Beating the Odds
The Las Vegas Golden Knights
Description:... The entitled Las Vegas Golden Knights got the best players ever in any NHL draft; they are a supremely cocky, hard-working and resilient bunch with a huge chip on its collective shoulder. Perhaps the NHL teams that Vegas "raped" in the expansion draft should play the Knights with an equally big chip on their own collective shoulders. Heading into their first season, the Golden Knights were listed as 500 to 1 long shots to win the Stanley Cup and as a result, sports books in Las Vegas were due to take quite a hit had they pulled off the win. Director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said, "the estimates I heard around town of $5 or $6 million losses sounded about right," adding that it was the biggest liability he'd seen since William Hill U.S. was formed.As the Golden Knights progressed through the season and proved to be a veritable force in the league, odds makers had to find creative ways to hedge against the potential of a Stanley Cup win. Some sports books offered a "field" bet that allowed them to offset some of their risks, but even with the adjustments, a Golden Knights win was still a significant financial liability.Despite this, many of those running the sports books said they would have traded the huge financial hit if it meant their newfound team got to raise Lord Stanley's Cup in their first season. Alas, it was not to be, but the Golden Knights beat the odds - going from 500 to 1 underdogs - to 9-2 favorites to win the the Stanley Cup. That they lost to the Washington Capitals is no shame. For the 2018-2019 NHL season, the Golden Knights are now listed as 10 to 1 favorites to win it all in their second season. It'll be a real challenge for the NHL darling Las Vegas Golden Knights to Beat the Odds again. However, bet against them at your peril.
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