Columbus has long odds, but not the longest
Betting on sports futures is a long shot, especially in sports like Baseball, Hockey and Basketball, but that doesn't stop people from doing it anyway. And not too long after the Stanley Cup Final ended, we got our first look at the odds for the 2023-24 season.
It's no surprise who the Favorites are, the Colorado Avalanche (+800), Edmonton Oilers (+950), Toronto Maple Leafs (+950) and the Boston Bruins (+1000) round out the top 4, all of which bailed out earlier than they expected in this years playoffs. The Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights come in at +1200.
Columbus, who failed to make the playoffs, and finished second to last in the entire NHL, hopes to vastly improve. BET MGM has them at +10000, or 100-1 to win the Cup. They're also coming in at +5000 to win the Eastern Conference.
There are some other bets you can try if you're a CBJ fan. You can bet on who will be the second overall pick and third overall pick, picks that Columbus fans need to pay attention to in the upcoming draft.
Leo Carlsson is currently +700 to go second overall, while Adam Fantilli sits at -700. If you really want to take a chance, Russian forward Matvei Michkov is sitting at +1600 to go second overall. No one knows what the Ducks are going to do with this pick, but these three names are the ones always brought up.
The third overall pick, belonging to Columbus is interesting too. They've said they're taking a center with that pick. Currently, Leo Carlsson sits at -145 to go third, while Will Smith sits just behind him at +185. Matvei Michkov is +500. Adam Fantilli, should he fall to third, could make some brave CBJ fans some money. Currently Fantilli is +800. If the Ducks decide to go with Leo Carlsson at pick two, someone could be walking away with some serious dough.
Will you be brave are try your luck?