“Which of New York’s Sports Teams Will Bring Home Silverware in 2022?”

New York is well-known as one of the nation’s sporting hubs. In each of the five major leagues, the state has at least two representatives. They don’t just turn up to fill the numbers, either. New York sports teams have accumulated a tremendous haul of silverware over the years. Among still-active teams, this includes five Super Bowls, eight Stanley Cups, two NBA Championships, 29 World Series, and one MLS Cup.

The MLS Cup won by the star-studded-turned-low-key New York City FC in 2021 completed the collection for New York. However, it was also the only piece of silverware that a New York-based major league team won last year. Coming into 2022, though, it’s clear that New York is still blessed with world-class talent. Not only does the Empire State boast several legitimate contenders, but in the odds, they have at least one favorite, too.

These are the teams from each league that look primed to compete for some more silverware to add to New York’s illustrious collection.

Approaching the end of the 2021 NFL regular season, the Buffalo Bills were certainly dark horses to win Super Bowl LVI. Expected to walk the AFC East and show true progress on a highly promising 2020 season, inconsistency has been the story of the campaign. Somehow, the rookie-led New England Patriots sat atop the division for most of the season.

Still, the Orchard Park residents were very much considered to still be in the mix even when out at 8-6. With the best NFL sportsbooks, the Bills were among the top options favored to win the Super Bowl in the AFC ahead of the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the New York Giants and the Jets have been ravaged by injury and were non-factors for most of the season.

It’s quite incredible how much a top-class goaltender in form can impact a team. For the New York Rangers, they owe much of their hot 15-4-3 start to the 2021 NHL regular season to Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers certainly boast an exciting and rather young batch of skaters. Still, it’s their 25-year-old netminder who continues to steal the show.

His prowess in the crease and New York’s reliance on the Russian was epitomized when he went down with a groin injury. If he can stay injury-free for the rest of the season, though, the Rangers will be in a good place to contend in the playoffs. After all, they also boast the likes of Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Reaves, Adam Fox, and Jacob Trouba.

So, the Rangers’ seemingly long odds to win the Stanley Cup in the NHL betting might look quite appealing. While the NHL campaign is long and always produces surprises, the Rangers look to be New York’s only true competitors. The Buffalo Sabres continue to struggle to find an identity, and the Islanders just can’t get going on offense.

The NBA has very much been swayed by the idea of the “super team” in recent years. If you don’t have a good three or four bona fide superstars, you likely won’t make it to the NBA Finals. Luckily for New York – or more specifically, Brooklyn – the Nets have assembled an almighty super team. Featuring Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, the Nets, more or less, can’t be stopped on offense.

Last season, Brooklyn was heavily favored to go all the way. Then, they met the eventual champions in the Conference Semifinals. While there’s no shame bowing out to the would-be winners, the 4-3 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks was crushing.

They’re back this season, and the Barclays Center residents are still the team to beat from the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks will be aiming to repeat their finish last season as they managed to break into the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Contributing more major league silverware to New York’s collection than all of the other teams combined, the New York Yankees are struggling to regain their former glory. As the outright richest team in baseball, the Yankees will always be in the mix. However, it’s been a long time since they were labeled “favorites” to win the World Series.

For many, the 2021 season was a disappointment. The team seemingly went backward in categories that they weren’t expected to. The Yankees were saved from too much embarrassment by a timely 13-game winning streak in the midst of summer. Regardless, the Yankees have a decent team and the resources to improve on their 92-70 record.

They still managed to land second in the AL East last season, so all is not yet lost for the Yankees. That said, getting out on top of the dogpile that is the American League continues to be a tall order. Long before the start of the 2022 campaign, the Yankees aren’t being given much backing. With MLB betting sites in New York, the Yankees are in the chasing pack behind the leading favorites. Funnily enough, the Mets are being hyped up even though they finished last season with a negative record.

Finally, we return to New York’s reigning champions. New York City FC showed just how strong a team could be with solid, balanced play. They may have finished fourth in the Eastern Conference at 14-11-9, but that was enough to get to the playoffs. From there, they defeated Atlanta United, New England Revolution, and Philadelphia Union. In the MLS Cup, they held their nerve to beat the Portland Timbers on penalties.

What’s important about New York City’s reign as the champions so far is how little they’ve changed. So far, City looks to return with all of the core pieces that won them the MLS Cup. That includes MVP goalkeeper Sean Johnson. The key players in the team are still young. Valentín Castellanos, Talles Magno, James Sands, and Thiago Andrade are all 23-years-old at the most.

With plenty left in the tank and some key players still only on their way to their prime, City looks good for another run at the title. While we’re still quite some way away from the start of the season, there are some MLS sportsbooks with odds on the MLS Cup. As it stands, the Revolution and Sounders have just crept ahead of New York. The New York Red Bulls aren’t expected to go far after being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last season.

So, the New York sportsbooks certainly favor a few of the state’s major league teams to do well in 2022. The Brooklyn Nets are the most heavily favored to bring back silverware. However, the oddsmakers aren’t counting out New York City from repeating or the Buffalo Bills from making a surprise splash.