Editor's Note: This story last updated April 30, 2024.
It’s not easy to be the inaugural coach of an expansion franchise, especially in the NHL. Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol learned that the hard way on Monday when the third-year franchise fired him, in a development that probably did not surprise many fans or avid hockey bettors at Ontario sportsbooks.
The Kraken made the playoffs and reached the second round last season — knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche — but they endured a down 2023-24 season. Seattle went from 46-28-8 in 2022-23 to 34-35-13 this past season. The biggest culprit was a lack of firepower. The Kraken went from scoring 289 goals a season ago, sixth-best in the league, to a third-worst 217 this past campaign.
Hakstol is the second coach to be dismissed after the season ended. With that, OntarioBets.com has adjusted its odds for the NHL team to fire its coach. Our futures board now has a new favorite, of interest to folks using Ontario sports betting apps.
Unlike the others on our list, Sheldon Keefe’s team made the playoffs. However, expectations have been sky-high in Toronto for years. The Leafs have made the postseason every year since 2017, but last year was the only time they advanced past the first round. The last time they reached the conference finals was 2002, and their last trip to the Stanley Cup final happened the last time they won the title, in 1967. Check out our Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds page.
Given the years Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner produced offensively this year, hopes have been high. However, Toronto faces a 3-1 series deficit in its first-round, best-of-seven series against Boston and could see its season done by Tuesday night.
Toronto had odds of +1000 to win the Stanley Cup in the preseason at BetMGM Ontario Sportsbook. As of Tuesday afternoon, with the team on the brink, the sportsbook gives them odds of +9000 to end its lengthy drought this year.
The window might be closing for the Leafs beyond this season, too. Matthews, Nylander and Marner are all in their prime – but combined with John Tavares, those four players are expected to eat about half of the team’s salary cap next season.
As for the teams remaining in this season’s playoffs, our NHL Stanley Cup odds guide gives you all the latest.
Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan remains high on our list. His job may be safe for now, but his seat will likely remain warm heading into next season. A slow start in the fall could see Penguins management decide a change is in order. Reports surfaced early Tuesday that Sullivan was being considered for the New Jersey Devils position. However, Rob Rossi with The Athletic reported in the afternoon that no one sought permission, according to General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Another coach to watch is Andre Tourigny, who had to deal with a lot of off-ice drama when the team was known as the Arizona Coyotes. Now that the team is off to Salt Lake City and his status as coach may be as uncertain as what the team’s nickname will in the 2024-25 season in its new Utah home.
The NHL coaches on the hot seat might get a rest for now because there is still plenty of playoff action on the ice. This postseason is one of the closest in recent memory, as oddsmakers have as many as six teams with odds shorter than +1000 to win it all.
At Pinnacle Ontario Sportsbook, the Edmonton Oilers are favorites at +425. The Carolina Hurricanes are close behind at +436, with the Florida Panthers available at +501 and the Colorado Avalanche priced at +613.
The odds are a little different at DraftKings Ontario sportsbook. Carolina is the +425 favorite there, followed by Florida (+475), Edmonton (+500) and Colorado (+600).
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for postseason MVP at bet365 Ontario sportsbook, with odds of +600. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is next at +1200, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk is available at +1440. Carolina duo Jake Guentzel and Sebastian Aho are each priced at +1600.
USA Today photo by John E. Sokolowski
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on OntarioBets, among other sites.
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