The NHL’s preseason is well underway, so it’s time to start looking down the road for NHL betting on conference championship futures. Last season, the Eastern Conference had a ton of talent, as all eight teams that got into the postseason tallied at least 100 points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Sidney Crosby) and the Washington Capitals (Alexander Ovechkin) rode veteran leaders into the playoffs. In the Western Conference, once again, it seems like the Colorado Avalanche…and everyone else. Let’s look at the odds of each team to win a conference title – and some thoughts about some of the contenders.
NHL News: Early Conference Championship Odds
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +450 |
| Florida Panthers | +500 |
| Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning | +650 |
| N.Y. Rangers | +900 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +1200 |
| Boston Bruins | +1400 |
| N.Y. Islanders | +1800 |
| Washington Capitals | +2000 |
| Ottawa Senators | +2200 |
| New Jersey Devils | +2500 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +3300 |
| Buffalo Sabres | +4000 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +5000 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +7500 |
| Western Conference | |
|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +180 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +600 |
| Calgary Flames | +750 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1000 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1200 |
| L.A. Kings | +1400 |
| St. Louis Blues | +1600 |
| Nashville Predators | +2000 |
| Dallas Stars | +2200 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +2500 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +3300 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +4000 |
| San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken | +4500 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +8000 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +12500 |
The Colorado Avalanche lost Darcy Kuemper and Nazem Kadri, and that pair of losses might have damaged another team’s shot at a repeat title, but the Avs still have Cale Makar, who won the Norris Trophy last year, and Nathan MacKinnon, the top-paid player in the league. Can Alex Georgiev hold his own as the starting netminder? If the answer is yes, then the Avalanche should be in the title conversation once again.
The Carolina Hurricanes fell in disappointing fashion to the New York Rangers in last year’s playoffs. In the off-season, though, they picked up Max Pacioretty from the Golden Knights and Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks, and both of those players fill needed gaps. Can the Hurricanes make it deeper this season? They have the roster to do it.
Then there are the Tampa Bay Lightning – two Stanley Cups in a row and then a Finals appearance (and a conference title) a year ago). Andrei Vaskilevskiy returns in goal, and the team has veteran stars all over the roster. By extending Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak, Nick Paul and Mikhail Sergachev, the front office showed that it is thinking about the future. You do have to wonder how long the team can put together deep runs in the playoffs without wearing down.
The Toronto Maple Leafs got 60 goals from Auston Matthews, and he has a lot of talent around him. The focus is on the goal, though, as Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray will get a lot of pressure to help the team end a 55-year championship drought.
The Calgary Flames took a huge hit when they lost Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus in the off-season, but the front office made the best of it by trading for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. The Flames barely made it out of the first round of the playoffs last year, but as even as the West is below Colorado, that might be all it takes to start a deep run.
The Florida Panthers also had a disappointing exit last year, leaving the playoffs in the second round. Ben Chiarot and Claude Giroux left for greener pastures in free agency, but the deal with Calgary that brought them Matthew Tkachuk has the Panthers right at the top of the conversation for the Eastern Conference title.
The New York Rangers have Igor Shesterkin back in net, and they rode him to a conference final last year. The Rangers actually led Tampa Bay, 2-0, in the East finals, and they led 2-0 in Game 3, but then the Lightning roared back to take Game 3 and, eventually, the series. Shesterkin is the best goalie in hockey, as his 2.07 GAA last year showed, he keeps his team in games. Can the Rangers ride him to another long playoff run?
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