After the offseason changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, the team’s odds, according to Las Vegas and bookmakers, have improved.
There haven’t been many redeeming qualities about the year 2020. It’s one many would like to forget. This is certainly the attitude of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their great fans. The quest for Lord Stanley’s Mug ended far too quickly after the team was eliminated from bubble play, keeping them out of the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs didn’t make excuses for their failures. Instead, management made very deliberate changes to the roster in hopes of taking steps towards capturing hockey’s biggest prize. Bookmakers took note and have improved the Leafs odds of becoming the 2021 Stanley Cup Champions.
Odds Shark set the opening odds of the Maple Leafs to win the Cup at +2000. That means that they were 20/1. In other words, if a gambler were to risk $100 on the Leafs winning it all and that came to fruition, they would be rewarded with a $2000 prize.
The Odds and the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs were tied with the Dallas Stars by Odds Shark as the seventh most likely club to capture the 2021 title. Ahead of them, prior to the start of free agency, the site listed the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights as the favourites at +750. The Boston Bruins (+1200), Philadelphia Flyers (+1800), and Washington Capitals (+1800) were all ahead of Toronto.
There is no doubt that the Maple Leafs will have a ton of pressure on them this season after underperforming last season but that didn’t deter bookies. They felt the Leafs’ chances improved almost immediately after it was announced that TJ Brodie was headed to Toronto. Online betting sites and Las Vegas moved the lines at that time. The Leafs were no longer paying out 20/1.
Wagers on Toronto will no longer pay out as well as they once did. Currently, the line has moved to as slim as +800 or 8/1. For the Maple Leafs to win the Prince of Wales Trophy, handed to the Eastern Conference champion, the odds have been set as thin as +522, that’s 261/50.
The respectable line for the Maple Leafs is encouraging. The professionals oddsmakers see a real path to the Leafs success.
The games aren’t played on paper so NHL fans and gamblers alike will tune in to see whether all the bookmakers got things right. While this might be one of the most unpredictable seasons the NHL will ever play, there is hope that the Leafs beat the odds and hoist the Mug in 2021.