2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup Odds and Predictions

The 2024-25 NHL season has just about reached the halfway point for most teams. There has been some business as usual. Edmonton and Florida were the top two teams on the betting board after playing for the Stanley Cup last June. Teams like Vegas and Dallas got off to strong starts.

There were also some surprises. One of the big ones is how bad the Pittsburgh Penguins are. Not many expected Sidney Crosby and company to be sitting at .500 at the halfway point of the season.

Likewise, there probably weren’t many that speculated how good the Winnipeg Jets would be. The Jets finished second in the Central Division last year and are off to an outstanding start in the new season. They lead the division and are in the top five in the President’s Cup race.

Will the Jets or a team like Toronto (Atlantic Division leader) continue to surprise the rest of the NHL by marching toward a Stanley Cup? Or will it be more business as usual as the favorites take care of business? Let’s update our 2024-25 Stanley Cup odds and predictions and take a look at our best value bet and our best longshot pick.

2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup Odds

Check out the latest Stanley Cup odds courtesy of ScoresandStats:

NHL Teams	Opening Odds	January Odds
Edmonton Oilers	+700	+600
Florida Panthers	+650	+800
New Jersey Devils	+2000	+1000
Dallas Stars	+900	+1000
Colorado Avalanche	+1400	+1100
Carolina Hurricanes	+1200	+800
Washington Capitals	+2000	+1200
Toronto Maple Leafs	+1800	+1100
Vegas Golden Knights	+1800	+1000
Winnipeg Jets	+5800	+1400

The 2023-24 defending Stanley Cup champion is no longer the favorite. The Panthers were actually overtaken for the top spot on the board before the 2024-25 NHL season started. Edmonton, who the Panthers beat in the Stanley Cup finals last season, was the betting favorite at the start of the season and the Oilers remain in the driver’s seat at +600.

It’s interesting because Edmonton and Florida, the only two teams currently given better than +1000 odds, are both second-place teams in their respective divisions. Winnipeg (Central Division) and Vegas (Pacific Division) lead their divisions and were tied for the most wins as of Jan. 8.

Vegas leads the President’s Cup standings with 59 points. Edmonton is second with 58. Toronto, the Atlantic Division leader, is the top team in the Eastern Conference with 56 points.

Stanley Cup Favorites

The following NHL teams are considered the odds-on favorites to win the 2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are the overall favorite at +600 to win the 2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup and have been since the season started back in October. The Oilers are not the first-place team in the Pacific Division. That honor belongs to Vegas. Edmonton trails the Golden Knights by a handful of games. Vegas has beaten the Oilers in two of three games so far this season.

What drives the Oilers are two of the best scorers in recent NHL history. Both are former Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL MVP) winners – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl. Between the pair, they own three of the last five Hart Trophies. So far this season, Draisatl ranks second in the league in scoring (59 pts) and McDavid is sixth (55).

What’s surprising is the Oilers defense. Edmonton ranks eighth in goals against, allowing 2.73 per game. Edmonton uses a pair of goaltenders. Calvin Pickard is 9-4-0 and has a 2.46 goals against average (GAA). Stuart Skinner 16-8-3 and sports a GAA of 2.69. In the playoffs, teams with the better defenses typically have the advantage.

Vegas Golden Knights

As mentioned above, the Knights lead the Pacific Division and their odds have shortened from +1800 back in August to +1000 now. That is thanks to a 28-9-3 record after 40 games. Like Edmonton, the Knights are equally good on both sides of the ice. Jack Eichel, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, leads the offense with 53 points. Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and Ivan Barbashev all have at least 30 points. Barbashev and C Brett Howden are tied for the team lead with 15 goals.

On the defensive end, Adin Hill is 17-6-2 with a 2.58 GAA and .904 save percentage. Ilya Samsonov is 11-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA. His save percentage is .907. Vegas can skate with anyone and they have proven it. Between Dec. 15 and Jan. 7, the Golden Knights went 9-1 with eight of the wins by two or more goals.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have the defending Hart Trophy winner in Nathan MacKinnon. Many consider him to be the best player in hockey. He leads the NHL in scoring with 66 points. MacKinnon has 14 goals so far and scored 51 last season. He has 30-plus goals in 6 of the previous 7 seasons.

His teammates Mikko Rantanen and D Cale Makar are also in the top 10 in scoring this season. Rantanen is tied for third in the NHL with 58 points and Makar is 10th. He has 36 assists and 49 points total. The Avs rank among the top 5 in scoring, but where they lack is on the defensive end. As of Jan. 8, Colorado was ranked 21st in goals against per game (3.17).

Best Stanley Cup Betting Value

In looking for betting value, our Scores & Stats NHL experts understand that sportsbooks have a huge advantage in the NHL Stanley Cup futures market. Only 1-of-32 teams (3.03 percent) will win and only those who have bet on the winner receive payouts. So, how do we find a value bet in the Stanley Cup futures market?

What we look for is a solid buy-low spot on a talented team that might be just out of everyone else’s radar. Edmonton (+600) and Florida (+800) are surely solid wagers. Remember, they played in last year’s Stanley Cup finals. They are also more likely to cash as they are given 14.29 percent and 11.11 percent chances of winning.

