Mark Lammey
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It’s hard to believe it’s been a little over 3 months since the Colorado Avalanche won the 3rd Stanley Cup in franchise history. They were able to take down the Tampa Bay Lightning and their quest for a 3-peat. Since then a lot of moves have been made in the offseason and the preseason has already gotten underway. The start of the regular season is fast approaching, which begins on Friday, October 7 with an opening game in Prague, Czech Republic. The first games in the United States will start just a few days later on Tuesday, October 11. That means it’s time to get in our futures bets and we’ve found the best value for this season’s Stanley Cup winner. Along with these Stanley Cup predictions, be sure to check out all of our NHL analysis for the 2022-2023 season.
Let’s take a closer look at my best bet and longshot to win the 2022-2023 Stanley Cup.
2022-23 Stanley Cup betting odds and favorites
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Colorado Avalanche: +450
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1000
Carolina Hurricanes; +1000
Florida Panthers: +1100
Tampa Bay Lightning: +1200
Edmonton Oilers: +1500
Calgary Flames: +1600
2023 Stanley Cup winner best bet: Florida Panthers (+1100)
It’s no surprise that the Avalanche are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup once again in the 2022-23 season. While the Avs deserve the designation, that does not seem to be the most valuable play. Colorado also lost Nazem Kadri and goaltender Darcy Kuemper in the offseason.
One team that does seem to have great value and made a great addition in the offseason is the Florida Panthers. Let’s not forget that it was their high-flying offense that won the President’s Trophy last season for the league’s best record. Their goal-scoring ability was unmatched, even by the Avs and the Oilers with Connor McDavid. The only absence this season will be former–Flyers captain Claude Giroux. However, the Panthers didn’t acquire him until the trade deadline last season and we’re already taking the league by storm at that point.
The other big offseason move for the Panthers was the trade of Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk. This was the perfect move for Florida. Both of those skaters were among the league leaders for points last season; however, Tkachuk brings much better defensive skill. The Panthers are already loaded in terms of goal-scoring ability led by Aleksander Barkov and what’s held them back is the defensive side of things. That’s why they fell to the Lightning in the playoffs last season despite being the best team throughout the regular season.
On top of that great acquisition, the Panthers have also realized they need a more balanced mindset rather than trying to score 10 goals a game. That’s not what wins in the postseason, so they brought in head coach Paul Maurice. He knows how to best use the young talent of Barkov and Tkachuk and it should be a perfect marriage for a deeper run this season.
Looking for more futures content? Check out our divisional breakdown here!
2023 Stanley Cup winner best longshot bet: Nashville Predators (+4000)
We’re going to transition to the Western Conference for our longshot play. It’s no surprise that the teams out west have a more difficult road to the Cup with the Avalanche in their way. That’s what happened to the Predators in the 1st round last season. However, it’s worth remembering why that series seemed as lopsided as it did.
The Preds were without starting goaltender Juuse Saros heading into the postseason. The saying goes it takes elite goaltending to win a Cup, and that’s exactly what Saros is. Over the last 3 seasons, he ranks 3rd for the most goals saved above expected and was named an all-star last season. That alone demonstrates how big of a loss that was, and then the Preds’ 2nd-string goalie David Rittich also went down in that series. That left rookie Connor Ingram out to dry who had never had a career start to his name. That explains Nashville’s early exit, so let’s check out why Saros should have another strong team in front of him.
The Preds were able to re-sign elite offensive talent Filip Forsberg. Despite missing some time last season, he still recorded 42 goals and 42 assists. Alongside him with Matt Duchene who is just as balanced; he recorded 43 goals and 43 assists. To round things out and make an incredible trio, Nashville has former Norris Trophy-winner for best defenseman Roman Josi. His 73 assists were the 4th-most in the league last season and his 96 total points were the most among defenseman. While the Preds may rely on that trio a bit too much at times, there is great value on them at this price.
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