The Coyotes’ chances of qualifying for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup playoffs in three seasons are slim at best in 2023 according to NHL betting in Arizona.
A pair of leading Arizona sportsbooks have the franchise dead-last on their Stanley Cup odds board after Thursday’s first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Arizona managed to snag three prospects in center Logan Cooley (third overall pick), Conor Geekie (11th pick), and Maveric Lamoureux (29th overall).
Cooley notched 27 goals and 48 assists this season in the U.S. National Development Program and is expected to play at least one season at the University of Minnesota before venturing to the Valley in 2023.
Geekie, who is also a center, scored 24 goals and dished out 46 assists with the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL last year.
Rounding out the team’s first round was Lamoureux, a 6-foot-7-inch defenseman from Hawkesbury, Ontario, who handed out 20 assists in 54 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Juniors Hockey League this season.
All three, in addition to former Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian, join a Coyotes organization that’s looking to turn the corner and make it back to the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
2023 Stanley Cup Champion Odds
Coyotes Face Longest Odds in NHL
Arizona is ranked dead-last on both BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, in terms of Stanley Cup and Western Conference championship futures.
On BetMGM Arizona, the Coyotes are listed at +50000 to win it all in 2023, more than three times behind the next closest team (Montreal, +15000).
The franchise’s Western Conference futures aren’t much rosier, with the Coyotes coming in at +15000 to capture their first conference title since moving to Phoenix in 1996.
Arizona is well behind the next closest team (Seattle, +5000) on BetMGM’s Western Conference odds board, but stranger things have happened in sports.
The song is much the same at Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, where the Coyotes are listed at +30000 to win the Stanley Cup and +15000 to win the Western Conference in 2023.
Arizona Has New Home in 2022-23
The Coyotes announced in early June that they are moving forward with the city of Tempe on an arena development project.
Arizona ended its 19-year run at Gila River Arena in Glendale this season. The Coyotes are playing in Arizona State University’s new multi-purpose arena through at least the 2024-25 season.
Despite moving to a much smaller arena, Arizona will be able to keep its Arizona sports betting apps license during the transition.
“We work with all the stakeholders, and we're working with the Coyotes to make sure that they can continue to operate,” Arizona Department of Gaming Directory Ted Vogt told BetArizona.com recently. “Again, this is a temporary move to their stadium that they're going to be utilizing over the next couple of years with Tempe.
“So, we're working with them, we're working through the issues again. This is a unique experience for them. They’re not going to be out in [Glendale] anymore. And as long as they're able to comply with the rules and the laws, they should be [licensed]. But, the department's here to help and make sure that they're able to operate, but they're doing it within the restrictions set out by the legislature.”
The Coyotes betting partner is SaharaBets. The Coyotes majority-owner Alex Meruelo also owns the SAHARA in Las Vegas.
