A team that hasn’t won the NHL’s Stanley Cup in 17 years and one that won it just the year before last are co-favorites to win the cup this season.
Oddsmaker Lord Ping has made the Carolina Panthers, who last drank from The Cup in 2006, and the Colorado Avalanche, the 2022 champions, the two favorites in 2023. Both the ‘Canes and the Avalanche are 9-1.
Carolina made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year before losing to the Florida Panthers in a four-game sweep. Colorado was upset by Seattle in the first round of the playoffs a year ago.
Last year’s champions the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who will host Seattle in the third game of Tuesday’s triple header, are the sixth choice among oddsmakers at 12-1 to go back to back. The Tampa Bay Lightning last accomplished that feat in 2020 and 2021.
Florida, last year’s Eastern Conference winner and Stanley Cup runners-up, are even further down the list as the 10th choice at 20-1. The Panthers have been to the finals twice, but have never won the Cup.
After the two co-favorites, the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs all check in at 10-1.
Edmonton is looking for its first Cup since 1990 when its dynasty finally ended. The Oilers are also looking to become the first team from Canada to win the Cup since Montreal managed to do it in 1993. A year ago the Oilers lost to Las Vegas in the second round.
New Jersey bowed out of the playoffs a year ago in the second round to Carolina. The Devils last championship came in 2003.
No team might deserve a Cup more than the Maple Leafs, who lost in the second round to the Panthers a year ago. Toronto, one of the NHL’s original six franchises, has won 13 Cups but has not been to the finals or won a Cup since 1967. That was the year before expansion.
Last year’s President Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins, who were eliminated in the first round in a major upset by the Panthers, are the seventh choice of the oddsmakers at 14-1.
Tampa Bay and the Dallas Stars are next at 16-1 each. Tampa Bay is looking for its fourth Cup and third in the past five years. The Lightning were upset by Toronto in the first round last year. Dallas’ only title came in 1999 when they beat Buffalo in six games. The Stars have lost in the finals four times, the last time in 2020 to Tampa Bay. Last year they made it to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to Las Vegas.
From a New York perspective the oddsmakers aren’t very high on the Rangers or Islanders, which means a surprise year can bring a nice return.
The Rangers, who had high hopes a year ago and then lost a Game 7 to the Devils in the first round, are listed at 20-1. While the Islanders, who lost in the first round to Carolina, are 50-1.
The longest shots on the board are Montreal and Philadelphia at 150-1 and Anaheim and San Jose at 250-1.
