The Calgary Flames enter the 2024-25 season with almost zero expectations from the fanbase. Fans understand the rebuilding process. But, the players in the room are still going to give it their best every shift. I wanted to look at some of the biggest betting sites and where they have the Flames stacking up. How do outside viewers look at this team heading into 2024-25?
Bally Sports
+2200 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+3500 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+7000 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
BetMGM
+3500 chance of winning the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+5000 chance of winning the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+10000 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
BetRivers
+3000 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+5000 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+10000 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
Caesar’s Sportsbook
+4500 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+7500 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds
+15000 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
DraftKings
+3500 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+4000 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+7500 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
ESPN
+3300 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+4000 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+7500 odds to win the Stanley Cup (T-25th-best odds)
FanDuel
+3900 odds to win the Pacific Division (6th-best odds)
+9500 odds to win the Western Conference (13th-best odds)
+17000 odds to win the Stanley Cup (27th-best odds)
Betting sites are pretty much unanimous in where they see the Flames finishing
The biggest takeaway is that betting sites are very clear with their predictions of where the Flames will finish. Most teams had amounts of variance, but the Flames find themselves firmly in the same spot in pretty much every betting site.
A common trend among all six betting sites is the Flames finishing 6th in the Pacific Division. The Oilers are heavy favourites to run away with the division. The Knights, Canucks, and Kings alternate between 2nd to 4th place on the various sites. The Kraken firmly hold down the 5th spot. The Ducks find themselves after the Flames in 7th, with the Sharks heavy favourites to be last in the division again.
Every betting site has the Flames finishing 13th of the 16 teams in the Western Conference. A few sites have the Flames and Blackhawks relatively close in odds, but the Sharks and Ducks are projected to be at the bottom of the barrel again.
The Flames head into the season as the 27th team in the NHL in odds to win the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. ESPN is the only difference, listing the Flames with the 25th best odds, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. The Flames are clustered in as the best team of the projected bottom-feeders, leading the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks. A 6th-last finish in the league seems fair when comparing the Flames lineup to other teams.
A review of 2023-24 odds
The Flames had beginning odds that placed them around the 15th-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Flames never really flirted with that position and ended up falling to 9th last in league standings.
As we know, the Flames tend to perform better with seasons with no expectations and worse with seasons with expectations. Given they are projected to finish so low in the standings in 2024-25, could there be a bit of a resurgence closer to that dreaded 16th overall slot?
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
