2018 Stanley Cup Odds and Winning Favorites

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup trophies, Sidney Crosby and the high-scoring Pittsburgh Penguins are once again, the prohibitive favorites to pull off the three-peat once the 2017-18 NHL season gets underway on October 4. If you’re looking to find out which teams are going to be legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and which ones will be nothing more than pretenders, then you’re going to enjoy this expert analysis on the odds to win the 2018 Stanley Cup Trophy. With training camp action set to begin this week, let’s get started.

2018 Stanley Cup Odds and Winning Favorites

The Favorite

Pittsburgh Penguins 8/1

The Penguins (50-21-11) had some real consistency going with their back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams, but they’ll be a different looking team in 2017. First, veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. On July 1st at the start of free agency the Pens lost Nick Bonino, Chris Kuntz, Trevor Daley and Ron Hainsey to other teams on lucrative contracts. The Penguins are the favorites, but right now, I’m thinking maybe they shouldn’t be, even though they added veteran Matt Hunwick and will have a healthy Kris Letang back on te ice this coming season.

Updated Odds To Win 2018 Stanley Cup Finals And Early Predictions

The Top Contenders

Edmonton Oilers 10/1

Not only do the Oilers (47-26-9) have the best young player in the league in center Connor McDavid, but last year they saw a new star emerge in center Leon Draisaitl as he finished just one goal behind McDavid for the team lead in goals and was Edmonton’s leader for the highest shooting percentage. McDavid is 20 -years-old and Draisaitl is just 21, so Edmonton looks like a team that could challenge for the Stanley Cup for years to come.

Chicago Blackhawks 12/1

GM Stan Bowman was aggressive this offseason in trying to remake the Blackhawks (50-23-9) into a younger, faster team. While superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be back to lead the three-time champions, as will veterans like Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.  Chicago parted ways with players like Niklas Hjalmarsson, Artemi Panarin and Marcus Kruger while bringing in players like Connor Murphy, Brandon Saad, patrick Sharp and Jan Rutta among others. Still, if their young players don’t step up, the Blackhawks could get blown away in the postseason just like last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning 12/1

The Lightning went 42-30-10 last season and failed to reach the playoffs, but they’re expected to contend in 2017-18. GM Steve Yzerman brought in some veteran leadership and a boatload of playoff experience in the forms of 4-time Cup Winner Chris Kunnitz and aging defenseman Dan Girardi. Tampa Bay will also have superstar Steven Stamkos back on the ice after he missed a whopping 65 games last season due to a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. In addition to new players the Bolts brought in, Tampa Bay also retained forward Tyler Johnson and winger Ondrej Palat after both players had productive 2016-17 campaigns last season.

Washington Capitals 12/1

The Washington Capitals (55-19-8) let me down in a big way last season. Oops, sorry, make that in each of the last two seasons, despite being the best team in hockey during the regular season.  Now, they’ll have a different look after GM Brian MacLellan made a series of offseason moves that include brining in 2016 first round pick Lucas Johansen and American Leaguer Christian Djoos. Washington also signed star T.J. Oshie before the start of free agency and gifted center Evgeny Kuznetsov and gave defenseman Dimitry Orlov a six-year, $30.6 million extension. Now, if only they can figure out what to do with superstar Alex Ovechkin. Last but not least, I like a quartet of teams to challenge for the Stanley Cup as value-packed contenders that are just off the mark from being favorites. The Anaheim Ducks (14/1), Dallas Stars (14/1), Nashville Predators (14/1) and Minnesota Wild 16/1 all reached the postseason a year ago and have legitimate hopes of getting back into the playoffs this coming season.

Upset Special

Philadelphia Flyers 40/1

I know the Flyers were a modest 39-33-10 last season while ranking 20th in scoring (2.6 gpg), 19th in goals against (2.8 gpg) and 14th in power play percentage (19.5 %), but Philadelphia also has some serious young talent that includes drafting Ivan Provorov with the second overall pick in the draft. General Manager Ron Hextall also made the smart decision to lock up star-in-the-making defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on a six-year deal. Sure, they’re a real longshot, but in today’s NHL, nothing is impossible where it seems like almost any team can go from worst to first.

Remaining NHL Stanley Cup Trophy Odds

• •  New York Rangers: 16/1
  • Columbus Blue Jackets: 20/1
  • Montreal Canadiens: 20/1
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: 20/1
  • Los Angeles Kings: 22/1
  • San Jose Sharks: 22/1
  • Boston Bruins: 28/1
  • Calgary Flames: 28/1
  • St. Louis Blues: 28/1
  • New York Islanders: 33/1
  • Ottawa Senators: 33/1
  • Florida Panthers: 40/1
  • Philadelphia Flyers: 40/1
  • Carolina Hurricanes: 50/1
  • Winnipeg Jets: 50/1
  • Buffalo Sabres: 66/1
  • Arizona Coyotes: 100/1
  • Detroit Red Wings: 100/1
  • New Jersey Devils: 100/1
  • Vancouver Canucks: 100/1
  • Colorado Avalanche: 125/1
  • Vegas Golden Knights: 125/1

The NHL’s 31st franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, will play their first regular-season game on Friday, Oct. 6 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. The Golden Knights will play their first home game on Tuesday, Oct. 10 when they host the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.