The Stanley Cup playoffs just started, which is a perfect time to rethink who will end up hoisting the trophy when it’s all said and done. If you keep reading, we’ll give you our expert picks on which teams are most worthy of a Stanley Cup futures bet.
But before we go any further, let’s take a quick look at the latest Stanley Cup title odds. These are changing daily, but as it stands, the top-used NHL betting sites have pegged the following teams as the favorites to win it all:
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | +330 | +330 | +330 |
| NY Rangers | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Colorado | +700 | +800 | +800 |
| Edmonton | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Carolina | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Toronto | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Dallas | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Vegas | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
| Tampa Bay | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
Best Bets To Win 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Trophy
You absolutely have to make multiple 2023 Stanley Cup title bets — no ifs, ands, or buts about it. NHL’s postseason is famously unpredictable and you’d be in grave danger by going “all in” one team to hoist the Cup. We’re spreading the money on three teams, which are as follows:
New York Rangers
The three teams are listed in priority order. Therefore, we think the Rangers are the number-one team worth prioritizing with your money. Here’s why: New York is already taking care of business. You can’t say that about other top-seeded teams — Boston, Colorado, Vegas — who’ve lost games in this round already.
Not only are the Rangers winning, but they’re blowing out a quality team in New Jersey. Both Game 1 and 2 ended in 5-1 victories for New York. The series is now shifting to the Rangers’ home ice, which should only bolster the momentum they’re riding.
Our confidence stems from goaltender Igor Shesterkin. We all know how important the position is to make a deep postseason run, and New York very well might have the best player at the position right now. The reigning Vezina Trophy has been on a tear since the start of March. He went 9-2-1 down the stretch with a .944 save percentage and 1.74 GAA, which has carried into the playoffs so far.
Surrounding Shesterkin is a bevy of star players — Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin, among others. New York has all makings of a Stanley Cup champion, and we’re jumping on this now before the betting masses realize this too.
Edmonton Oilers
Alright, we need to take one team from the Western Conference, and it’s legitimately slim pickings. The reigning champion, Avalanche, is the obvious choice but less so for us. That team just hasn’t gelled all season long (mainly due to injuries, but some complacency, too), and that’s a bad sign in our book. Number-one-seeded Golden Knights are also on a months-long downtrend. That leaves us with the Oilers.
Look, we’ll be honest; we’re not in love with Edmonton here. However, they get a bet from us due to “being the best of the bunch” in a very weak conference. Still, we don’t want to discredit the Oilers, either. This team racked up 109 points during the season, the most they’ve earned since 1986. This team is good, especially up front with the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. With those two, Edmonton is capable of hanging with any team offensively. That’s ultimately why they get our money over the two aforementioned teams out West.
Tampa Bay Lightning
This is the darkhorse bet of our three choices, which is weird to say about the Lightning, who’ve made three Stanley Cup Finals. However, by giving the Bolts a distant +1600 moneyline, oddsmakers have effectively made Tampa Bay an under-the-radar play — even after winning Game 1 of its series against Toronto (on the road, no less).
But hey, we’re believers in the old Ric Flair saying, “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” Well, folks, the Lightning are effectively the man until they’re eliminated. No, but seriously, we’re not buying the narrative that they’re done for. The regular-season dress rehearsal is over, and we’re now getting the player’s max effort the rest of the way. And if anything, playing with that proverbial chip on their shoulder might be better than a target on their back.
Tampa Bay is a great value play at these odds, especially now that they’ve stolen home-ice advantage from their first-round opponents. It’s the perfect team to round out your future bets with.
How To Bet On 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The best spots to drop bets on the whole 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs are one of the bookmakers featured below. You’re going to find the full gamut of postseason wagers here — from classic moneyline betting to championship futures (conference too, not just the Cup). Any one of these sites has you covered for the next two months of non-stop playoff action.
Best of all, you can be assured these betting sites are safe and legal to use. We’ve rated hundreds of online sportsbooks, and the five bookmakers listed underneath rated among our “cream of the crop.” Get started by clicking one of the “play now” buttons underneath.
