The odds to win the 2023 Stanley Cup are out as we are just a day away from the Global Series in Prague and five days away from opening night. We’ve seen a lot of movement of star players across the league, some of them surprising whether it’s free-agent signings or trades. The 2023 Stanley Cup odds for the upcoming season feature a couple of recent championship winners, including the team that won it all in 2022 claiming the top spot. The race for the best trophy in all of sports gets underway soon and all 32 teams can’t wait to get on the ice to fight for it.
Odds to Win the 2023 Stanley Cup
Colorado Avalanche (+400)
For the third time in franchise history and the first time since 2001, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last season. They finished with 119 points and a record of 56-19-7. They had eight players over 50 points on the season, with four of them being over 80 (including one over 90). They ran through almost everyone on their way to the championship, losing just 4 games, two each to the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Avalanche lost a couple of key pieces in forward Nazem Kadri and goaltender Darcy Kuemper. The biggest of the losses might be Kuemper, who was towards the top of the league in wins and save percentage. He might be a bigger loss than everyone is expecting with goaltenders Pavel Francouz and Alexandar Georgiev in the net, who are known to be career backups.
Obliviously that’s not enough to knock them out of first on the odds list and they have fast and skillful players up and down their lines. Like last season, the Avalanche have the best odds to win the 2023 Stanley Cup with the star power that starts with Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Cale Makar. If they won it all, they’d be the ninth team in league history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Toronto Maple Leafs (+700)
Year after year, the Toronto Maple Leafs have high hopes to win their first Stanley Cup since 1967, yet they fall well short of their goal. In fact, they’ve failed to make it past the first round six years in a row, and that includes even losing in the qualifying round in 2020. So why do they continue to have some of the best odds to win the cup? It all comes down to talent and that’s something Toronto has plenty of, which is why it’s so puzzling that they can’t do anything with it.
The Maple Leafs finished second in the Atlantic Division last season with 115 points. They were led by one of the best players in the league and he showed why as Auston Matthews put up a 106-point season with an impressive 60 goals. That led him to his first Hart Trophy (MVP) and it’s ultimately why he’s one of the favorites to win it again. He had some great help with both Mitch Marner (97 points) and William Nylander (80 points) having 30-goal seasons. This team also has the likes of John Tavaras and Morgan Rielly.
One thing to keep an eye on is the goaltending situation. The Maple Leafs are going through a chance between the pipes as they signed Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov to replace Jack Campbell. Nevertheless, this team is filled with star power but that always doesn’t mean success. They come into this season with the second-best odds to win the 2023 Stanley Cup and like every year, we’ll see if THIS TIME they can show us why.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+800)
For the past few seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup and it’s no different this season. They’ve been one of the most dominant teams over the last few years. The Lightning were back-to-back champions in 2020 and 2021 while also appearing in the Final in 2015 and just last year. They also had a historic regular season in 2018-19 but unfortunately for them didn’t make it too far. Long story short, Tampa Bay has been nothing but dominant as of late.
As mentioned, the Lightning went to the Stanley Cup Final but lost in six to the Avalanche. They finished the season with 110 points while being eighth in goals for and sixth in goals against. At 31 years old, Steven Stamkos statistically had the best season of his career, setting career highs in assists (64) and points (106), which is his first 100-point season. Nikita Kucherov most likely would’ve had yet another 100-point season as well if he stayed healthy (69 points in 47 games). Anchoring the blue line is one of the best defensemen in the game Victor Hedman, who tallied an 85-point season.
This team might’ve lost a couple of pieces but for the most part, they’ve been able to keep the team and most importantly the core together. That is a recipe for success and with subtractions come additions so the Lightning have added a couple of pieces to help. Pair all of this with probably the best goaltender in the league in Andrei Vasilevskiy and you have yet another dangerous team. This roster is talented from top to bottom and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they make another run for the Stanley Cup.
Carolina Hurricanes (+900)
The Carolina Hurricanes finished atop the toughest division in the league (Metropolitan) with a 116-point season. They brought over Frederick Anderson in free agency and he was nothing but spectacular last season. in 51 starts, he was top ten in Wins (35), third in Save Percentage (.922), and second in Goals Against Average (2.17). Unfortunately, he was injured throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Hurricanes lost in the second round. They were also led by the likes of two 30-goal scorers in Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
They come into this season with most of their roster intact, in addition to acquiring Brent Burnes in a trade and signing players like Max Pacioretty (likely out the first half of the season), Ondrej Kase, and Paul Stastny. If the Hurricanes want to finally get over the hump and win or at least get to the Stanley Cup Final, they have to keep up the scoring and be the team we’re used to seeing in the regular season. With what they already had and the significant additions they’ve made, the Hurricanes might be even better than last season and can be a serious threat to win the 2023 Stanley Cup.
Next Best Odds For 2023 Stanley Cup
Florida Panthers (+1000)
Edmonton Oilers (+1200)
Calgary Flames (+1500)
New York Rangers (+1800)
Pittsburgh Penguins (+2000)
Vegas Golden Knights (+2000)
Minnesota Wild (+2200)
St. Louis Blues (+2500)
Boston Bruins (+2500)
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