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The Stanley Cup playoffs just ended, but Vegas is already the talk of the town.
No, not the Vegas Golden Knights. Their time is the next few weeks. For now, Vegas already has the odds out for which team will win the Stanley Cup in the 2017-18 NHL season.
First, the odds from Bovada. And then some observations.
2017-18 Stanley Cup odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team | Odds |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 9/1 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 12/1 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 12/1 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 12/1 |
| Washington Capitals | 12/1 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 14/1 |
| Nashville Predators | 14/1 |
| Dallas Stars | 16/1 |
| Minnesota Wild | 16/1 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 16/1 |
| New York Rangers | 16/1 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 16/1 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 18/1 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 20/1 |
| San Jose Sharks | 22/1 |
| St. Louis Blues | 28/1 |
| Boston Bruins | 33/1 |
| Calgary Flames | 33/1 |
| Ottawa Senators | 33/1 |
| Florida Panthers | 40/1 |
| New York Islanders | 40/1 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 40/1 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 40/1 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 66/1 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 66/1 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 66/1 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 66/1 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 75/1 |
| New Jersey Devils | 75/1 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 75/1 |
| Las Vegas Golden Knights | 150/1 |
Observation time!
- No surprise, the Penguins top the list. Winning back-to-back Stanley Cups for the first time in 20 years will do that.
- Early exits from top teams don’t phase Vegas, apparently. The Blackhawks and Capitals remain in the top five despite disappointing playoff runs.
- More surprising are the teams with high odds that didn’t even make the playoffs. Tampa Bay is tied for second. Dallas is somehow right there with playoff teams like the Canadiens and Wild despite an awful season that left them with the third overall pick.
- Vegas isn’t buying this whole Columbus Blue Jackets thing yet. Hard to blame them. Columbus was bad for years before flipping a switch this season.
- But seeing Ottawa so far down the list after a Conference Finals appearance is surprising.
- The best part of this, though? Vegas gives their home team the worst odds next season.