2024-25 NHL President’s Trophy Odds and Predictions

Usually when you bet on the NHL you’re targeting player props, predicting game winners, or betting on the Stanley Cup odds.

All of that can be fun, but sometimes it can lack upside or creativity. That’s where a prop like best NHL record comes into play. Odds are live for this fun betting market, and with only a handful of teams likely to be realistic threats, there could be some serious edge here.

If you’re not sure who to bet on, follow along as I analyze the 2024-25 NHL best record odds and come away with a prediction.

2024-25 NHL President’s Trophy Odds

The NHL team with the best record can win the President’s Trophy. Here are the latest odds at Bet365.

Edmonton and Florida, the two teams that faced off in last season’s Stanley Cup Final, are the top two threats to finish with the best record in the NHL.

That’s not super shocking, but they may not want that honor.

Historically, winning the President’s Trophy has been regarded as a bit of a curse. Since the trophy was created back in 1986, there have been 37 NHL champions and just eight of them finished with the best record in hockey.

That doesn’t mean you can’t bet on the team you like to win the most games. It doesn’t even mean you can’t back that team to win the Stanley Cup. But history often repeats itself, and it’s been made clear that winning a bunch of games and surviving the NHL playoffs are two very different things.

The good news? Literally every option offers solid NHL odds and there are (probably) only a handful of squads bettors need to take seriously.

Why Are the Edmonton Oilers Favored to Have the Best Record?

The Oilers nearly completed a historic comeback after going down into an 0-3 hole in the Stanley Cup Finals. That alone should have us interested in betting on them for all kinds of NHL futures going into next year.

As cool as that was, something even sweeter happened after they finally lost to the Florida Panthers; their best player still won the series MVP despite not winning the title.

Having one of the top NHL players in Connor McDavid has its perks, while we knew going into that series that the Oilers were capable of making some noise.

Edmonton wasn’t in contention for the best record in the NHL a season ago, but the offensive production was there. They still had 49 wins in a year where 55 did the trick, and their 294 goals were good for fourth in all of hockey.

The best part? The Oilers should be even better come the 2024-25 NHL season.

McDavid and co. have praised the team’s management for being aggressive during the off-season. Edmonton not only retained the likes of Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, and Troy Stecher. The Oilers also added defenseman Josh Brown and made a move to acquire prospect Mathew Savoie.

None of this guarantees Edmonton will win the 2024-25 President’s Trophy. However, it shines a light on why they’re the betting favorite, and might suggest they could be a good pick to get it done this year.

Top Contenders to Win the Most NHL Games This Year

Edmonton is favored to finish the 2024-25 NHL season with the best record, but there are a handful of other teams bettors should pay mind to.

Florida Panthers +750

The first team you should highlight has to be the defending champion Florida Panthers. This team has been a problem for a few years now, as they kept taking positive steps toward finally winning the franchise’s first title.

Florida made the magic happen last year, and something tells me they’re going to try to do it all again. That’s why they have stellar 2024-25 Stanley Cup odds, and of course they remain in the conversation to own hockey’s best record as well.

The Panthers are extremely balanced. They can turn it on offensively when they have to, and they can always rely on a stingy defense that allowed just 200 goals during the regular season last year.

This is also a team that was pretty consistent, regardless of whether they were at home or on the road. With a title defense on their mind, it stands to reason that they’ll be bringing their A-game on a daily basis, too.

Florida finished just three games back behind the best NHL record last year, and they were the top team in the Atlantic Division. They offer superior odds compared to Edmonton and look like a better bet on paper.

Dallas Stars +800

The Stars bested the Winnipeg Jets to claim the Central Division last year, which allowed them to finish with the best record in the West. That also netted them the #1 seed – all of which should lead us to believe that they’re not to be messed with.

Dallas didn’t get it done in the playoffs – nor did they have the NHL’s top record – but they had a very good offense (298 goals), a solid defense, and a team with solid resolve.

