Canadian Hockey Fans Can Already Bet on 2019/20 NHL Season 

This season’s Stanley Cup Finals haven’t even finished, and already fans can bet on the next NHL season. This is great news for fans of the 29 teams not competing in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals, including supporters of the seven Canadian teams.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will go into the next National Hockey League season as hot title favorites despite being knocked out in the first round of this season’s playoffs. This year’s Stanley Cup finalists Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues are up there with the top contenders. Other top candidates, from a betting perspective, are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche.

This NHL Season Teaches us Anything can Happen in Sports Betting

If you want an example of how unpredictable sports betting can be, just look at the 2018-19 NHL season.

Heading into the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning were red-hot Stanley Cup favorites. The Lightning had just achieved one of the best regular season records in history, finishing on 128 points, 21 ahead of next-best teams the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins. When they shocked the Lightning (and the rest of the NHL) by winning 4-0, the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame the longest odds since 2010 of any team to win a playoff series.

The St. Louis Blues defied the odds and their wildest expectations to make the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Finals. The Blues were down the bottom of their division early in the season, and were paying as much as 250/1 in title betting at the time. One lucky gambler put down $400 on the St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup title at 250/1. He has put himself in the running to win $100,000 if the Blues ultimately prevail over the Bruins in the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Finals.

Canadian Teams in Contention in 2019/20 Stanley Cup Odds

This NHL season was notable for the absence of any Canadian teams in the final eight. If the betting odds for the 2019/20 NHL season are any indication, at least a couple of Canadian teams should be in championship contention toward the end of next season.

We checked out all the odds from the top online bookmakers in Vegas and around the world. As mentioned earlier, the Lightning will go in as 8/1 favorites, followed by the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights, 10/1. Next up is the top Canadian contender, the Toronto Maple Leafs, alongside the Colorado Avalanche, at 15/1. Then come the St. Louis Blues at 15/1 and San Jose Sharks at 16/1, followed by two more Canadian teams – the Winnipeg Jets, 18/1, and Calgary Flames, 20/1.

Of the other Canadian NHL Teams, three are around mid-table in championship betting. The Vancouver Canucks are currently paying 40/1 for the 2019/20 NHL title, ahead of the Edmonton Oilers, and Montreal Canadiens, both 50/1.

The only Canadian team – in fact the only team from the entire NHL – that appears to be out of contention before the season even begins – is the Ottawa Senators. The Senators are paying a whopping 300/1 for next season’s Stanley Cup title, almost four times the odds of the next-worst teams: the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and New York Devils.

Of course, this season has shown us that anything can happen. If the St. Louis Blues could make the Stanley Cup Finals from 250/1 odds, then there’s every possibility the Ottawa Senators achieve the same feat from 300/1. If you have even the smallest hunch the Senators could do it, then now is the time to place a bet – before their odds shorten once the real season begins.

How to Bet Online on the National Hockey League

One of the great things about the internet is it makes everything convenient. Thanks to the world wide web, you can buy your groceries on the internet, pay all your bills on the internet, and even place bets over the internet. In the past, you had to go actually go down to a bookmakers to place a bet – and if you were in the U.S., instead of having the good fortune to be in Canada (or Vegas), you didn’t really have any options at all.

In recent years, mobile betting apps have become popular for horse racing, hockey, and other sports. Mobile betting offers even more convenience than online betting, because it allows gamblers to wager from anywhere at any time. Let’s say you happen to get a great tip from a friend about an NHL team’s Stanley Cup chances. No longer do you have to wait to get home to place a bet. These days, you can just hop on your phone and get the best odds before it’s too late.

Whichever way you like to bet on the NHL, don’t forget the lessons from this season. Anything can happen, and any of the 31 teams can win it. It could be one of the seven teams from Canada, or one of the 24 teams from south of the border. The best odds are always released before the season begins. The bookmakers don’t really know which teams will rise and which will fall. If you have a hunch about a team, then check out the NHL pre-season betting odds for the best 2019/20 Stanley Cup odds.