It may seem hard to believe, but the 2023-24 NHL season is here.
The Vegas Golden Knights’ Summer with Stanley, where each player gets at least one day with the Cup, is over. Training Camps are just about here, which means the regular season is less than a month away.
That makes this a great time to consider an NHL futures bet. Here’s a look at the Stanley Cup odds for 2024.
NHL Stanley Cup Winner Odds 2024
Check out the latest and most optimal NHL odds for teams to lift one of the most coveted trophies in sports.
Odds used in this article are current as of Wednesday, Sept. 13, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Carolina Hurricanes (+800)
- New Jersey Devils (+900)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+900)
- Colorado Avalanche (+1000)
- Edmonton Oilers (+1000)
- Vegas Golden Knights (+1200)
- New York Rangers (+1300)
- Dallas Stars (+1400)
- Boston Bruins (+1600)
- Florida Panthers (+1600)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (+2000)
- Los Angeles Kings (+2200)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (+2800)
- Calgary Flames (+3000)
- Minnesota Wild (+3000)
- Buffalo Sabres (+3500)
- Seattle Kraken (+3500)
- Ottawa Senators (+4000)
The Carolina Hurricanes are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup as of early September, but the Canes may have trouble simply getting out of the Eastern Conference this year. The New Jersey Devils are loaded, and so are the Toronto Maple Leafs despite the fact they still need to get cap compliant and have only won one playoff round in the past 20 years.
Out West, it’s the usual suspects as Cup favorites. Vegas, the reigning champ, Edmonton, which fell to Vegas in the second round, and the 2021 champion Colorado Avalanche all have the shortest odds among Western Conference clubs.
Stanley Cup Best Bet 2024
Colorado Avalanche (+1000)
The Avs have been the betting favorites for years yet will likely enter training camp tied for the fourth-shortest odds of any NHL team. They scuttled through a hangover-type year loaded with injuries yet still won the Central Division, despite being upset by the Seattle Kraken in the first round.
Colorado got a long offseason to heal up, despite the announcement that captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss another full season with a knee injury. However, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, Devon Toews, and others still make up an exceptional and experienced core.
There will be great challenges from the West, but at these odds, the Avs look like a superb play for your NHL bet of the day.
Stanley Cup Favorites 2024
Carolina Hurricanes (+800)
The Hurricanes made it halfway up the Cup mountain and 2023 then made major moves to address their defense by adding Dmitry Orlov and offensive-minded Tony DeAngelo.
Carolina locked in heart-and-soul center Sebastian Aho and should also welcome back Andrei Svechnikov from a knee injury that cost him the final two months of the regular and postseason.
I always worry about the Canes’ offense come playoff time, but with that defense and stingy goaltending, they are worthy of being on the short list of favorites.
New Jersey Devils (+900)
The Devils’ run is only just beginning, especially since they traded for goal-scoring wing Tyler Toffoli and locked in homegrown wing Jesper Bratt and midseason acquisition Timo Meier with long-term deals this offseason.
The Devils already added 2021 first-round pick Luke Hughes during their playoff run and should welcome fellow first-round-drafted defenseman Šimon Nemec to a solid blue line that includes Dougie Hamilton.
New Jersey’s goaltending came unglued in its five-game series loss to Carolina, and it could still be a question in 2023-24, too. But GM Tom Fitzgerald still has time to make a big goalie splash, and if he does, New Jersey will quickly become the betting favorite.
Vegas Golden Knights (+1200)
You’re the champ until someone knocks you off, right? The Golden Knights scaled the championship mountain and got their house in order by re-signing forward Ivan Barbashev and goalie Adin Hill to long-term contracts.
This may be the last run at the Cup for the current ideation of the Golden Knights’ core. Major players like Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Alec Martinez are slated to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2024 season, and bringing each back may be cost-prohibitive.
There may be a post-Cup hangover effect in order, but at these odds, Vegas should be considered a good bet to repeat.
Stanley Cup Contenders 2024
Toronto Maple Leafs (+900)
The Leafs’ roster still needs to drastically change to get cap-compliant, and there are only 11 players signed past this season, so this may be the last season of Cup contention for Toronto and its young core.
Still, Toronto took a step in the right direction in 2023 by finally reaching the second round. With the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning both set to regress and expected challenges from Buffalo, Ottawa, and Detroit still a year out, the Atlantic looks like Toronto’s to lose.
However, I also would’ve said that last year before Florida waxed the Leafs in five games in the second round.
If Toronto GM Brad Treliving can lock in 2022 Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews and tweak its roster enough to get under the salary cap, this could be the year for the Leafs.
Edmonton Oilers (+1000)
The Oilers were right there until they ran into the Golden Knights, and Edmonton and Vegas should be considered the favorites again to advance from the Pacific Division, barring a breakout year from the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers are actually in a better spot than they were last offseason. They know who their goalie is — second-year tender Stuart Skinner — and will have a full season of Mattias Ekholm joining Darnell Nurse as lead blueliners.
The obvious question is whether Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl can again put the team on their proverbial back for a full season. And will they have enough goaltending and defense to survive the playoffs?
Still, Edmonton is a solid pick.
Florida Panthers (+1000)
The Panthers were the feel-good story of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and should be back again in 2024. They’re returning all the main players from the club that ran to the Cup Final and added veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a bargain-basement deal after he was bought out by the Vancouver Canucks.
Playing into June and not winning sometimes leaves a hangover effect — especially for the losing club — and top-line forward Matthew Tkachuk will also need to recover from a broken sternum. Defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad are also uncertain to start the season due to injuries.
However, this team should go as its goaltending does, and as long as Sergei Bobrovsky is stopping the puck, Florida remains one of the best teams in hockey.
Stanley Cup Sleepers 2023
Los Angeles Kings (+2200)
The Kings won the offseason yet again with the shrewd acquisition of center Pierre-Luc Dubois from Winnipeg, adding another talented player to their well-blended roster of veterans and youngins.
The only question on-ice for LA comes in goal, and whether Pheonix Copley can follow his career year in 2022-23 with another strong season. Fortunately, Cam Talbot, a great teammate who has experience both starting and backing up, is there for insurance.
The other question is whether the Kings will be able to persevere past Vegas and Edmonton in the playoffs. At these odds, it’s worth it to try and find out.
Pittsburgh Penguins (+2800)
The Golden Knights were a perennial contender that narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022. That sounds almost exactly like the Penguins this season.
Pittsburgh reshuffled its front office, adding Kyle Dubas as its president of hockey operations and general manager after the Maple Leafs did not offer him a new contract.
The Penguins still have the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, and are coached by the great Mike Sullivan. Dubas also made a huge splash by acquiring reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 6.
The Penguins haven’t won a playoff round since 2018, and the previous administration left plenty of holes that may need more than patching. Still, there are smart and skilled people at the helm, which makes the Penguins an enticing play at these odds.
Seattle Kraken (+3500)
Goalie Philipp Grubauer had a resurgent postseason, guiding Seattle within a win of the Western Conference Final, and the Kraken reloaded, especially on defense by locking in 64-point producer Vince Dunn to a long-term deal.
Plus, there’s more in the pipeline since Seattle has found superb young players like Calder Trophy finalist Matty Beniers and playoff hero Tye Kartye. Coachella Valley, the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, was the runner-up to Calder Cup winner Hershey, and all that talent should be headed to the Pacific Northwest soon.
Success isn’t linear, but if the Kraken’s leap continues, the Stanley Cup Final can’t be ruled out in 2024.
