bay Lightning +1000
Nashville Predators +1100
Boston Bruins +1200
Pittsburgh Penguins +1200
Toronto Maple Leafs +1200
Vegas Golden Knights +1200
Washington Capitals +1200
Winnipeg Jets +1200
Edmonton Oilers +1800
Anaheim Ducks +2200
Chicago Blackhawks +2200
San Jose Sharks +2200
Calgary Flames +2500
Columbus Blue Jackets +2500
Dallas Stars +2500
Los Angeles Kings +2500
Minnesota Wild +2500
Philadelphia Flyers +2800
Colorado Avalanche +3300
St. Louis Blues +3300
Florida Panthers +4000
New Jersey Devils +4000
Carolina Hurricanes +5000
Montreal Canadiens +5000
New York Islanders +5000
New York Rangers +5000
Buffalo Sabres +6600
Detroit Red Wings +6600
Arizona Coyotes +7500
Ottawa Senators +7500
Vancouver Canucks +7500

The Tampa Bay Lightning, who were shut out twice in the closing games of the Eastern Conference finals, are the odds favorites to exceed this year’s performance and win it all. Narrowly trailing them are the Nashville Predators, who led the league in points this season but were eliminated by Winnipeg.

As you can see, Las Vegas is far from +5000, but still a decent bet at +1200. The Golden Knights won’t catch anyone by surprise in 2018, but they have an awesome home-ice advantage that will keep them in any postseason matchup.

As for the newly-crowned champs, the Caps are +1200, worse their odds to open their championship season (+1000). The odds could be reduced because of John Carlson, who could leave in free agency this summer.

Stanley Cup 2019 Best Bets

Without a huge free agent class this summer, there might not be much change heading into next season. If that’s the case, I’ll put a few bills on Tampa and Winnipeg, who I thought both deserved to be playing for the Cup at one point in the season.

If I want to take a flyer on a team, I’ll sprinkle a little on Philadelphia. The Flyers lost in a sloppy-six game series to the Penguins this year, but had a nice run heading into the playoffs and are one of those random teams that could make a run.

But really, I’m sticking with chalk. Give me a few bucks each on the best teams- and a few on my hometown Devils- and hope for the best next season.