One year ago, the Colorado Avalanche was the toast of the town. Colorado beat the Stanley Cup betting odds to end the Tampa Bay Lightning’s reign as Stanley Cup champions. Colorado remains one of the most talented teams in the NHL. But as the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs reminded us, hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup takes more than skill. Constructing a building requires hammers, nails, and sandpaper. In like manner, those ingredients go into a Stanley Cup champion. The Vegas Golden Knights 2023 championship showed the value of a complete team.
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Championship SBG Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +800 |
| Boston Bruins | +800 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +900 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1000 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1200 |
| New Jersey Devils | +1200 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1300 |
| New York Rangers | +1400 |
| Florida Panthers | +1400 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1600 |
| Dallas Stars | +1800 |
| Calgary Flames | +2000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +2500 |
| Minnesota Wild | +3000 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +3000 |
| Seattle Kraken | +4000 |
| St. Louis Blues | +4000 |
| All Other Teams | +4500 or Higher |
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Championship SBG Odds Overview
At the onset, there is a mild surprise on the sports betting board. The new Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights are NOT the first choice of the betting public. Instead, the 2022 champion Colorado Avalanche is the top pick alongside the Boston Bruins. Next, come the two most popular Canadian teams. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the biggest brands on the board. While the Edmonton Oilers boast the best player (Connor McDavid) in the game.
Namely, Toronto and Boston are two of hockey’s oldest and most respected brands. Consider the Maple Leafs and Bruns as “old money.” Generations of fans and gamblers back them to the hilt. Most important of all, both are loaded with talent.
Gamblers should remember that the NHL Draft and Free Agent signing period are coming over the next few weeks. And that can change the prospects, good or bad, of every team on the board.
Colorado Considered a Team on the Come for Redemption
At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Colorado stumbled out of the gate. The Avalanche suffered from a championship hangover and key losses of role players and goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Colorado had to cut Kuemper loose became of salary cap concerns. But a bigger loss was Nazem Kadri. To illuminate, Kadri supplied the sandpaper necessary for the 2022 Colorado championship. The departure of Kadri took away Colorado’s edge. It is true Colorado recovered for a strong second half. But in the playoffs, the Avs were stunned by the Seattle Kraken.
As a result of their playoff flop, Colorado will focus on the role players necessary to win a championship.
Boston’s Loss Could Prove To Be Its Gain
The 2022-23 Boston Bruins compiled the best regular season in NHL history. Their reward was a first-round upset loss to the 8-seed Florida Panthers. Boston learned you couldn’t burn too much fuel in the regular season. The Bruins may be down a notch in the 2023-24 regular season. But they will potentially have more in the tank for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Championship SBG Free Picks
On this occasion, the Colorado Avalanche makes the most sense. The Avalanche have the talent, depth, and motivation to beat the NHL Playoff betting odds next season.
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Championship SBG Best Bet: Colorado Avalanche.