2021 Stanley Cup Futures: Analysis, Prediction & Picks

It’s early April 2021, when we did come up with our picks for the 2021 Stanley Cup futures. Things might change a lot before the playoffs, as the regular NHL season ends in mid-May (on May 11, to be precise).

Nevertheless, we do think it’s already pretty clear which teams are the favorites to become the new owners of the Stanley Cup and we’re going to share our predictions with you!

2021 Stanley Cup Futures Odds

FatCatBet’s Stanley Cup Preview

The 2021 NHL season is unlike any other – you can think of it as a preparation for the next season. What makes it from the previous (and future) seasons is that the teams get to play fewer games.

Instead of 82 games in the regular season, as they did before COVID-19 came to North America, each NHL team will play a total of 56 games.

Another thing making this season special is that Canadian teams are competing in their own division (North Division) in the regular season. Once again, the reason is COVID, that is, the travel restrictions between Canada and the US imposed to sustain the pandemic.

Because the 2021 NHL season is so strange, maybe we will see some strange things happening in the postseason as well? Maybe it’s time for a new team to get ahold of the Stanley Cup?

As a remind, there are 11 NHL teams that have never won the Stanley Cup. Those are, namely:

• Vegas Golden Knights
• Florida Panthers
• Arizona Coyotes
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• Nashville Predators
• Winnipeg Jets
• Minnesota Wild
• Vancouver Canucks
• San Jose Sharks
• Ottawa Senators
• Buffalo Sabres

Of all the teams in the list, the Vegas Golden Knights are given the best odds for winning the 2021 Stanley Cup by online sportsbooks. Can they do it?

Vegas Golden Knights to Win the 2021 Stanley Cup (+700)

Betting on Vegas at +700 seems like a pretty smart future bet. The Golden Knights have been pretty impressive so far. They’re leading a two-horse race with the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the West Division.

Same as practically every year since the emergence of the Nevada-based franchise, the Golden Knights have been strong in all areas of the game. They’re among the highest-scoring teams in the league, as well as one of the teams with the least number of goals conceded.

Another thing going in favor of Vegas is that this team’s key men are all pretty experienced players. For instance, Mark Stone, their most prolific assist maker, is turning 29 in May. The Canadian winger has been with the Golden Knights since 2019 and since January 2021, he’s been their captain. Before joining Vegas, he played for Ottawa for many years, making his NHL debut back in the 2012-2013 season.

Then, there’s Max Pacioretty, a 32-year-old ex-Canadiens captain, who took part in the NHL All-Star Game last year. In fact, all of Vegas’ key men are either in their late 20s or early 30s, which are the best years for playing professional hockey.

Unfortunately for them, other teams also have experienced players. And for some of those players, the 2021 Playoffs could be the last chance to get ahold of another Stanley Cup. A team with such players is definitely Washington Capitals.

Washington Capitals to Win the 2021 Stanley Cup (+1300)

Alexander Ovechkin who’s set his eye on breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for the number of career goals in the NHL, is the captain of the Washington Capitals and their leading scorer in 2021. The problem is that Ovi is already 35, so he might not get too many other chances of winning his second Stanley Cup.

It’s a similar case with the Caps’ leading assistant in 2021, Nicklas Backstrom. The Swede is turning 34 later this year. In fact, a big majority of Washington’s key men are in their 30s, with the oldest member of the roster being defenseman Zdeno Chara, who is 44.

Still, years don’t seem to mean much in modern sports as we saw in the NFL a few months ago, when the Bucs won the Super Bowl mostly thanks to their QB, the 43-year-old Tom Brady.

Toronto Maple Leafs to Win the 2021 Stanley Cup (+700)

Another team to pay attention to when discussing the 2021 Stanley Cup futures is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadian team has been pretty impressive so far this year, as evident from the fact that the Leafs are dominating the North Division.

No surprise there, as their players are true hockey elite. Actually, Toronto has three players who are among the top 10 highest-paid NHL players. Auston Matthews is the #1 on that list, with an estimated $16 million in total earnings.

Colorado Avalanche to Win the 2021 Stanley Cup (+500)

At the moment of writing, the team that seems like the best option for the 2021 Stanley Cup futures is the Colorado Avalanche. Why? Because the Denver-based franchise has been blazing through the West Division, with some real big wins over the last couple of weeks.

For instance, on the last day of March, the Avalanche destroyed the Coyotes by 9-3. The same month, they beat the Ducks 8-4 and Wild 6-0. The most dominant win of this NHL season (so far) is also their work. In the second game they played in 2021, they demolished the Blues 8-0.

Because of all this, Colorado is the #1 favorite in the eyes of oddsmakers. Still, there’s one thing that’s holding us back from recommending the Avalanche for 2021 Stanley Cup futures betting. What we’re talking about is the fact that this team made its big wins when playing against big underdogs.

However, when they were faced with teams like the Vegas Golden Knights or the Arizona Coyotes, they didn’t do too well.

2021 Stanley Cup Futures: Picks & Predictions by FatCatBet

If we had to pick one team based on their performances so far in 2021, we’d go with the Colorado Avalanche. This team has been nothing short of brilliant, especially in the offense.

However, if we had to pick a team to win the 2021 Stanley Cup based on the players on its roster, we’d go with the Capitals.

Of course, we wouldn’t be surprised if any of other main candidates won it. This goes especially for two teams – the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights.  

Our Top Favorites:

1. Colorado Avalanche
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Washington Capitals
4. Vegas Golden Knights

We also think these teams have a really good chance to win their divisions. We’re certain that the Maple Leafs will do that. The same should be the case with the Capitals, while the Avalanche will probably finish at top of the divisional table, just above the Golden Knights.