With the NHL postseason officially getting started last weekend, the hype for the Stanley Cup keeps growing and growing. Which teams will end up playing for the title, and who will come out on top? In this piece, we have our NHL futures picks for the Stanley Cup playoffs. With so much on the line, several players will be ready to come up huge for their teams.
Before the postseason got underway, there was a strong debate going on as to who was the No. 1 team heading into things. It of course came down to the Avalanche and Golden Knights. However, Colorado is now the clear-cut favorite to win the Stanley Cup over Vegas. Who saw this coming? Well, it’s hard to argue, as Colorado showcased so much dominance throughout the regular season.
Now, the Avalanche hold +310 NHL odds to win the Stanley Cup. For Vegas, they’ve been listed at +500, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are +550, Toronto is +625, Carolina is +700 and Boston is +850. Again, this tells you that Colorado is No. 1 in the eyes of the oddsmakers to get the job done and bring home another title for the historic franchise. Will they pull it off?
| Stanley Cup odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | +310 | +310 | +310 | +310 |
| Vegas | +500 | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Tampa Bay | +550 | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Toronto | +625 | +625 | +625 | +625 |
It will really come down to if they can overcome Vegas in the NHL playoffs. Our strong belief is that whoever wins the between the two should they face off will go on to win the Stanley Cup. That’s just how sensational both Colorado and Vegas were throughout the year. That’s also why they have the top two odds of all the NHL teams out there. With that said, Colorado is our pick to win it all, with them taking down Vegas before lifting the NHL Stanley Cup.
In the tilt between Edmonton and Winnipeg, look for Connor McDavid to score the most goals in the Oilers-Jets series. Why? Come on, we don’t have to tell you. McDavid is without question one of the best finishers in the NHL, and he’s coming off tremendous performances during the regular season. There’s just no way things don’t continue in the postseason. He’s simply too good.
McDavid is a massive favorite to finish with the most goals in the series, with the Vegas oddsmakers giving him +110 odds. Second on the list would be Leon Draisaitl at +180. That means if you bet $100 on McDavid, you’d win $110. Taking Draisaitl would result in winning $180. Again, this informs you that McDavid is the top option. And it’s hard to ignore that.
With his tremendous shooting abilities, we really do feel like McDavid will do more than enough in series to finish as the best goal-scorer. It of course won’t be easy, with several guys trying to take home the honor over him, but McDavid is our pick to finish with the most goals in this case.
Speaking of the Oilers and Jets, Edmonton should have little issues defeating Winnipeg in their series. But, how many contests will the two meet in before things are wrapped up and a squad moves on to the next round of action? This one is a bit tougher to call, but we think that McDavid will be able to power his team to a victory in Game 4. A 4-2 series win for Edmonton? That’s what we’re thinking.
Of course, the odds of this happening aren’t overly great, but it would result in a fantastic payout. The odds of things ending after Game 6 are set at +370. If you were to bet $100, that means you’d win $370. Yes, that’s a great payout, but there also comes a big risk with that as well. The thing about this series is that we think Winnipeg will be able to steal a game or two from Edmonton.
But, we do not predict Winnipeg to do enough to force a Game 7. There’s really no reason this series should go the distance. Game 6 feels like the right choice here, which is why we’re making it our pick. Will McDavid do his thing and lead his side to a strong victory in Game 6? We think so, NHL fans.
