Sharks face steep odds to win West Division this season

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After finishing in the cellar of the Pacific Division last season, the Sharks aren’t expected to be a formidable foe in the newly-formed West Division for 2021.

According to odds provided by our partner, PointsBet, the Sharks have +1300 odds to win the division, meaning a $100 bet would win you $1300 if they were to pull it off. Any time you’ve got 13/1 odds to do anything, you've gotta have luck on your side. At least Sharks fans can take solace in knowing the oddsmakers have pegged the Anaheim Ducks (+1500) and Los Angeles Kings (+1500) to have worse chances to win the division.

Due to the league’s realignment to place the seven Canadian teams in a single division, the West has turned into something of a Division of Doom.

RELATED: Sharks could benefit from road-heavy start

The Colorado Avalanche are part of the West now, and are being picked as the odds-on favorite to win the division (+160) and the Stanley Cup (+700). Last year’s Pacific Division champ, the Vegas Golden Knights, have +185 odds to win the division and are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning with for the second-best odds (+800) to hoist the Stanley Cup. Throw in another tough Central Division addition like the St. Louis Blues, and that’s a tough assignment for Bob Boughner, who enters his first year as Sharks head coach following a 14-20-3 record as the interim coach last season.

The Sharks are already facing some adversity out of the gate and have relocated their training camp to the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Arizona due to Santa Clara County's ban on contact sports. Players are expected to report to Arizona on Wednesday before camp begins on Thursday. Boughner and the Sharks are hoping to get back to SAP Center early in 2021 but they will likely be desert dwellers to start the season, à la the San Francisco 49ers.

Blind loyalty has paid off on futures betting for some bettors, but smart money says you should place your wagers elsewhere when it comes to the Sharks winning the West.

Or you could go completely the other way, and really make things interesting by putting down some money on the Sharks to win the Stanley Cup (+5000). 

You never know ...

Here are the West Division odds for 2021:

  1. Colorado Avalanche (+160)
  2. Vegas Golden Knights (+185)
  3. St. Louis Blues (+550)
  4. Arizona Coyotes (+1100)
  5. Minnesota Wild (+1200)
  6. San Jose Sharks (+1300)
  7. Anaheim Ducks (+1500)
  8. Los Angeles Kings (+1500)

PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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