Stanley Cup Betting Odds

Starting at the top of this article everyone wants to know who is going to win the Stanley Cup this season so I oblige to the masses and give some of my picks in this popular area. There are really just 4 teams I expect to compete for the Stanley Cup this season and it may surprise some but I don't have the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on the list! I like their roster build a lot but they were one of those instances where everything came together and they rode a 3rd string goalie to the top. Going back to back is hard enough without needing minor miracles along that way so I'm out on them. 

Starting from the top though I think it may finally be the year for the Hurricanes as the Cup has eluded them the past couple of seasons. Injuries definitely played a role as they were without Andrei Svechiknov and Max Pacioretty for the playoffs and they just never got their goalies on track. This team has the depth and coaching it takes to win it all though if things go right and they rightly have the shortest odds of winning. 

 

Behind them is a trio of teams that are very likely to win as well with the Maple Leafs having built a juggernaut under Kyle Dubas who they let go unfortunately for them, but they are still one of the best rosters in hockey. They exercised some demons in the 1st round last year can they take another step this spring? Time will tell! After them are the 2021-2022 Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche who really went through the injury bug last season and were gassed by playoff time falling to the feel-good story of the Seattle Kraken. They still retain one of the best rosters in the NHL though led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and are the odds on favorite to win the Western Conference. They will have to contend with the team right beside them on the sportsbooks though in the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers have two aces in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatil but it hasn’t amounted to a Stanley Cup run just yet and some, myself included, are thinking its only a matter of time. The defense got better last season but the goaltending is still a question mark, if they can sort that out just give the trophy to the Oilers right now. 

Closing out the bets I will be making to win the Stanley Cup are the Minnesota Wild. Every year there is that dark horse team and for me it’s the band of youngsters led by Kirill Kaprizov that stand to take a step up this year as they have the playoff experience now and their goaltender Filip Gustvasson blossomed into a star goaltender. He went toe to toe with Jake Oettinger in that playoff series against the Stars and looked very much the part of a franchise goaltender. Under Dean Evason who has a finalist for coach of the year recently the Wild are on the rise and a team to watch this season. 

Stanley Cup Winner Bets

NHL Division Winner Odds

Into the divisional winning futures now, many won’t be shocking as the best teams are at the top but many of them are there for good reason! Starting with the Metro the Hurricanes are top to bottom the most complete team under Rod Brind’Amor. The goaltending is top tier and so is the defense, they should win this division but if they don’t I like the New York Rangers. Anytime you have a player like Igor Shesterkin you’re going to be in the hunt and I think the whole team will be refreshed after the firing of Gerard Gallant this offseason. Great group of forwards on this roster too, can hang with anyone!

Over to the Atlantic that was won by the Boston Bruins last season in their historic season. I don’t see the repeat though as both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are retiring and they were the soul of that team. That opens the door for the Maple Leafs who are loaded on offense and have a goalie in Ilya Samsonov that got his career back on track last season. Behind the Leafs I like the Panthers although I think the run they went on last season was a fairy tale and the team has plenty of holes that need to be filled to compete with Toronto over 82 games. 

In the Central I already spoke about the Avalanche when previewing teams that can win the Cup but to rehash it here they are amazing and if they stay healthier they are the one of the best teams in hockey. It sucks that Gabriel Landeskog might be done playing hockey but they have the likes of Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichuskin and Artturi Lehkonen to replace him. I also expect Bowen Byram to make the leap into a solid defenseman as well this season to assist Cale Makar. 

Out on the coast it’s the Oilers division to lose in my opinion as they are building towards something special and the Golden Knights could have a Cup hangover. Two of the best players in the NHL doesn’t hurt either so its time to get the job done Edmonton. The next pick is the Vegas Golden Knights as the rest of the division just isn’t as complete even though the Kings are always a difficult opponent. Vegas brings back most of the key pieces to last years run and should get along just fine this season. 

