It’s hard to believe that we’re already past the All-Star break and well over halfway through the 2023-24 NHL regular season.
Everyone has played at least 48 games — some teams have been through as many as 54 — so things are rapidly hurtling towards a close.
The playoff picture is starting to come into focus, but there’s still time for some major shake-ups, so let’s dig into the latest Stanley Cup odds and pick out our best bets for this year’s champion.
Stanley Cup Winner Odds 2024
NHL odds used for these Stanley Cup best bets are from Tuesday, Feb. 13, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Edmonton Oilers (+700)
- Colorado Avalanche (+800)
- Boston Bruins (+800)
- Florida Panthers (+850)
- Carolina Hurricanes (+900)
- New York Rangers (+1000)
- Vancouver Canucks (+1200)
- Vegas Golden Knights (+1300)
- Dallas Stars (+1300)
- Winnipeg Jets (+1400)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+1400)
- Los Angeles Kings (+2200)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (+2500)
- New Jersey Devils (+2500)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (+3000)
After the Penguins, there’s a major drop-off to the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and Detroit Red Wings down at +7000 odds.
It’s clear that the sportsbooks see this as the gap between realistic contenders and teams hanging on by no more than a thread, so let’s look through this top 15 and try and find the best bets.
Stanley Cup Winner Best Bet
Vancouver Canucks (+1200)
Canada’s three-decade Stanley Cup drought just might come to an end this season, through the unlikeliest of heroes. That would be a Vancouver Canucks team that didn’t sniff the playoffs last year and has only made the postseason once in the past eight seasons.
This franchise has been in the NHL since 1970 and has won the West three times, but has never once lifted Lord Stanley. This could be the year they do it.
The Canucks have hit a mini rough patch, but led by team captain and heavy Norris Trophy favorite Quinn Hughes, they look the part of a title contender.
- Wager on hockey daily with our NHL parlay picks.
Importantly, they’ve begun to pull away from the defending champion Knights in the Pacific Division, setting up a very clear path to the end.
Perhaps recent and long-term franchise history are both part of the reason for the relatively long odds, or perhaps the Presidents’ Trophy curse, but Vancouver is on top of the league’s standings, but has the seventh-longest odds to win the Cup.
That’s simply outrageous value, and even if they don’t make it all the way, this gives you plenty of wiggle room for hedging.
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Stanley Cup Betting Favorites
Edmonton Oilers (+700)
The Oilers are favored, but should they be? Yes, they just ripped off a historic win streak, but a staggering 10 teams out of the 16 they beat were in the league’s bottom 12 when the streak ended, and just one of the remaining six was top 10.
Edmonton also might have a brutal path to get out of its division. The Oilers could catch the defending champion Golden Knights in the first round, and then face the surprising juggernaut Canucks in the second.
The attacking trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman is as formidable as they come, but has Edmonton figured out the back end enough to win it all?
The numbers look good enough so far, but we’ll see if the Oilers can hold up in the playoffs this time around.
Colorado Avalanche (+800)
We’ve already talked about the challenging Pacific division. By comparison, getting through the Central is an easy proposition.
The Stars are a good squad, but the Avs have some phenomenal playoff pedigree, as they retain many of the key players from their 2022 championship run.
- See where Colorado stands in the latest NHL Western Conference betting odds.
The most notable of that group is of course Nathan MacKinnon, who is locked in a spectacular Art Ross Trophy race with Nikita Kucherov.
This is of course a team sport, but if he can keep up his blistering pace, the Avs will be armed with a hot scorer, one of the most valuable things in the postseason.
Stanley Cup Contenders
Boston Bruins (+800)
At +800 odds, the Bruins offer some of the best value on the table. Yes, the Atlantic is challenging, but Boston is positioned to secure the division’s top seed and dodge a challenging first-round matchup.
This team was poised for a major drop-off after a record-setting 2022-23 regular season and an ensuing playoff upset, but coach Jim Montgomery deserves all the credit in the world for keeping the team at the top of the Atlantic, as does star right winger David Pastrnak, one of the league’s leaders in both goals and assists.
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Florida Panthers (+850)
The Panthers made an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but if they’re going to get back, they’re going to have to do it as relative favorites.
Florida is near the top of the East by most measures this year, even as Matthew Tkachuk took a relative step back, due in large part to playoff-esque play from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky after an underwhelming ‘22-23 regular season.
- Can Florida run it back? Find out in our NHL Eastern Conference betting odds.
The Panthers could have a tough path if the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs get hot at the wrong time, but they should have a clear shot at a rematch with the Bruins after an epic series last year.
Stanley Cup Sleepers
Winnipeg Jets (+1400)
After being dispatched with ease by the Golden Knights in last year’s first round, the Jets weren’t expected to be a huge threat this season. But here they are, in the thick of the playoff field.
Winnipeg’s success can be attributed in large part to the continued excellent play of goalie Connor Hellebuyck, the heavy Vezina Trophy favorite, and Josh Morrissey, one of the league’s best defensemen.
- Speaking of awards, check our the latest NHL MVP betting odds.
The team has allowed the fewest goals per game in the league while sitting closer to average in terms of its own scoring average.
Defense wins championships, and nobody does that better than Winnipeg, but can the Jets find a hot goalscorer before the playoffs start?
New Jersey Devils (+2500)
The Devils are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff places right now, but they sit just four points behind the Detroit Red Wings.
The clock is ticking, but with 31 games left to play, there’s plenty of time for this highly talented team to turn things around. And if they do, watch out.
New Jersey remains plagued by defensive issues, but the offense has received a huge boost in the form of superstar Jack Hughes’s return from injury.
He has missed plenty of time this year and looks to be back to 100%. Hughes playing his best hockey the rest of the way would all but surely get New Jersey into the playoffs, and paired with career-best play from Jesper Bratt, they could go even further than that.
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Past Stanley Cup Winners
2023: Vegas Golden Knights
2022: Colorado Avalanche
2021: Tampa Bay Lightning
2020: Tampa Bay Lightning
2019: St. Louis Blues
2018: Washington Capitals
2017: Pittsburgh Penguins
2016: Pittsburgh Penguins
2015: Chicago Blackhawks
2014: Los Angeles Kings