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Current NHL Stanley Cup Odds: Who Are The Favorites To Win?

By Ray Fittipaldo
Fact Checked by Peter Mooney
December 8, 2023 12:37pm

The Vegas Golden Knights are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and they're once again among the top teams in the standings as they try to repeat. What other teams are among the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup next spring? We'll take you through the 2023-24 season, bringing you the latest on this season's race for the Stanley Cup. Be sure to check back here often throughout the season for the latest updates Stanley Cup betting odds.

What are the current odds to win the Stanley Cup? According to DraftKings Sportsbook, here are the NHL teams that have the best odds to hoist the Stanley Cup Trophy.

TEAM CURRENT ODDS
🏆 Boston Bruins+750
🏆 New York Rangers+750
🏆 Colorado Avalanche+750
🏆 Vegas Golden Knights+800
🏆 Dallas Stars+1000
🏆 Carolina Hurricanes+1200
🏆 Toronto Maple Leafs+1200

 

Use this link to jump below to find the current odds for the rest of the teams in the NHL.

🔥 OTHER NHL ODDS PAGES:

Table of Contents

1. 🥅 Current Favorites to Win the Cup Final
2. 🥅 Rest of the League: Stanley Cup Odds
3. 🥅 Canada's Stanley Cup Drought
4. 🥅 Stanley Cup Trends
Stanley Cup Playoffs

When are the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

The 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs begin in late April. The final game of the 2023-24 regular season is Thursday April 18. The playoffs begin April 22. Sixteen teams make the playoffs — eight from each conference. The top three teams from each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards from each conference.

When do the Stanley Cup Playoffs start?

The 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 22.

When are the Stanley Cup Finals?

The Stanley Cup Finals will take place in June. Times and dates will be determined once the first three rounds of the playoffs are complete.

What is Futures Betting?

You are betting on the team you think will win the Stanley Cup ahead of time. Bets can be placed now or up until the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Stanley Cup betting usually has plus-odds so the payout will be larger than betting on games from day to day. You can also future place bets on conference winners, division winners and the President's Trophy winners. The President's Trophy goes to the team that finishes with the best record in the regular season.

Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup Futures: Current Favorites to Win the Cup Final

Last season's Stanley Cup playoffs featured a lot of upsets with lower-seeded teams knocking off higher-seeded teams early and often. In the end, the Vegas Golden Knights, the champions of the Pacific division, hoisted the Cup. The Golden Knights are among the favorites this season, but they have a lot of challengers looking to unseat them.

🏒 Boston Bruins (+750)

After losing four of five in late November, the Bruins got back on track with a three-game winning streak against the Sharks, Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets. One of the best defensive teams in the league, the Bruins are among the top five teams in goals against average as Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been stellar in goal. The offense has been strong too. Paced by MVP candidate David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, the Bruins can overwhelm opponents on the offensive end as well.

🏒 New York Rangers (+750)

The Rangers haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1994, but they're looking like a team that will challenge deep into the postseason. Like the Bruins, the Rangers can smother opponents with their top-notch defense or outscore them. They won six of eight in late November and early December and have a comfortable lead atop the Metropolitan division.

🏒 Colorado Avalanche (+750)

Nathan McKinnon is starting to heat up, and the Avalanche are rounding into form, too. McKinnon had a nine-game point scoring streak to help Colorado become one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Defenseman Cale Makar is having a great season too. He's among the top five in the league in points and leads the league in assists.

🏒 Vegas Golden Knights (+800)

The defending Stanley Cup champions are being challenged in the Pacific division by the Kings and Canucks, who are off to strong starts of their own. The Golden Knights are being led by Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, who are both among the top 30 points leaders in the league while Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have been two of the best goaltenders. The Golden Knights led the league in goals-against average in the first week of December.

🏒 Dallas Stars (+1000)

The Stars hit a rough patch in their season, losing five of seven in late November and early December. Joe Pavelski is having a resurgent season with 24 points in his first 23 games. Strong at forward with Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz also having solid seasons, the Stars are one of the top scoring teams in the league. They also have one of the NHL's best penalty-killing units, stopping nearly 90% of their opponent's power plays.

