Betting on Stanley Cup futures

Futures markets are bets placed on events that are set to take place in the future. The Stanley Cup futures market assigns odds to each of the 32 NHL teams in the preseason, based on how likely they are to win hockey’s most famous trophy. For example, a favorite like the Tampa Bay Lightning could have +300 odds to win the Stanley Cup, while an underdog like the Arizona Coyotes will likely have longer odds around +3500.

Every single NHL team will usually be assigned a positive betting value. Competition is fierce, and there are no guaranteed wins for anyone, so the odds can’t strongly favor one franchise in particular. Although Stanley Cup futures odds are assigned in the preseason, they aren’t fixed, and can easily lengthen or shorten over the season depending on a team’s performances.

Stanley Cup futures bets can be placed at any time throughout the regular season, so be sure to take advantage of the best odds available. A good way to do this is by using BET.CA’s detailed reviews of the best online sportsbooks.

Another way to find value in Stanley Cup futures betting is to bet on a Stanley Cup contender that starts the year on a cold streak. All legitimately good teams eventually rebound from slow starts, but their Stanley Cup futures odds will be very enticing after they’ve been adjusted to account for a few early losses.

The most popular Stanley Cup futures market is the Stanley Cup winner futures market. This wager refers to betting on an NHL team to win the Stanley Cup outright.

For example, if you were to place a futures bet on the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup, your only concern is their ultimate victory. Your bet would still win regardless of how many games the team plays in each playoff series or how they perform prior to the Stanley Cup.

Some sportsbooks offer more complex versions of Stanley Cup winner futures markets, including prop bets. For example, betting on a particular team to win the Stanley Cup on home ice, or to win the Stanley Cup in a game where the goalie also records a shutout.

Stanley Cup number of games futures is a similar market to Stanley Cup winner futures. The main difference is that you’re betting on an outright winner to earn the Stanley Cup in a certain number of games, as opposed to simply winning the Stanley Cup outright.

The Stanley Cup is contested over a best-of-seven series, meaning the minimum number of games needed to win the Stanley Cup is four.

Stanley Cup number of games futures is a unique market, because the odds for every conceivable betting outcome within that particular market aren’t always listed in the preseason, like they are for the Stanley Cup winner futures market. Although this is technically a Stanley Cup futures market, it is typically made available and bet on a lot closer to the actual finals.

Predicting the specific number of games the Stanley Cup will be won in is incredibly difficult, so many sports bettors wait to see how certain teams perform in the Stanley Cup playoffs before wagering.