The abbreviated NHL ice hockey season kicks off Wednesday with a special four division restructured “bubble” format, and it’s a great time to bet on who you think might win the Stanley Cup in 2021.
Bookmaker William Hill has the full team odds for the 2021 Stanley Cup Winner with the Colorado Avalanche (led by Canadian phenom Nathan MacKinnon) leading the way at +700 closely followed by the returning champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 13th, 10:00 A.M. (EST)This year’s NHL season will be much different from year’s past as each team will only play other teams from their own (new) division. The ever-adaptable National Hockey League, who managed to complete last season with a successful bubble format held in Toronto and Edmonton, structured this new format to limit exposure to Covid-19.
This means each team will play each other 8-10 times, fueling many intense rivalries even further. Also, playing 56 games in just 115 days (season ends May 8th) will be a serious challenge, so the NHL has included a reserve “taxi squad” of 5 additional players to help with possible injuries and quarantines.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won their second ever Stanley Cup last summer against the Dallas Stars after a grueling two months in the NHL Playoff Bubble. It was an innovative format for the NHL to adopt after halting the season in mid-March which worked out quite well.
Tampa Bay has lost key superstar forward Nikita Kucherov to a long-term hip injury this season, which may hinder their chance of repeating as Stanley Cup Champions. However, they are expected to win a rather weak Central division.
While bookmakers are focusing on last year’s best teams, there are many potential dark horses that could win it all… for example the Montreal Canadiens, who upset Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round last season, made some valuable off-season additions and are a great value at +3000. The Calgary Flames (+3000) and Edmonton Oilers (+2000) also offer great potential payouts.
Perhaps no other league offers as much parity as the National Hockey League as any team can get hot and win it all, so put some money down on your favorite and enjoy what promises to be a memorable and historic NHL season.
