Oilers Enter 2024-25 Season As Stanley Cup Betting Favorite

The first game for the Utah Hockey Club (formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes) will be on Tuesday at home against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Stanley Cup champion Florida will also be at home on Tuesday against a Boston Bruins team without holdout goalie Jeremy Swayman.

When the 2023-24 season began, the Florida Panthers were tied for the eighth-shortest NHL championship odds with Edmonton tied for third. None of that mattered as they met in the Stanley Cup Finals as Colorado and Carolina fell short as the favorites in the Western and Eastern Conferences.

Keep reading to see where reigning champion Florida stands in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

McDavid, Oilers Have Eyes On the Prize

Another season came and went without a Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers, led by the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, gave long-suffering fans north of the border some hope by reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

Edmonton won three straight elimination contests before falling to Florida in the winner-take-all Game 7.

McDavid did all he could with 42 points in 25 playoff games.

“It’s important, it’s good to all get together. Guys are looking forward to it to spend time together & get to know each other a little better.”

Connor McDavid on heading out on the road for the final two games of the #Oilers pre-season schedule.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/nGnnNXZ5ED
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 1, 2024

Perhaps this is the season when the Oilers break through. The BetUS Sportsbook has the Oilers at +850 in the Stanley Cup odds.

Hail to the Champs

Florida is trying to become the first team since the 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning to win back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The NHL futures odds have the Panthers second at +1000 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett are among the forwards coming back for another run at the title.

The biggest loss for Florida could be defenseman Brandon Montour as he led the Panthers in time on ice per game a season ago. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, forward Nick Cousins, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund are other players who headed elsewhere.

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Avs and Stars Could Do Battle Again

If Edmonton doesn’t advance to the Stanley Cup Final out of the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars might be teams for those who bet online to take a look at.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar are all back for Colorado while the comeback for Gabriel Landeskog is in a holding pattern.

Dallas has been building through the draft with Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson and Logan Stankoven among the forwards to keep an eye on. Miko Heiskanen and Thomas Harley will lead the defense as Dallas and Colorado are both at +1100 in the championship odds.

A New York/New Jersey State of Mind

The first five games in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final were all decided by one goal so it could easily have been the New York Rangers and not the Florida Panthers playing for the Stanley Cup title.

The Rangers kept their nucleus together as they eye the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title since 1994. The most noteworthy offseason addition might be veteran winger Reilly Smith.

The Devils added veteran defenseman Brett Pesce. However, it looks like he will miss the beginning of the season because of injury. Young defensemen Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes look to take another step. Keeping Jack Hughes healthy could give New Jersey a chance to contend.

The Rangers and the Devils are both at +1200 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Loss of Johnny Hockey Won’t Be Forgotten

It looked as if Steven Stamkos leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning to join the Nashville Predators would be the most noteworthy piece of NHL news in the offseason. That all changed when Columbus star winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed while riding their bicycles the day before the wedding of their sister.

We honor the memories of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau 💙 pic.twitter.com/xs2gVFeDUa

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) October 2, 2024

Although Columbus is tied with Anaheim and San Jose for the longest championship odds, plenty of people will be pulling for the Blue Jackets.

Nashville Predators is a team to watch at +1600 in the championship odds. Some of the teams with work to do in order to compete for Lord Stanley’s cup do have exciting players to build around.

Bedard is set for his second NHL season while Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks are prospects who could make a major splash this season.

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Questions Of The Day

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.