Can you believe it, we’re almost one-quarter of the way through the 2022-23 NHL season. While there’s a lot to go there have been several pleasant surprises so far — both underachievers and overachievers. That’s why we felt the urge to give our updated Stanley Cup futures betting philosophy. We’re going to give you the lowdown on which bets are worth making still so read on to get our expert advice!
Before we go any further, let’s take a look at how much the 2023 campion betting odds have changed for several teams. Below we’ve listed the top title contenders at top-rated NHL betting sites. Not only are their current betting lines listed, but also what the odds were right before the regular season started. You’ll have a fair comparison of which teams trending are trending up and down.
| Preseason |  | | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +450 | +500 | Colorado Avalanche |
| Boston Bruins | +2500 | +900 | Boston Bruins |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1400 | +1000 | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1200 | +1100 | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +900 | +1400 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| New Jersey Devils | +8000 | +1600 | New Jersey Devils |
Top Betting Picks To Win 2023 Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup playoffs are known for being unpredictable and therefore, you’re really risking it by limiting your betting pick to win 2023 Stanley Cup to one team. Given how long the odds are across the board, we suggest three different picks. The teams we’ve listed below are most worth your consideration in that regard:
Boston Bruins
The surprise of the season has been the Bruins — and that’s reflected in its championship odds, just look at our chart again. They’ve improved their futures line by a whopping +1600 since the season started. That’s better than any other team aside from New Jersey. So what’s to make out of Boston?
We for one believe they’re for real. The team currently sits at 14-2, the top mark in the whole league. Moreover, the Bruins are winning with balance. They’ve netted the most goals (64) and surrendered the second least (35). This puts their goal differential at +29. The next-best team is the Devils at +21.
But here’s the kicker: there’s reason to believe Boston is only scratching the surface, as crazy as that sounds. We say that because for most of the season, they’ve played without two key pieces — last season's leading scorer (Brad Marchand) and No. 1 defenseman (Charlie McAvoy). Both are now back but still playing themselves into shape.
All things considered, the Bruins deserve a bet right away. It’s very likely you didn’t bet on this team before the season so you don’t want to wait any longer and lose more value on the odds because we don’t see Boston’s success drying up anytime soon.
Colorado Avalanche
The reigning Stanley Cup champions are off to a slow start. They are currently 8-5-1 and slotted behind several teams in the Western Conference— including Las Vegas, LA, and heck, even Seattle. Despite the sluggish start to the season, oddsmakers have hardly budged on its betting line as they’re still the overwhelming favorites to repeat this season.
We share that optimism and still believe the Avs are bet-worthy. The team’s talent level remains high. Its star players — Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Maka — have shown zero signs of complacency so far as they’re playing at an upper-echelon level. However, we would like to see the supporting cast step up their game per se.
Part of Colorado’s slow start can be attributed to injuries, as well. Team captain Gabriel Landeskog has yet to play a game this season, while Valeri Nichuskin has been out of action for long stretches of time. Getting both of those back should bolster the lineup.
One more reason why we’re sticking with the Avs in this futures bet: the Western Conference remains very winnable, at least compared to the stacked East. Golden Knights are the only real threat we see in the Avalanche’s way, and even then, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle to overcome.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Like their Stanley Cup Finals foe, Tampa Bay is also off to a slow start. Slow enough that its futures betting line has dropped by +500. Unlike the Avs, there are a lot more question marks about the Lightning if they still “got it.”
And for that reason, we’re throwing money their way. We’re starting to feel bettors and bookies alike are overlooking the three straight-time Finals participants. You see, dynasty-like teams like the Lightning are known to go on “cruise control” during the regular season. This doesn’t just apply to NHL either, the NBA is another example of this when great teams manually turn the switch on and off.
We’re confident Tampa Bay will get back in gear — only it’ll probably be in the playoffs, not now. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, especially, is someone bound to rebound. The elite goaltender has not appeared to be himself this far into the year, but c’mon, it’s Vasilevskiy we’re talking about here. He’ll be fine and so will the Lightning so take advantage of its long betting line.
How To Bet On 2022-23 NHL Season?
You can get all your NHL bets for this season at one of the bookmakers featured underneath. As shown in our unbiased sportsbook reviews, each of the listed sites excels at NHL betting. That betting experience, plus a large swath of sportsbook bonuses, will give you all the ammo you need to be a successful hockey bettor for the rest of the year. Check out the table below to get started!
