Are The Maple Leafs Really Stanley Cup Favourites?

It’s been a heck of a start to the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After Toronto charged out of the gates with six wins in their first seven games, including lopsided wins over the Jets and Rangers, national media was running articles about how the Leafs were the new Stanley Cup favourites.

That’s true… sort of.

Canadian sportsbooks Sports Interaction and Bodog did both make the Maple Leafs Stanley Cup favourites, listing Toronto in the +800 (8:1) range.

But you have to take those odds with a grain of salt, because both Sports Interaction and Bodog cater to Canadian clientele and recreational sports bettors.

They knew that people would get excited to read “Maple Leafs Stanley Cup favourites”, and they knew that many bettors would want to bet the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup no matter what the odds were. Bodog also knew that publishing a press release about how the Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup favourites would get them some publicity in national newspapers and on TSN and Sportsnet.

Are The Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Favourites For Real?

For a more accurate picture of things, we need to look at sportsbooks that aren’t Canadian-biased. 5Dimes and Pinnacle are both betting sites located offshore that draw action from bigger bettors, and they couldn’t price the Leafs that low because of the value it would open up on other teams.

Here are the 2017-18 Stanley Cup betting odds at 5Dimes as of October 31.

2018 Stanley Cup betting odds

  • Tampa Bay Lightning: +825
  • Pittsburgh Penguins +950
  • Los Angeles Kings: +1200
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: +1200
  • St. Louis Blues: +1400
  • Anaheim Ducks: +1600
  • Chicago Blackhawks: +1600
  • Columbus Blue Jackets: =1600
  • Dallas Stars: +1600
  • Edmonton Oilers: +1600
  • Nashville Predators: +1600
  • Washington Capitals: +1800
  • San Jose Sharks: +2500
  • Calgary Flames: +2800
  • Minnesota Wild: +2800
  • New York Rangers: +3300
  • Ottawa Senators: +3300
  • Boston Bruins: +4000
  • Montreal Canadiens: +4000
  • New Jersey Devils: +4000
  • Philadelphia Flyers: +4000
  • Carolina Hurricanes: +5000
  • New York Islanders: +5000
  • Winnipeg Jets: +5000
  • Florida Panthers: +6600
  • Vancouver Canucks: +6600
  • Vegas Golden Knights: +6600
  • Colorado Avalanche: +8000
  • Buffalo Sabres: +10000
  • Detroit Red Wings: +10000
  • Arizona Coyotes: +10000

Of course, these odds have been posted after the Leafs have hit their first turbulence of the young season, suffering their third straight loss and fourth in five games Monday in San Jose. 5Dimes may have had Toronto ranked a little higher a week ago, but never went as far as to make the Leafs Stanley Cup favourites.

The Maple Leafs are young and exciting, but their defence doesn’t compare with the top Stanley Cup favourites such as the Lightning, Kings, Blues and Ducks. Pittsburgh doesn’t have the strongest defence core either (as we’ve seen with their blowout losses already against Chicago, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg), but the Pens do have back-to-back Cup titles on their resume and a roster full of talented veterans.

Besides, isn’t it funny that a week after the Leafs were being proclaimed Stanley Cup favourites, an article on TSN.ca Tuesday morning was wondering if it was time to panic?

Only in Toronto.

Maple Leafs Stanley Cup favourites