Vegas Golden Knights Odds-On Favorite To Win The 2021 Stanley Cup

Not long after the Tampa Bay Lightning clinched the Stanley Cup, betting odds for the forthcoming season began to emerge from sportsbooks. The Vegas Golden Knights are considered among the top contenders to win the 2021 Stanley Cup, as per various Nevada sportsbooks.

2021 Stanley Cup odds

The Station Casinos STN Sports app places the Golden Knights as favorites to win the professional hockey championship. They stand alone at the top of Station Casinos’ odds, with a +550 (5.5-1) chance of winning the Stanley Cup.

Station Casinos sportsbooks list the reigning champion Lightning at +600 (6-1) odds to win the Stanley Cup.

William Hill sportsbooks, the only sportsbook in Nevada offering conference odds, have listed the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche as +600 joint favorites to win overall. Additionally, both teams are also +280 co-favorites to secure the Western Conference.

The B-Connected Sports app by Boyd Gaming surprisingly ranks the Golden Knights second at +950. It positions the Colorado Avalanche as the top favorites with +750 odds to win the Stanley Cup next season.

	William Hill	STN Sports	B-Connected Sports
Knights	+600	+550	+950
Lightning	+650	+600	+950
Avalanche	+600	+600	+750
Bruins	+1200	+900	+1100
Flyers	+1500	+1200	+1400
Capitals	+2200	+1200	+1600
Stars	+1800	+1600	+2000
Penguins	+2800	+1800	+1600
Blues	+2200	+1800	+1800
Maple Leafs	+2000	+1800	+1900
Canucks	+2500	+1800	+3000
Oilers	+2800	+2000	+2100
Hurricanes	+2800	+2000	+2300
Islanders	+2000	+2200	+2600
Rangers	+2200	+2200	+3000
Flames	+3000	+2500	+3100
Predators	+3000	+2500	+2700
Jets	+5000	+3000	+3300
Coyotes	+5000	+3000	+4900
Blue Jackets	+4000	+4000	+3800
Panthers	+6000	+4000	+3300
Devils	+6000	+4000	+5500
Wild	+6000	+4000	+4700
Canadiens	+5000	+5000	+4700
Sharks	+5000	+5000	+4000
Ducks	+7500	+6000	+6000
Blackhawks	+6000	+6000	+4900
Sabres	+7500	+6000	+6000
Kings	+7500	+6000	+5500
Senators	+15000	+8000	+10000
Red Wings	+25000	+10000	+11000

At the Westgate SuperBook, the odds are somewhat tighter. The Golden Knights, Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche all have a +700 chance to win the 2021 Stanley Cup. It often proves beneficial to shop around for the best odds.

A disappointing end to a strange season

The Vegas Golden Knights franchise has had an impressive start. In each of the three years since its inception, the team has reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a new team, but their ultimate goal is winning the pro hockey championship.

The professional sports experienced an unusual season in 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL suspended its season in March. When the NHL resumed, the Golden Knights faced off against the rest of the Western Conference in a bubble in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the league’s continuation.

By triumphing in a pre-playoff round-robin tournament, the Golden Knights secured the top seed for the Western Conference.

The team ultimately suffered a loss to the Dallas Stars in the conference championship. However, the Dallas Stars later lost the final series to the Lightning, who were the champions.

Eyes on the prize in 2021

As they head into the off-season, the Vegas Golden Knights are focused on securing the Stanley Cup. Merely reaching the playoffs doesn’t satisfy them; they aim to bring the Stanley Cup back to Vegas in the next season.

In the statement below, Coach Pete DeBoer expressed his admiration for the Golden Knights:

I feel like I’ve been given the controls of a high-performance vehicle, and our task is to ensure we cross the finish line as champions, not as runners-up or in any lesser position.

According to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the league plans to proceed with a full 82-game season and a complete Stanley Cup Playoff schedule. However, the exact start date and schedule remain uncertain, Bettman revealed.

“We don’t all have sufficient information to make decisions on how and when to act, so any assumptions would be pure speculation. Our aim is to restore the highest level of normalcy possible, regardless of the circumstances that arise.”

The league seemingly plans to commence the 2021 season in December or January at the latest. As more information about the status of the COVID-19 pandemic becomes available, the league will announce the dates and schedules for the upcoming season.

Work to do during the offseason

The Golden Knights enjoyed a successful season, however, improvements are still needed. The most significant decision for the Golden Knights revolves around its goaltender.

Robin Lehner, the goaltender, had an impressive 2019-2020 season, becoming the primary netminder as the Golden Knights advanced into the playoffs. But he is now a free agent and the team already has another goalie on their roster.

They have the option to re-sign Lehner. That being said, their beloved goaltender, Marc Andre Fleury, is already under contract for another two seasons.

As the team deliberates on Lehner, it seems the Golden Knights are contemplating trading Fleury back to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he initially started his career. This move would create both a position and salary-cap space for Lehner.

Lehner isn’t the only player up for free agency on the Golden Knights’ roster. The team also includes a number of other free agents such as defenseman Deryk Engelland and left winger Tomas Nosek.

The Golden Knights have limited flexibility under the salary cap. If they don’t offload contracts such as Fleury’s, they will only have slightly more than $5 million in salary-cap space next season. The team could make signing free agents simpler by extending some contracts.

If the Golden Knights want to meet the high expectations set by Nevada bookmakers, they have a lot of work to do in the offseason.