If you’re going to finish with the best record in hockey, you need a combination of a few things; at least a competent offense, a solid defense, and the ability to win games on the road.

Dallas was extremely balanced in that regard, and they had one of the best offenses in the NHL. 

That elite balance allowed them to get to the conference finals. Even though they fell to the Oilers, they gave it a solid effort (lost the series 4-2) and they’ve made visible progress over the past few seasons.

In fact, one could argue that they are confidently marching into the 2024-25 season with their sights set on something huge. Whether that’s the best record in hockey or closing the gap between them and a title, of course, remains to be seen.

Colorado Avalanche +850

One other legit contender to win the President’s Trophy this season has to be the Colorado Avalanche. This team was even more potent than Dallas on offense, and they were absolutely dominant on their home ice (31-9-1).

Dominating at home and taking care of business inside your division is key, but the Avalanche could have been a bit better on the road. If you’re eyeing hockey’s best record, a middling 19-16-6 road record won’t get it done.

That said, Colorado has immense offensive ability and they arguably haven’t hit their ceiling yet.

Cleaning things up when they’re away from home could go a long way to give them a legit shot at this trophy. They did still manage to finish five wins out of the top slot (50-25-7) last year, after all.

Best President’s Trophy Value Bet

Pretty much every NHL team offers value in this unique betting market. However, just one can actually finish with the league’s best record, and predicting who it is won’t be easy.

In fact, if you look at the recent history of this award, you might be surprised to learn that only one team has claimed the league’s best record in successive seasons over the last decade.

That, and seven different teams had 50+ wins a year ago. And while the New York Rangers won the President’s Trophy with 55 wins, four different teams were not very far behind at all (tied for 52 victories).

So, who could rise up to dethrone the Rangers?

That could certainly be the favored Oilers, or it could easily be any of the three contenders I broke down. However, for a betting market that offers so much value, what’s the harm in seeking out a bit more upside?

Several teams could be discussed here, but the best overall value bet has to be the Carolina Hurricanes.

They were my early pick to win the Stanley Cup next year, largely because they can hang with anyone offensively, but also have one of the nastiest defenses in the entire NHL.

The Hurricanes were also pretty tough to beat at home (27-10-4) and were nearly as good on the road (25-13-3). They also finished just three wins and three points behind the Rangers in the race for the President’s Trophy a year ago.

Carolina is my pick to win it all, so why not double down and bet on them to finish with the best NHL record as well?

Who Will Have the Best NHL Record in 2024-25?

NHL teams typically don’t repeat as President’s Trophy winners, so while New York offers nice value (+1200) at most sports betting sites, they’re off my list.

Boston had 65 wins two years ago and remained a solid team last season, so it’s always possible they storm back and take over the league again. The most likely scenario, though, is the teams that capped off last year duke it out for the top spot.

Defense is so key to owning the league’s best record, and Florida offers better value than Edmonton. But seriously, the defense thing. Boston won 65 games and nabbed the trophy in 2022, and unshockingly, they allowed just 177 goals.

Boston was also staggeringly dominant on the road, winning almost as many games on the opponent’s ice (31) as they did in front of their home crowd (34). It sounds simple, but the recipe for success for this milestone is an elite defense, a capable offense, and the consistency to get tough wins on the road.

Florida checks every box. It will be tough for them to actually go all the way back and repeat as NHL champions, but thankfully I’m not predicting that. I just think they’ll have another terrific year and end the season with the most wins, is all.

Recent Winners of the NHL President’s Trophy

Year	NHL Team	Record
2023	New York Rangers	55-23-4
2022	Boston Bruins	65-12-5
2021	Florida Panthers	58-18-6
2020	Colorado Avalanche	39-13-4
2019	Boston Bruins	44-14-12
2018	Tampa Bay Lightning	62-16-4
2017	Nashville Predators	53-18-11
2016	Washington Capitals	55-19-8
2015	Washington Capitals	56-18-8
2014	New York Rangers	53-22-7