The hockey season is here, promising much action from the 1,312 games in the next few months. The Stanley Cup is the ultimate dream prize for all 32 teams in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Colorado Avalanche are favourites to retain the cup in the 2022-2023 season after they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to grab the coveted Stanley Cup last season. But other teams are also predicted to do well and may pull surprises.
Major online sportsbooks around the world have placed odds for all 32 teams. These odds will fluctuate as the league progresses and jokers are differentiated from serious cup contenders.
Which team is the favourite to lift the 2023 Stanley Cup?
Colorado Avalanche is the favourite to win the trophy again this season. Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, and Boston Bruins also hunger for the title.
These are the current teams’ Stanley Cup odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook in the U.S.
| Team | Stanley Cup Odds |
| Colorado Avalanche | +500 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1000 |
| Boston Bruins | +1100 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1300 |
| Florida Panthers | +1400 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1400 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1400 |
| Calgary Flames | +1500 |
| Pittsburg Penguins | +1600 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1600 |
| New York Rangers | +1600 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1600 |
| New Jersey Devils | +2200 |
| Dallas Stars | +2400 |
| St. Louis Blues | +3300 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +3500 |
| Nashville Predators | +5000 |
| Washington Capitals | +5000 |
| New York Islanders | +5000 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +6000 |
| Buffalo Sabres | +6500 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +6500 |
| Ottawa Senators | +6500 |
| Seattle Kraken | +7000 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +7500 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +10000 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +10000 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +15000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +15000 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +15000 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +20000 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +30000 |
Let’s evaluate the chances now of some of the top teams expected to compete for this season’s Stanley Cup:
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are on course to retain the trophy in 2023 at odds of +500 which are significantly better than those given to the other teams. They favoured over their closest challenger by two times and have picked up from where they left in the 2022 NHL season, where they outscored others 85 – 55 and had a record of 16 – 4 – 0.
Colorado has signed Nathan MacKinnon to bolster their campaign, and he is truly a worthy addition. Devon Toews and Cale Makar are also on fire and will cause problems for opponents this season. However, they have lost two valuable players in the centre, Nazem Kadri and goalie Darcy Kuemper. Landeskog will be called upon to replace Kadri, but the effect of losing him (Kadri) cannot be underestimated.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are the second-best favourites to win the 2023 Stanley Cup with +1000 odds. Canes are last season’s Metropolitan Division winners with 116 points and also won Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty during the offseason. However, they have not passed the second round since 2018-2019.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto has the third-best chance of winning this season’s Stanley Cup, which they won last in 1967. Their 48 seasons without lifting the Stanley Cup is the longest in the NHL, and they will be aiming to break this unwanted record this season.
In the first round of the 2022 playoffs, Toronto pushed Tampa Bay Lightning to seven games showing they are still a force to reckon with. Toronto lost Jack Campbell to Edmonton Oilers and brought in Ilya Samsonov from Washington Capitals and Matt Murray from Ottawa Senators. The two signings were not the best in their previous teams, but coach Kyle Dubas will play a massive role in Toronto’s success.
The squad includes Auston Matthews, who had an impressive run last season, scoring 60 goals to win the NHL Hart Trophy.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are other favourites to win the 2022-2023 Stanley Cup at +1400. They had an encouraging season in 2021-2022, backed by a vibrant offence that enabled them to win the President Trophy for the best regular season team in NHL.
In the last season, the Panthers also won a playoff series which they last did in 1996. However, they didn’t go far, as they were swept aside by Tampa Bay Lightning in the series’ second round.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning is a genuine contender for the Stanley Cup this season after agonizingly falling at the hands of last season’s winners Colorado Avalanche. Tampa Bay had won eleven straight playoff games before losing to Colorado.
They will be banking on their strong squad that includes Andrei Vasilevskiy, one of the NHL’s top goalies, to challenge for this season’s Stanley Cup. The Lightning won the cup in 2020, 2021, and 2004.
Last 10 Stanley Cup winners
| Winner | Year |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals |
| 2017 | Pittsburg Penguins |
| 2016 | Pittsburg Penguins |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks |
Wrapping up
2022-2023 has just started, where the depth squad and experience will play a huge role in teams fighting for the Stanley Cup. Some teams have shown early signs of good performance, but things will change as the league progresses.
For even more coverage of the NHL like this head over to our Hockey section.
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