The Dallas Stars aren’t the sexy pick in the NHL Stanley Cup odds. We just happen to think that they are the best bet to win it all.
It was the Florida Panthers toppling the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling seven-game Stanley Cup final series last spring. And it’s the Oilers who oddsmakers are setting as the +750 favorites to win in the Vegas Stanley Cup odds this time around.
| NHL Stanley Cup Odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | +725 | +750 | +900 |
| Florida Panthers | +950 | +900 | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1100 | +1400 | +1500 |
| New Jersey Devils | +1200 | +1000 | +1200 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +1400 | +1200 | +1100 |
| New York Rangers | +1400 | +1400 | +1200 |
| Nashville Predators | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +1600 | +2200 | +2500 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1800 | +1400 | +1800 |
Last season the Panthers went from 2022-23 Stanley Cup finalists to 2023-24 Stanley Cup champions. So perhaps it’s only natural to envision history repeating itself in the case of the Oilers. In Connor McDavid, they suit up the NHL’s most talented player. And sidekick Leon Draisaitil, like McDavid, has won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.
The Stars, though, have been all around the Cup without getting to lift it. They lost last year’s Western Conference final to the Oilers. The year before, Dallas was ousted by the eventual Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western final. In 2020, Dallas was losing the Cup final series to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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There’s been a seismic shift in the pattern of recent Stanley Cup final series. Florida has played in two Cup final series in succession. By winning last spring, they became just the second team since 1984 to win the NHL title the year after losing it.
Since 1990, only four NHL teams have won the Cup in successive seasons. So both the Panthers are Oilers would appear to have the odds stacked against them this season.
A 2-5-1 start to last season saw the Oilers dropping goalie Jack Campbell and replacing coach Jay Woodcroft with Kris Knoblauch. Then Edmonton would stage the first of two miraculous turnarounds.
The Oilers rebounded strongly to make the playoffs. Then, down 3-0 in the final series, they’d storm back to win the next three games, only to fall to the Panthers in Game 7. The presence of McDavid can fix a lot of ailments. That being said, several Oilers enjoyed career years last season. Generally, that doesn’t happen two years in a row.
The physical, menacing Panthers are viewed as the protoype of today’s successful NHL team. However, that’s a hard way to play the game. Will the Panthers be as motivated to battle that hard night after night now that they’ve earned hockey’s highest award?
Florida needed to rebuild the bottom half of the roster following the Cup run. The core is still intact and a bunch of fresh faces could provide the impetus to again chase glory. Or it could be that last season’s chemistry is long gone.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Devils have a new goalie in Jacob Markstrom and a new coach in former Toronto boss Sheldon Keefe. And that could make all the difference.
Garnering over 100 points the previous season, the Devils are rich in skill with the likes of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt. Last season, New Jersey couldn’t keep the puck out the net. That shouldn’t be a problem this season.
Stars GM Jim Nill is taking a patient approach with his team. Goalie Jake Oettinger, defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forwards Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston are all home-grown talent that’s being allowed to grow together through the heartbreak of playoff failure.
This deep squad could suit up as many as 10 players with at least 20 goals this season. And this should be the year that Oettinger gets serious consideration for the Vezina Trophy.
The Leafs are retooling again, but you don’t have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to wonder whether it matters. Toronto has lost seven times in the first round of the playoffs over the past eight seasons.
Craig Berube, who won a Stanley Cup in St. Louis, is Toronto’s new coach. Can he find a way to get elite talent like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to deliver the goods in the postseason?
The offseason saw Nasvhille welcome Cup winners and 40+ goal scorers Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault to Smashville. Defenseman Brady Skjei was also recruited to join Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi as blueline anchors.
There’s also a world-class goalie in Juuse Saros. Predators GM Barry Trotz was an icon in Nashville when he coached the team. He won a Stanley Cup coaching Washington. If he brings Lord Stanley’s mug to Nashville, he could run for mayor.
It’s all coming together for the Stars. Nill won Cups on Detroit’s staff. Coach Peter DeBoer has guided three teams to the Cup final series. A young nucleus includes four first-round and two second-round draft picks.
They are balanced with veteran support from the likes of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene. The pieces are in place and this is the year that Dallas puts the title-winning puzzle together.