🏒 Carolina Hurricanes (+1200)

A well-balanced scoring attack has Carolina among the top 10 teams in scoring through the first two months of the season, but the Hurricanes are going to have to turn it on soon if they want to catch the Rangers and win the Metropolitan division for a third consecutive season. They also have to be wary of the Flyers, Capitals and Islanders, who are close to them in the standings. The Metro is shaping up as one of the most competitive divisions in the league.

Toronto Maple Leafs

🏒 Toronto Maple Leafs (+1200)

The Maple Leafs are one of the NHL's streakiest teams. After losing five games in a six-game stretch, they won six of their next nine. They are blessed with scoring talent in the form of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, but they'll have to get better defensively if they want to increase their odds. They were giving up 3.3 goals per game through the first week of December.

Edmonton Oilers

🏒 Edmonton Oilers (+1400)

Maybe the coaching change last month was just what the doctor ordered. The Oilers have been playing much better lately, but they're still trying to fight back into contention after their terrible start. Led by Connor McDavid, the Oilers won five in a row in late November and early December.

Rest of the League: Stanley Cup Odds

TEAM CURRENT ODDS
🏒 Los Angeles Kings +1300
🏒 New Jersey Devils +1600
🏒 Florida Panthers +1600
🏒 Winnipeg Jets +2000
🏒 Tampa Bay Lightning +2200
🏒 Vancouver Canucks +3000
🏒 Pittsburgh Penguins +4000
🏒 Detroit Red Wings +5000
🏒 New York Islanders +7000
🏒 Minnesota Wild +7000
🏒 Calgary Flames +7500
🏒 St. Louis Blues +8000
🏒 Ottawa Senators +8000
🏒 Washington Capitals +8000
🏒 Philadelphia Flyers +10000
🏒 Nashville Predators +10000
🏒 Seattle Kraken +12000
🏒 Arizona Coyotes +12000
🏒 Buffalo Sabres +15000
🏒 Montreal Canadiens +20000
🏒 Anaheim Ducks +30000
🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets +50000
🏒 Chicago Blackhawks +100000
🏒 San Jose Sharks +100000

 

Editor's Note: Odds based on DraftKings Sportsbook

🍁 Which Team Has the Best Chance to End Canada's Stanley Cup Drought?

  • Toronto has the best odds among the Canadian teams to win the Stanley Cup as the Maple Leafs look to win their first championship since 1967. Auston Matthews and William Nylander are contenders for the Hart Trophy and are among the league's leading scorers.
  • Edmonton has the second-best odds among the Canadian teams, but the Oilers have an uphill climb to get back into playoff contention. If the Oilers are going to make a run at the playoffs they'll need to get better goaltending. They're among the bottom five teams in the league in goals-against average.
  • Winnipeg has improved its odds by winning 10 of 14. The hot streak has the Jets in the thick of the Central division race with the Avalanche and Stars. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele lead the Jets in scoring.
  • Vancouver has missed the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons, but head coach Rick Tocchet has the Canucks looking like a contender. Tocchet was an assistant coach for the Penguins when Canucks Jim Rutherford was the general manager there for their two Stanley Cup wins last decade. He's bringing a similar style to the Canucks, who are one of the league's highest-scoring teams.
  • Calgary has impressive wins over the Golden Knights and Stars in recent weeks, but they haven't been consistent enough to make up a lot of ground in the Western Conference. They have not won the Stanley Cup since the 1988-89 season and last appeared in a Cup final in 2004.
  • Ottawa's metrics say the Senators should have a better record than they do. They're a plus team in goal differential, but they've lost too many close games and will have to battle over the next few months to get in playoff position. If they don't make the playoffs it will be the seventh time in eight years they missed the postseason.
  • Montreal is the longest shot among the Canadian teams. The Canadiens have put together some wins in recent weeks, but they're still near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They haven't won the Cup since 1993.

