2019 Vegas Golden Knights Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions

By any normal measure, last year was a remarkable second season for an expansion team. The Vegas Golden Knights finished third in their division and made it to the seventh game of their playoff series. The fact that that would happen less than two years after the team played their first game is amazing. But it is far less amazing for a team that had a first year like Vegas did. After you make the Stanley Cup finals, last year was a full-on disappointment. The team wound up with 16 fewer points than the prior year, they generally felt less dangerous, and though getting to Game 7 against San Jose was fine, leading that final game 3-0 late before losing it wasn't so good.

Vegas has fundamentally redefined what it means to be an expansion team. And now they are looking to have a nearly unprecedented third year to go with their first two. And the oddsmakers sure expect them to have one - they are the second choice to win it all and tops in the Western Conference. It's a lot of pressure. But is it too much?

Vegas Golden Knights Offseason Moves

It didn't take long for the Golden Knights to run into cap issues. They aren't crippling, but after adding Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone last year, and extending William Karlsson for eight years at $5.9 million per year - a solid deal for the player - they had to do some shuffling to keep things in line. The biggest casualty was defenseman Colin Miller, who was dealt to the Sabres for two draft picks in a purely financial move. Next was Nikita Gusev. The Russian signed with Vegas for the playoffs last year, but he wasn't going to sign a new deal that worked with Vegas, so he was traded to New Jersey and immediately signed a two-year, $9 million deal. Center Erik Haula was another cap victim, being traded to Carolina for prospect defenseman Nicolas Roy, who won't factor into the team's immediate plans. Depth forwards Ryan Carpenter and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were allowed to leave in free agency as well.

And intriguing addition this move is a long anticipated one. Cody Glass was the first player ever drafted by the team, going sixth overall in the 2017 draft. Playing in the WHL last year, the center scored an incredible 69 points in 38 games. And in a brief time in the AHL after his junior career ended, he tallied 20 points in 28 regular-season and playoff games. His numbers won't be as impressive early on because he'll be in a bottom six role to start, but the upside is definitely there for the young playmaker.

The team selected 17th in the first round of last year's NHL Draft and went with center Peyton Krebs of the WHL. He's slight and has some growing to do, but he scored better than a point per game in a tough league last year and has serious upside. I like the pick a lot - and not just because his brother Dakota plays for my beloved local junior team.

Vegas Golden Knights NHL Outlook

There is a lot to like with this team. The top line is proven and has the potential to be significantly better than last year if they more closely replicate the 2017-18 season's production. Max Pacioretty wasn't great in his first season with the team, but he really found his game down the stretch with the playoffs, and now he will get to play with linemate Mark Stone all year instead of just since the trade deadline, so the second line has a chance to be brilliant. And the third and fourth lines are solid, with a chance for a real breakout from Alex Tuch. The defense isn't quite as flashy, but the top four is more than solid enough. And while the age of Marc-Andre Fleury is always going to be a bit of a concern, the goaltending is often a strength when injuries aren't a problem. Add it all up, and you have a team with a lot fewer flaws than a lot of squads. The team is scary good.

Vegas Golden Knights Schedule

There is an oddity in team's schedule for the first two weeks of the season. They alternate between home games and road games for the first seven games, never play two of a type in a row. The trips are easy - San Jose, Arizona and L.A. - but it is still very odd in this league to not settle in at home or on the road for a while. I'm not sure what it means, but it is certainly interesting.

Vegas Golden Knights NHL Futures Odds

Vegas is tied with Toronto as the second choice to win the Stanley Cup at +1200, trailing only Tampa Bay at +700. They are the favorites to win the Western Conference at +550, and they are the strong favorites to win the Pacific Division at +125. The season point total sits at 100.5, with the "over" favored at -130. They are at -350 to make the playoffs and +290 to miss them.

2019-20 Vegas Golden Knights Predictions

I like this team. Hard not to. It feels like the over on the season win total is the place to be - though the value has been bet out of it. They are as close to a lock to make the playoffs as a team can be in this era of widespread competitiveness. I'm not sure I see much value in the Stanley Cup future, but that's mostly because making it through the playoffs in this era is brutally tough even for a great team. But this team certainly has a better chance than most in the West of getting it done.

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