The latest Stanley Cup odds were released on Friday morning, and the Dallas Stars are once again in the middle of the pack. But there’s an encouraging reminder to take note of in this most recent list.
The Dallas Stars aren’t the odds-on favorite to win the 2019 Stanley Cup. You probably already knew that, or at least thought it at some point during the offseason.
And it’s nearly impossible to argue that they should be. After all, they’ve missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, finishing second-to-last in the Central division on both occasions. They’ve been through three head coaches in two seasons and cannot seem to get anything right after building up a large amount of hype in the 2015-16 season.
So, they don’t necessarily have a sturdy enough argument to make themselves a favorite to win the Cup or even to be a top-five contender for the Final.
But on Friday morning, the most recent odds for the 2019 Stanley Cup winner were released by Bovada and OddsShark. And as you could probably decipher or guess, the Dallas Stars aren’t necessarily sitting near the top.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup (@BovadaOfficial):
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) August 17, 2018
TOR/TBL +750
WPG +950
NSH/VGK/WSH +1100
PIT/BOS +1200
SJ +1600
EDM/STL +2000
CHI/LAK +2500
PHI/ANA/DAL/CBJ +3000
CGY +3300
MIN +3500
NJD/COL +4000
FLA +5000
MTL +7500
NYR +8500
BUF/CAR/NYI/ARI/OTT +10000
VAN +12500
DET +20000
Now, before you go throwing the kitchen sink, let’s take a look at a few specific elements in this list.
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First and foremost, the Dallas Stars are sitting at a +3000 along with Philadelphia, Anaheim, and Columbus. That puts them tied for 14th in the overall odds list. After a big offseason from Toronto and a stellar performance from Tampa Bay last season, the two clubs are tied for best odds in the league. And at the bottom of the pile, you can find Vancouver and Detroit after both teams missed the playoffs by a sizable margin last year and didn’t do much in terms of improving over the summer.
There’s also a sizable chunk of teams in the middle. After all, only +3900 separate 19 teams. And lying in the middle of that chunk is the Dallas Stars.
But that’s where things get interesting, and there’s a good lesson that Stars fans can take from these odds.
Take a step back and think about this for a moment. Can you name a team (in any sport) that’s been through three head coaches in two seasons, continues to bring in new players in hopes of turning around their misfortunes, and still finds a way to be in the top half of the league in terms of odds to win the championship? It’s a rare occurrence.
In addition, the Stars are bringing in a brand new head coach in the NHL. Jim Montgomery will become just the fifth hockey coach in history to make the jump directly from college to the NHL. That’s a pretty big factor in the Stars’ hopes and aspirations and as a result, Montgomery has a certain element of pressure to deal with in getting his team off and running immediately.
The odds seem to be giving him a good overall shot at success, though.
The Stars also own the fifth-best odds in the Central division. According to the mark they have right now, Dallas would just miss the playoffs yet again. But at the same time, they have Chicago and St. Louis both above the Stars. And though both clubs might look revamped, neither made the postseason last year and has to prove themselves this season.
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The factor in all of this that must be realized is that the Dallas Stars are considered to be in the top half of the league in regards to winning the Cup. For a team that’s only constant is change in just about every area over the past few seasons, that’s pretty impressive.
And it just goes to show that the Stars really aren’t as bad off as you might think. Their moves in free agency weren’t as high-caliber as many wanted or expected them to be, but much of their core remained intact. For a team that didn’t make the playoffs, they put together a 42-32-8 season that looked altogether impressive (besides the month of March, of course).
Dallas learned some valuable lessons from their past two coaches and now have to combine them together under a third and final head coach. That could be a tall task, or it might be an easy transition.
But for all of the “doom and gloom” as Jim Nill put it, there’s a certain sense of reality that must be applied here. The Dallas Stars were three points short of a playoff spot last season. Had it not been for a severely mistimed eight-game losing streak and a fading connection between players and coach towards the end of the year, they would have very well earned a spot in the postseason race.
Their superstar players are still on the roster. They have a handful of young, new players either returning to the roster or stepping in for the first time. And finally, they will work with a new head coach that seems to fit their needs and will own an element of surprise in his first season at the NHL level.
The pieces seem to be there and the Dallas Stars look ready to compete. At this point, it’s a little difficult to argue that they will for sure contend for a Stanley Cup. A lack of success in a jam-packed Central and not knowing how exactly this team will perform are results of that.
But at the moment, 14th looks pretty good considering the circumstances. It’s up for the Dallas Stars to bump themselves up.