 

NHL Division Winner Bets

NHL Hart Trophy MVP Odds

Let me just say that if McDavid is healthy he is going to win the NHL MVP for the 4th time in his career and that is reflected by the odds. The value of McDavid to win the Hart Trophy is almost not worth the price of admission as he is +120, what other sports league has MVP odds that short? 153 points last season with 64 goals was the final damage for McDavid last season and while the total points may not be as high he is going to led the league in points no doubt. 

Now let’s talk about the tier below McDavid and the people that come into play if he gets injured or somehow score 70 goals this season. Auston Matthews would fit that bill as he has already won the MVP 2 years ago with his 60 goal season and could very well do it again. He only scored 40 last season but missed 8 games and struggled with a few nagging injuries throughout the season. He might be the best chance to top McDavid so its worth a look. 

Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl are in the next tier for MVP as they’ll need some things to happen to get around McDavid. The window is clear for Draisaitl, outplay your teammate or lead the Oilers in his absence if something happens. He did just this in 2020 when he won the MVP scoring 110 points to McDavid’s 97 so it could happen again, although not likely. MacKinnon could challenge as well given his track record and his 111 point season last year while still missing 11 games. He has never won the award but voters love him and the Avalanche are going to be very good this season.

Lastly we have the long shots or dark horses for the award and it contains a young buck and generational talent towards the end of his career. Starting with Jack Hughes he could take another big step forward this season and he broke out last year with 99 points for the Devils. He does play in a division that is tougher than most defensively, but it didn’t seem to matter last season as the 22 year old came into his own. I can easily see a 110-120 point season from the kid but will that even be enough? Then we have Sidney Crosby who in all likelihood won’t win the MVP but hear me out if he tops 100 points and the Penguins surge in the regular season he will get some votes from the media. That’s the angle too, Sid is the golden child of hockey in this generation and people would love to give him the award he just has to get the top tier stats this season to back the cause. 

Hart Trophy (MVP) Bets

NHL Rocket Richard Trophy Odds

Do I really need to talk about Connor McDavid again in this preview article? He had 64 goals last season, that’s the most someone has scored in a long time so yeah he is the front runner for this award. 

Auston Matthews scored 60 in the recent past, the Maple Leafs play high tempo hockey and have plenty of players with talent to pass him the puck. 

Tage Thompson is someone I really want to dig into as he came out of nowhere last season to record 47 goals! He plays on a team in the Buffalo Sabres that have a terrible defense so that means every game its going to be score more than the other team in high totals for him. He is fast with a wicked shot that landed him a 15.9% shooting percentage last season, I fully believe he can score 60 goals this season and the odds are very much worth while.

Jack Hughes ends the list of players I think can win this trophy. He had 43 last season and that number is only going to rise as he grows into his prime years, keep in mind he is 22 years old! He is projected near 50 for this season and he can definitely top that number, just a matter of what the rest of the field does. 

Rocket Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer) Bets

2023 NHL Player Prop Bets

Last bit of the NHL futures article here and let’s hit some player props! 

Tage Thompson’s number for goals seems funny to me seeing as he just scored 47 goals last season and will only get better at just 25 years of age. I have projected in the 50 goals area so this prop is a steal to me. 

Jason Robertson had a ridicolus season last year with 109 points for the Dallas Stars. I think the guy is super talented but on a Dallas team that plays defense first its hard to imagine him repeating those stat lines from last season. Call me a hater if you want but I don’t see 100 points from the Dallas forward again. 

Cale Makar is getting a friendly number this season after the injury problems last year but make no mistake he is still a top tier offensive defenseman and can easily flirt with 80-90 points. He had 66 points in 60 games last season which is of course over a point a game so if he stays healthy he should reach his 2021-2022 numbers of 86 points without too much trouble.

Kyle Connor is a stud and any NHL fan knows this but what some don’t know is the Jets cleaned house and his is the only top tier guy around at this point on the wings. The offense will run through him as it has and he loves to shoot the puck on net. 

Lastly its one of my personal favorite players Tim Stutzle who broke out last season with 90 points and should build on that this season. I feel high on the Senators overall but after watching Stutzle so much last season he is going to be a star in this league and the number is just too low on the sportsbooks for him in points. 

2023 NHL Player Props