The Stanley Cup is the most coveted trophy in North America’s National Hockey League (NHL). It’s awarded annually to the NHL playoff champion to conclude the season.
The end of the season is fast approaching, and the winner of this season’s NHL Stanley Cup should be determined no later than June 24, 2024.
Let’s dive straight in to discover which team will most likely come out on top by looking at some of the latest and most accurate odds and implied probability rates.
Which teams have made this year’s playoffs?
We are currently in the ninth season, where three of the top-ranked NHL teams from each division qualify for the playoffs, along with two wild cards from each conference. Here are the teams that all qualified for the playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
- Team: Florida Panthers. Points: 110 (Atlantic Division champions)
- Team: Boston Bruins. Points: 109
- Team: Toronto Maple Leafs. Points: 102
Metropolitan Division
- Team: New York Rangers. Points: 114 (Eastern Conference regular season champions, Metropolitan Division Champions, and winners of the Presidents’ Trophy
- Team: Carolina Hurricanes. Points: 111
- Team: New York Islanders. Points: 94
The two Wild Cards from this conference were the Washington Capitals (91 points) and Tampa Bay Lightning (98 points)
Western Conference
Central Division
- Team: Dallas Stars. Points: 113 points (Western Conference regular season champions and Central Division champions)
- Team: Winnipeg Jets. Points: 110
- Team: Colorado Avalanche. Points: 107
Pacific Division
- Team: Vancouver Canucks. Points: 109 (Pacific Division champions)
- Team: Edmonton Oilers. Points: 104
- Team: Los Angeles Kings. Points: 99
The two wild cards from this conference were the Vegas Golden Knights (98 points) and the Nashville Predators (99 points).
Which NHL team is going to win the 2024 Stanley Cup?
The quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to find out which team will most likely come out on top this year to win the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup would be to analyse the latest sports betting NHL odds currently being offered by today’s most trusted online bookmakers.
For example, the globally renowned iBet online sports betting site is well-known for having some of the iGaming industry’s most competitive betting odds for NHL outrights.
They currently have the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche evenly priced as the two joint-odds-on favourites to win the 2024 Stanley Cup outright.
Here are the latest odds, which, don’t forget, are subject to change at any time:
- Bet type: NHL 2023/24 Stanley Cup Champion (outright winner). Team: New York Rangers. Latest average odds: 5.00 (decimal odds), +400 (American/moneyline odds), 4/1 (fractional odds). Implied probability rate (IPR): 20.00% (joint-odds-on favourites)
- Bet type: NHL 2023/24 Stanley Cup Champion (outright winner). Team: Colorado Avalanche. Latest average odds: 5.00 (decimal odds), +400 (American/moneyline odds), 4/1 (fractional odds). IPR: 20.00% (joint-odds-on favourites)
- Bet type: NHL 2023/24 Stanley Cup Champion (outright winner). Team: Florida Panthers. Latest average odds: 5.50 (decimal odds), +450 (American/moneyline odds), 9/2 (fractional odds). IPR: 20.00% (second odds-on favourites)
- Bet type: NHL 2023/24 Stanley Cup Champion (outright winner). Team: Edmonton Oilers. Latest average odds: 6.50 (decimal odds), +550 (American/moneyline odds), 11/2 (fractional odds). IPR: 15.40% (second odds-on favourites)
In other words, based on these latest and most accurate betting odds for which team will most likely win the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup, a safer bet might be to wager on the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche or, better still, to ensure you cover yourself, bet on both teams.
When it comes to sports betting online on any major sporting events, in this case, the NHL playoffs and final, the best way to make the most informed/strategic bets is to stay on top of the latest news, gossip, and rumours before placing a wager.
Although these odds are accurate at the time of writing, they can change due to numerous variables, so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the latest odds to try and get the best possible price that will reward you with the biggest returns on your initial stake, should you win.
The other thing to remember is that betting on the favourite will not always guarantee a return on your bet. For example, the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers could easily upset the odds to beat either the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche (the two joint-odds-on favourites right now).
Which other trending NHL bets should I know about in 2024?
Let’s now take a quick look at several other trending NHL bets that are more popular than others right now. The New York Rangers are the current odds-on favourites to win the Eastern Conference outright, including the playoffs.
At the time of writing, you are currently looking at average odds of around 2.6 (decimal), which is +160 (American/moneyline) or 8/5 (fractional) with a 38.50% implied probability rate.
Similarly, Colorado Avalanche are the current odds-on favourites to win the Western Conference outright, including the playoffs, at around 2.8 (+180 or 9/5) with a 35.70% IPR.
The other two trending NHL betting markets right now are for Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) to be the NHL playoff top point scorer at around 3.00 (+200 or 2/1) with a 33.30% IPR and Zac Hyman (also Edmonton Oilers) to be the NHL playoff top goalscorer at around 3.00 (+200 or 2/1) with a 33.30% IPR.
Final thoughts
The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup final will see the winners of the Western Conference playoffs play the winners of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
As we edge closer to the end of this season’s playoffs, ice hockey fans and sports bettors can look forward to more thrilling action from the world’s biggest and most well-known men’s professional ice hockey league.
The current reigning champions are the Vegas Golden Knights, who won their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2023 and will be looking to make history by winning again this year.
The most successful NHL team with more Stanley Cup wins than any other team are the Montreal Canadiens, who are no longer in the playoffs.
While some people think this is the year for the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche, others believe that the Edmonton Oilers will go on to win their sixth Stanley Cup.
Nobody knows for sure, so when betting, always arm yourself with the latest information from reputable sources and try not to waste your money on too many outsider/underdog bets.