But, what about a team that is super talented with strong scorers and the best goaltender in the NHL? Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck leads the NHL with a 2.09 GAA and a .926 save percentage. That’s why he’s 25-6-2 (most wins in the NHL) and the Jets are the top team in the Central Division.

In addition, Mark Scheifale and Kyle Connor are tied for fourth in the NHL with 23 goals. The Jets are third in the NHL with 3.62 goals scored per game and second defensively allowing just 2.52 goals per game. Winnipeg opened the season given +5800 odds to become the 2024-25 Stanley Cup champion. Those odds are now at +1400. A small stake on Winnipeg, who have never won a Stanley Cup as the Jets, is a strong value right now.

Top Stanley Cup Longshot

They were more of a longshot at the beginning of the season when they were given +2000 odds. Then, their star player got hurt in mid-November. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s the Washington Capitals. Their odds have shortened to +1200, but they are still outside that solid core of teams considered real contenders for this year’s Cup.

The Caps have been outstanding all season long. They were 13-4-1 in November when Ovechkin got hurt. He returned to the lineup in late December and he’s played six games since. Ovechkin has scored goals in four of the six. He leads the teams with 19. Aiaksei Protas and Tom Wilson each have 18 goals and Connor McMichael has 17. Six players have 30-plus points and Washington leads the NHL in scoring averaging 3.70 goals per game.

They are equally skilled on the defensive side. As a team Washington allows 2.65 goals per game. No. 1 goalie Logan Thompson is 16-2-2. He ranks seventh in the NHL with a 2.39 GAA. His save percentage is .916. Washington leads the Metropolitan Division and has the second-highest goal differential (+40) in the league.

2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup Predictions

The popular choices to win this year’s Stanley Cup are Edmonton and Florida. The pair played for the title last season and their rosters stayed pretty much intact. Both teams have been at the top of the betting board all season long. A bet on either team at this stage could be justified, but our staff hockey experts see things a little differently.

Over the last five seasons, only seven teams have competed in the Stanley Cup finals. You can throw out Montreal, since that was the COVID season and the Canadiens were an extreme outlier. Of the six remaining, all are contenders – Edmonton, Florida, Tampa Bay, Colorado, Vegas, and Dallas.

Experience often plays a role in multiple Stanley Cup runs and we see that with each of those five teams. They’ve been here before and each has gone deep in the postseason. Only Edmonton and Dallas have failed to win the Cup over the past five seasons.

Over the past six seasons, Colorado has made it to the conference semifinals five times. They won the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 season. They have three of the top ten scorers in the NHL right now. The Avs hit a couple rough patches this season, once in October and again in November. They are extremely talented though, especially on offense. The defense isn’t outstanding, but they proved they could win a Cup without a great defense in 2021-22.

Experience counts. Most of this roster has been there before.

2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup Prop Bets

In addition to picking the outright winner for the Stanley Cup, sportsbooks also offer some futures prop bets as well. Let’s take a look at the following Stanley Cup prop bets and make our predictions for which Division and which Country will win Lord Stanley’s cup:

Which Division Will Win The 2024-25 Stanley Cup?

• Metropolitan +240
• Atlantic +270
• Pacific +280
• Central +300

Beyond just betting on which team wins the 2024-25 Stanley Cup, you can also bet on what division the eventual winner will come from.

For instance, if you think the Florida Panthers have a legit chance to repeat, the Atlantic Division at +270 makes sense. Obviously the Panthers offer way more betting value at their +900 odds, but this type of wager allows for some safety.

What if Florida doesn’t win? You’d be protected with likely playoff teams such as Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay – all who made the playoffs a year ago – as backup options to secure this division a win.

It’s a somewhat logical betting back, but only if it converts. Since my favorite bet is Carolina, though, I’d start with the Metropolitan Division.

That happens to align with the pricing at Bet365, as the Metro Division is favored to produce this year’s NHL champ.

Carolina is my favorite team from said division, but you’re also getting the Rangers, Islanders, and Capitals. Fringe playoff teams like the Penguins, Devils, and Flyers are also possibly in play, too.

Feel free to chase more value with the Central Division at +300, or roll with the Pacific Division, which harbors this year’s Stanley Cup betting favorite. For me, it’s Metro or bust.

Which Country Will Win The 2024-25 Stanley Cup?

• USA -350
• Canada +260

One other way to bet on who will win the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Final is to just go with a country.

The odds are not as welcoming – particularly for the US side – but you do get decent value if you go with Canada. Obviously this isn’t great news if you like the Panthers to repeat or see another USA based hockey team you like.

However, there are 7 NHL teams based in CA. Of those seven, one is the current favorite to win it all (Edmonton) and two others made the playoffs a year ago.

I think there is safety in numbers, however. Not only does the favored US align with my pick to win this year, but you simply have more potential outs.

The price is not to die for, but you could do worse at -350.

Recent NHL Stanley Cup Champions

Year	Stanley Cup Winner
2024	Florida Panthers
2023	Vegas Golden Knights
2022	Colorado Avalanche
2021	Tampa Bay Lightning
2020	Tampa Bay Lightning
2019	St. Louis Blues
2018	Washington Capitals
2017	Pittsburgh Penguins
2016	Pittsburgh Penguins
2015	Chicago Blackhawks