Early numbers from sportsbooks are painting a bleak picture for the Winnipeg Jets, and the drop-off is eye-catching. After a season that ended with the Jets missing the playoffs for just the second time in the last nine years, the betting markets are already treating them like a team stuck well outside the contender class.
Winnipeg is listed at +15000 to win the Stanley Cup, tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the 25th-best odds in the league. That puts the Jets firmly in the longshot tier before next season even begins.
The West picture is only a little better. The Jets sit at +5000 to win the conference, which places them just inside the top 10, but still behind clubs such as the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks.
They are ahead of the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators, but not by much comfort.
The Central Division outlook is even rougher. Winnipeg is at +3000 to take the division, good for fifth place behind the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, and even the Utah Mammoth. For a team that once sat atop the league, that’s a steep fall in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
The shock doesn’t stop there. Winnipeg is also priced at +17500 to win the Presidents' Trophy, tied for the seventh-worst odds in the NHL, despite claiming that award just two seasons ago.
The Hurricanes may have just finished celebrating their Stanley Cup win, but the attention has already turned to next season - and right now, the Jets are getting very little respect from the books.