How the NHL Playoffs Work

Sixteen teams make the playoffs -- eight from each conference. The top three teams from each division qualify along with two wild-card teams from each conference. The lowest seeded wild card in each conference plays the division winner with the best record in the first round while the other wild card plays the other division winner. The second-and third-place teams in each division also play in the first round. The winners advance to the next round followed by the Conference Finals and then the Stanley Cup Final that pits the winner of the Eastern Conference against the winner of the Western Conference.

How to Place a Bet on an NHL game or Stanley Cup Futures

  1. Select a Betting Site or App That Features the NHL - All the big sportsbooks have apps that are easy to use, so it's up to you to decide which ones you want to patronize. All the big sportsbooks offer daily odds on NHL games, along with futures bets and many others, such as awards, props and others.
  2. Sign up & Make a Deposit - Signing up for an account with the major sportsbook apps is easy to do. All that is needed is some perfunctory personal and banking information. The process usually takes only a few minutes.
  3. Review NHL Betting Lines and Odds & Place Your Bet - Always check the NHL betting lines for that night's game schedule. Check in on the latest information on injuries to a team and their schedule in general. Follow team reporters for the latest information on social media and team websites.

       
           

    How to Read Hockey Odds & Bet on the NHL

    There are three ways to be on hockey games. You can bet the moneyline, over/under and puck line. The moneyline is the traditional bet, picking the winner of a game. The over/under is a bet on the goals total set by the oddsmaker. Most NHL games have an over/under set at 6, 6.5 or 7. Bettors pick the over or the under based on the number. The puck line bet in hockey is betting the spread. Most NHL games have the favored team set at -1.5. It's a tricky bet in hockey because final scores often are influenced by empty-net goals.

    Stanley Cup Trends

    • There has not been a dominant conference this century. Since 2000, Western Conference teams have won the Cup 12 times and Eastern Conference teams have won 11 times.
    • Since 2000, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have each won three Cups. The Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings have won two Cups and the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Las Vegas Golden Knights have won one Cup apiece this century.
    • Over the past 12 seasons, four teams were first-time Cup winners. The Los Angeles Kings (2012), Washington Capitals (2018), St. Louis Blues (2019) and Vegas Golden Knights (2023) all won their first Cup.
    • The best team during the regular season rarely wins the Cup. The previous time the best team during the regular season won the Cup was 2012-13 when the Blackhawks did it.
    • Lower seeds pull upsets in the playoffs. The Kings are the only No. 8 seed to win the Cup (in 2012), but plenty of other low seeds advance to the Cup Final. Just last season, the Florida Panthers advanced to the Cup Final after earning the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. In 2017, the Nashville Predators advanced to the Cup final as the final wild card from the Western Conference.

    Past Stanley Cup Winners

    The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy awarded in the four major sports in North America. It was first awarded in 1893 and has been the championship trophy for the NHL since 1927. Members of the Original Six franchises dominated until 1974 when the Philadelphia Flyers became the first team from the 1967 expansion to win the Stanley Cup.

    YEAR TEAM
    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
    2013 🏆 Chicago Blackhawks
    2012 🏆 Los Angeles Kings

Stanley Cup FAQ

The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche are tied for the best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +750.

The Vegas Golden Knights

There are four rounds, each best-of-seven games. What does that mean? To win a series, a team has to win four games. The Stanley Cup Finals start in early June. While it is only a best of 7 series, with the off days, the Finals can last as long as two full weeks.

The Montreal Canadiens are the team that has been crowned Stanley Cup champions the most. The franchise has won the Cup 24 times.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone 56 years without winning the Stanley Cup. They last won it in 1967.

The Stanley Cup is named after the former Canadian governor-general, Frederick Arthur Stanley. From 1884-86, he had the moniker of "Lord Stanley of Preston" in the Canadian-British colonies, and in 1892 he bequeathed a trophy to the country's best amateur hockey club. In 1909, it was awarded to professional teams in Canada and, in 1909 as part of the new National Hockey League, it was formally named the Stanley Cup.

All the major sportsbooks have well-run sites to bet on the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Author

Ray Fittipaldo

Ray has worked in sports journalism for the past 26 years, covering Super Bowls, Stanley Cup Finals, Final Fours and BCS national championship games.