Terrible Islanders Betting Odds Indicative of Snoozer Offseason, But…

The New York Islanders’ faint pulse and lack of changes this offseason are not sitting well with fans or bettors.

Islanders fourth-line stalwarts Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck are nearing the end of their careers and remain unsigned by the Islanders or anyone, so the two biggest changes to cite regarding the Islanders crew are Anthony Duclair joining the top lines while Simon Holmstrom and perhaps Kyle MacLean are set for the fourth line.

Yippee?

Bettors haven’t just downgraded the Islanders, who finished third in the Metro Division last season, but they have smacked them like a pinata hanging in the middle of a prison yard.

The pros at MightyTips have the Islanders at a whopping +4500 to win the Stanley Cup, just +2200 to win the East, and a long shot +1200 to win the Metro Division. And the experts on the worldwide platform at MightyTips don’t mess around when it comes to soccer or hockey.

Yet, the Islanders top-six can match anyone in the Metro Division, especially with Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson in the middle, flanked by Mathew Barzal, Duclair, and the serviceable Kyle Palmieri.

So, what gives with the long-shot odds?

We don’t know, either. Does anyone really think the Pittsburgh Penguins’ addition of former Islanders winger Anthony Beauvillier and Flyers center Kevin Hayes will change their rapidly falling fortunes? Yet the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers are in the same +4500 to +5000 boat.

Shockingly, bettors really–really–hate the Washington Capitals, who are a +6600 to win the Cup. A few bookmakers might pucker at those odds if Logan Thompson can keep the net and Pierre-Luc Dubois finally breaks through.

The Islanders figure to be a far different team under coach Patrick Roy, whose midseason takeover didn’t start well but ended well. Roy remains a bit of an enigma as a head coach, but he likes winning, and the Islanders have some horses who can score. They also have a stout blue line anchored by Adam Pelech and Ryan Puloch, with Scott Mayfield on the back pairing and Noah Dobson piling up the points on the front pair.

Oh, and the Islanders also have one of the best goalie tandems in the league with Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.

So, oddsmakers can bristle if they choose, and they are correct that as of publishing, the Islanders are not in the same class as the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, or even the Boston Bruins in the East, but it would seem the Islanders are much closer than the others. It would also behoove the bettors to take into account the valuable playoff experience gained over the last handful of years in which the Islanders have played 51 Stanley Cup playoff games (counting the Qualifying Round of the 2020 bubble).

According to PuckPedia.com, the Islanders currently have exactly zero cap space—at exactly $0.00. However, Jean-Gabriel Pageau is presumed to be on the NHL trade block, and if the team can hang close to the big boys in the Metro Division, who knows what sort of magic president of hockey operations/GM Lou Lamoriello could have up his sleeve?

Sure, it’s a long bet, but that’s also why we like it. Unlike the has-beens and the up-and-comers, the Islanders are a break or a bounce away from being one of the primary contenders.