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NHL Odds: Kraken Land Third on Odds List to Win Pacific Division in Inaugural Year

By Iain MacMillan

The Seattle Kraken will compete in the Pacific Division in their first year as an NHL Franchise.
The Seattle Kraken will compete in the Pacific Division in their first year as an NHL Franchise. / Jim Bennett/Getty Images
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Out goes the Arizona Coyotes, in comes the Seattle Kraken.

The Pacific Division will have a slightly different look to it this NHL season, as it will welcome the brand new 32nd franchise to its ranks. To make room for the Kraken, the Coyotes were shifted over to the Central Division.

Despite the new addition, the Pacific Division will go through the Vegas Golden Knights. After once again coming up short of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Golden Knights are re-tooled and re-focused to make another deep playoff run.

They’re the odds on favorite to win the Pacific, and they’re third on the odds list to win the Stanley Cup at +650 behind only the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.

There are few teams who will be able to challenge Vegas for the division crown in the 2021-2022 NHL season.

Odds to Win the Pacific Division

All odds listed below are via WynnBET.

  • Vegas Golden Knights -170
  • Edmonton Oilers +400
  • Seattle Kraken +800
  • Calgary Flames +1300
  • Vancouver Canucks +1500
  • Los Angeles Kings +2500
  • San Jose Sharks +4000
  • Anaheim Ducks +15000

Can the Edmonton Oilers Bounce Back?

The team with the best odds to challenge the Golden Knights is the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers faced only Canadian teams in the shortened 2021 season, and they finished in 2nd place in the North division before being swept by the third place Winnipeg Jets in the opening round.

The Oilers have the consensus best hockey player in the world on their roster, Connor McDavid, but they have given the phenom very little support outside of linemate Leon Draisaitl.

Edmonton has no real goaltending, and they are one of the worst teams in hockey in their own end. Outscoring your opponents with pure offensive firepower can only take a team so far, and those types of squads usually fall short when it comes to the postseason.

They’ve attempted to address the issue with offseason signings that included Cody Ceci, Tyson Barrie, and Zach Hyman. We’ll see if that’s enough to help them make a deep playoff run this season.

The Seattle Kraken Emerge As Possible Contenders

Most of the time, you would assume that a brand new franchise would have to go through years of development before they’re considered contenders. That long held belief was tossed out the window when the Vegas Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year as a franchise in the 2017-2018 season.

While the Seattle Kraken didn’t take as aggressive of a “win now” approach to their first official offseason like the Golden Knights did, they still managed to build themselves a solid squad. WynnBET has them listed with the third best odds to win the Pacific Division at +800, but that more so could be a reflection of just how weak the western teams are projected to be this year.

They open their season against the division favorite Golden Knights in Vegas.

The odds listed in this breakdown are available over at WynnBET. Make your pick.

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