Early NHL 2020 Western Conference Odds

Steve StarrSteve Starr | July 26, 2019
Johnny Gaudreau of the Flames
Johnny Gaudreau is one of several young stars on the Flames’ roster giving them a shot at winning the Western Conference next season. Photo By mark6mauno (Wiki Commons) [CC License]
  • BetOnline has updated odds for the National Hockey League’s 15 Western Conference teams
  • The Vegas Golden Knights (+550) are the early favorites to win the West
  • The defending champion St. Louis Blues (+700) and the young Calgary Flames (+900) are both contenders

Hockey is by far the most unpredictable of North American pro sports (just ask the Tampa Bay Lightning).

For that reason, it also so happens to be the most fun to wager on (just ask the guy who won $100,000 after betting $400 on the Blues last January).

So, while the ice melts in your summer beverage of choice, let’s check BetOnline to see which ice warriors will rule the Western Conference next season.

NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE ODDS

NHL Team Odds
Vegas Golden Knights +550
Colorado Avalanche +650
St. Louis Blues +700
Winnipeg Jets +700
Calgary Flames +900
Dallas Stars +900
Nashville Predators +900
San Jose Sharks +900
Chicago Blackhawks +1600
Minnesota Wild +1600
Arizona Coyotes +2000
Edmonton Oilers +2000
Vancouver Canucks +2500
Anaheim Ducks +3300
Los Angeles Kings +3300

THE FAVORITE: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

One year removed from making the Stanley Cup Final in their first season in existence, and about three months since they blew a three-goal lead in Game 7 against the Sharks in Round One, the Golden Knights are the betting favorite to win the Western Conference.

Vegas’ depth will be hamstrung for years to come after handing out an ugly contract to Max Pacioretty (four more years at $7M per).

Over the salary cap by $7.5 million after re-signing speedy forward William Karlsson in June, Vegas was forced to sit on their wallet in free agency like a busted-out gambler who was cut off by the casino.

While the Knights made an excellent trade deadline acquisition in Mark Stone (the second-best defensive forward in the game according to Selke voting), their depth will be hamstrung for years to come after handing out an ugly contract to Max Pacioretty (four more years at $7M per).

THE DEFENDING CHAMPS: ST. LOUIS BLUES

You heard the story by now. Sitting dead last in the NHL on January 3, the scrappy Blues piled up second-half wins to make the playoffs, then made little Laila’s dreams come true by hoisting the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Other than extending the contracts of rookie goaltending hero Jordan Binnington and fourth-line grinder Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis mostly stood pat in the offseason.
While recapturing the same magic next year seems unlikely, coach Craig Berube’s brand of hard-nosed hockey is tailor-made for the postseason.

THE YOUNG GUNS: CALGARY FLAMES

Even though it was just a minor swap of bad contracts, the whole hockey world seems in agreement that Calgary got the worse end of the James Neal for Milan Lucic deal with Edmonton.

Now, normally I would side against the son of a wealthy national pizza chain owner for nepotism reasons alone, but I’m not going to deride Flames GM Brad Treliving for bringing in toughness and leadership to a young team that got bounced in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

With a shiny new arena finally in the pipeline and a roster loaded with still-improving talent (Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Noah Hanifin), there’s reason to believe that the team that finished first in the Western Conference during the 2018-19 regular season can make another leap this season.

Especially at 9-1 odds.

Steve Starr

Steve is one of the many Americans who spends Sunday watching football on the couch and gorging on heart-clogging eats. He describes himself as a good father, great dog owner, and mediocre gambler and husband.

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