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It might seem a little optimistic for an Oilers' writer to check in on futures odds to win the Stanley Cup, but as I glanced through them, a couple of things struck me as both interesting and curious. There are a couple of caveats to these odds though. First, though betting odds are often a true indication of the event odds, futures odds are a bit different. First, there is an enormous amount of juice in futures odds. Ask a book to give you a "field" bet against the favorite on a futures list and see if you get reverse odds. Secondly, futures odds rarely reflect the true money line. So with those out of the way, let's check in on the 2011-12 futures odds to win The Stanley Cup.
*All lines taken from Vegas Insider.
| Team | Odds |
| Vancouver | 6/1 |
| Pittsburgh | 7/1 |
| Philadelphia | 9/1 |
| Washington | 10/1 |
| Boston | 10/1 |
| Chicago | 12/1 |
| Detroit | 12/1 |
| Los Angeles | 12/1 |
| San Jose | 12/1 |
| Tampa Bay | 12/1 |
| Montreal | 20/1 |
| Nashville | 25/1 |
| Anaheim | 25/1 |
| Buffalo | 30/1 |
| New Jersey | 30/1 |
| Phoenix | 30/1 |
| Calgary | 35/1 |
| Carolina | 35/1 |
| Dallas | 40/1 |
| N.Y. Rangers |
40/1 |
| St. Louis | 40/1 |
| Toronto | 50/1 |
| Winnipeg | 50/1 |
| Minnesota | 60/1 |
| Edmonton | 65/1 |
| Colorado | 65/1 |
| Ottawa | 65/1 |
| Columbus | 75/1 |
| N.Y. Islanders |
80/1 |
| Florida | 125/1 |
Some things are obvious and following conventional wisdom: the Canucks and Penguins are the favorites and the Oilers are la...oh. The Oilers aren't last! In fact, it's the Panthers who bring up the rear. Clearly the oddsmakers are not impressed by Dale Tallon's off-season spending orgy. So the Oilers are at least a clear 2...huh. Looks like the Islanders are a clear 29th, curious for me, given their improvements and the Senators...bizarre plans. The Oilers aren't even 28th, that's the Blue Jackets -- bettors are not interested in Jeff Carter or James Wisniewski. No sir, the Oilers are in a three-way logjam in 25-26-27 with the Avalanche and the Senators.
Breaking out futures odds by conference is interesting as well; do the top eight teams make the playoffs?
| West | Odds |
| Vancouver | 6/1 |
| Chicago | 12/1 |
| Detroit | 12/1 |
| Los Angeles | 12/1 |
| San Jose | 12/1 |
| Nashville | 25/1 |
| Anaheim | 25/1 |
| Phoenix | 30/1 |
| Calgary | 35/1 |
| Dallas | 40/1 |
| St. Louis | 40/1 |
| Minnesota | 60/1 |
| Edmonton | 65/1 |
| Colorado | 65/1 |
| Columbus | 75/1 |
Vancouver vs. Phoenix, Chicago vs. Anaheim, Los Angeles vs. Nashville and Detroit vs. San Jose. The Flames miss the playoffs in what should be a last hurrah and the Oilers tie for 13th in the conference. Sound good to everyone?
| East | Odds |
| Pittsburgh | 7/1 |
| Philadelphia | 9/1 |
| Washington | 10/1 |
| Boston | 10/1 |
| Tampa Bay | 12/1 |
| Montreal | 20/1 |
| Buffalo | 30/1 |
| New Jersey | 30/1 |
| Carolina | 35/1 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 40/1 |
| Toronto | 50/1 |
| Winnipeg | 50/1 |
| Ottawa | 65/1 |
| N.Y. Islanders | 80/1 |
| Florida | 125/1 |
Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey, Washington vs. Buffalo, Boston vs. Montreal, Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay and the Rangers and Brad Richards miss the playoffs altogether. The one outlier here is the Islanders. If Evgeni Nabokov is healthy, the Islanders should be better than 14th in the conference.
So where are the futures odds missing the boat?