NHL Stanley Cup 2024-25 Odds: Will the Cup Stay in Florida?

Dallas Stars (+550)

• • Head Coach: Peter DeBoer
  • 2023-24 Record: 52-21-9 (Loss Western Conference Final)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 1
  • Key Players: Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnson, Matt Duchene

For the first time this season, the Dallas Stars are favored to win the Stanley Cup! Amid a solid run near the trade deadline, the Stars decided to bolster their lineup by adding Mikko Rantanen to their top forward line. Rantanen was unhappy in Raleigh with the Hurricanes, so the Stars came calling!

The franchise saw a terrific opportunity to make an already strong roster that much better offensively. Rantanen struggled to fit in with the Hurricanes, but he’s already making an impact in Texas. Dallas’ offense ranks the fourth-best in the NHL, with an average of 3.38 scored per game.

STARS DEBUT GOAL FOR MIKKO RANTANEN!!!! pic.twitter.com/GkZEfYho3S

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 9, 2025

They are well-balanced on their top three lines. Along with Rantanen, the Stars have Wyatt Johnson and Jamie Benn matched with him. Following that group, a line with Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene gives the Stars plenty of firepower!

On the opposite end of the ice, the Stars sport a defense conceding 2.60 goals per game, for fifth best in the league. Jake Oettinger offers the Stars a reliable No. 1 option between the pipes. He holds a 2.52 GAA and 0.904 save percentage. Also, Casey DeSmith is one of the better backup goaltenders in the NHL.

In such a wide-open postseason, I’m unsure if the Stars are the best Stanley Cup pick at +550. I’d want at least +650 to back the Stars here. However, they are nevertheless a huge threat in the Western Conference.

Florida Panthers (+600)

• • Head Coach: Paul Maurice
  • 2023-24 Record: 52-24-6 (Stanley Cup Champions)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 1
  • Key Players: Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Sergei Bobrovsky

After edging out the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, the Florida Panthers are up to their old tricks again this season! They won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history a season ago, and are well-positioned to do the same in 2024-25.

Florida wasn’t quiet at the trade deadline, either. Veteran left winger Brad Marchand made a shocking exit in Boston after entering the league there in 2009-10. The Panthers jumped on the chance to welcome a gritty forward to the mix. This team won the Stanley Cup as a result of their grit a season ago, so Marchand fits in perfectly.

Physical teams are rewarded heavily in the playoffs, and the Panthers are certainly one of the best in that department. However, they’ve been working without Matthew Thachuk recently due to an injury. Additionally, top defenseman Aaron Ekblad is serving a 20-game suspension.

Breaking: Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for 20 games, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the league announced Monday. pic.twitter.com/KZivP9jX31

— ESPN (@espn) March 10, 2025

That said, the Panthers are 7-3-0 through their last ten games and in strong form. The defending champs rank ninth offensively with 3.21 goals per game. Also, the defense is in the top 10, yielding an average of 2.69 goals through 67 matchups.

Don’t count the Panthers out for their second Cup in two years! The addition of Marchand makes this team all the more playoff-ready.

Edmonton Oilers (+725)

• • Head Coach: Kris Knoblauch
  • 2023-24 Record: 49-27-6 (Stanley Cup Finalists)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 5
  • Key Players: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard

Similar to last season, the Oilers got off to an unusually slow start. They lost three consecutive games and five of their first seven games. Nevertheless, they have responded positively and are in their best form in January. Recall that the Oilers opened the 2023-24 season at 2-9-1 and went to the Stanley Cup Finals.

As of mid-March, the Oilers and Kings are battling it out for second in the Pacific Division! They’ve been a really average hockey team as of late. The Oilers are flirting with the .500 mark over their last ten games. It’s allowed the Kings to catch up and the Vegas Golden Knights to jump out to a comfortable lead in the division.

Offensive prowess is not the issue for the Oilers. They can get into a high-scoring game and win. That’s part of the problem with Edmonton, however. Leon Draisaitl and the offensive-minded Oilers have been heavily dependent on scoring four or five goals a game.

LEON ENDS IT 😤

He buries the @Energizer OT winner and reaches 100 points on the season after Calvin Pickard got the play started! pic.twitter.com/gMj5LyV621

— NHL (@NHL) March 15, 2025

Edmonton leads the NHL with 32.1 shots per game and is 10th in goals at 3.20. The Oilers didn’t do anything at the trade deadline to address a defense allowing 2.91 goals per game, for 14th in the NHL. Stuart Skinner is incredibly volatile between the pipes, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in their chances.

Skinner boasts a 2.88 GAA and 0.896 save percentage in 45 games. The goaltending would have appreciated a boost at the deadline, but the front office punted that opportunity away. Without a reliable blue line and goaltending, the Oilers are tough to suggest at this point!

Colorado Avalanche (+1000)

• • Head Coach: Jared Bednar
  • 2023-24 Record: 50-25-7 (Loss Second Round Playoffs)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 3
  • Key Players: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Brock Nelson

The Colorado Avalanche are establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the NHL at the perfect time. Nonetheless, the Avalanche have only the fourth-best Stanley Cup 2025 odds. They have a 9.1% implied probability to win, so oddsmakers and the public aren’t that optimistic.

In any event, I believe the Avalanche are being overlooked and have a higher than 9.1% suggests. Despite being too far back to catch the Jets in the Central Division, the Avalanche are in their best form as of late. They are 8-1-1 in their last ten, including a 4-3 OT win over the Stars. This is an Avalanche squad peaking at the right time and may have gotten better at the trade deadline.

Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas are perfect for each other. pic.twitter.com/R49S6OP9po

— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) March 11, 2025

It was tough saying goodbye to Rantanen, but Martin Necas has been booming on a line with superstar Nathan MacKinnon. In the running for the Hart Trophy this season, MacKinnon could hold the keys to bringing another Stanley Cup to Denver.

Necas ranks third in points, while MacKinnon has eclipsed 100 points to lead the Avs. Multi-talented defenseman Cale Makar shores up a talented blue line and also provides a huge punch on the offensive end. Makar’s touch on offense has led to him ranking second on the Avs in points!

The one question mark for the Avalanche was goaltending entering this season. However, Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood have answered the call tenfold! With Alexander Georgiev struggling, Blackwood has stepped up with a 2.17 GAA and 0.919 save percentage. Meanwhile, Wedgewood holds a 2.03 GAA and 0.921 save percentage in relief duty.

The Avalanche are going to be tough to beat in a seven-game series, so you should take a second look at +1000 for your 2025 Stanley Cup picks!