Stanley Cup: Who is predicted to win the Stanley Cup 2024? Predicting teams with best odds to win the holy grail

The Stanley Cup playoffs are just days away. Whether your favorite team qualified for the postseason or not, as a diehard hockey fan, there's a good chance you are patiently awaiting sleepless nights in April, May, and June. The joy of the Stanley Cup playoffs is that there are no 3-on-3 overtimes or shootouts to determine a winner. In the spring, hockey games continue until someone scores, whether in the first overtime or the fifth.

Now that gambling has become a partner with the NHL, fans will check the daily odds to see how the 16 teams are doing in their quest for the Stanley Cup. Heading into Game 1 on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes, with odds of +650, are predicted to take the trophy this year. Regardless of the bookmakers' predictions, here's a breakdown of the best odds for each contender.

NHL teams with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2024

Odds provided by FanDuel, updated April 18

#16 Washington Capitals (+18000)

The Washington Capitals snuck into the playoffs by winning their final game of the regular season. As the lowest-ranked team in the postseason, it drew the New York Rangers, who won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team. Having a goal differential of minus-37 gives the Capitals the lowest odds of any team to advance.

#15 New York Islanders (+5500)

The New York Islanders were the hottest team in the NHL heading into the playoffs, springing to life in the final two weeks of the regular season. Although they are not the favorites against the juggernaut Carolina Hurricanes, no one can underestimate Patrick Roy and the boys from Long Island.

#14 Nashville Predators (+3700)

The Nashville Predators have been the top wild-card team for a long time; most fans forget they were there. Thankfully for them, they avoided the Dallas Stars in the opening round but still had to travel to Canada and face the Vancouver Canucks, who still compiled one of the top records in the NHL.

#13 Los Angeles Kings (+2200)

The Los Angeles Kings still don't know who they are playing and could win a shot to face the Edmonton Oilers for the third straight season. They say the third time's a charm, so if Los Angeles ends up with the Oilers, the big question is, has it figured out how to shut down Connor McDavid?

#12 Tampa Bay Lightning (+2200)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are still not favorites to win the Stanley Cup, despite employing Nikita Kucherov, the league's leading scorer. Although the team finished strong after a slow start, the veterans on this team know what it takes to win the postseason and could be a surprise team in the final four.

#11 Winnipeg Jets (+1500)

The Winnipeg Jets have the 11th-best odds to win the Stanley Cup, the fourth-worst of the Canadian teams in the playoffs. Surprisingly, out of all the teams from the country to advance, only the Jets and Canucks spent time as the top team in the NHL at some point in the regular season.

#10 Vancouver Canucks (+1400)

Despite finishing with a top-10 record, Vancouver spent a significant portion of their season as the NHL's best team, employing three of the top-15 point scorers in the league. Even though the Canucks won the Pacific and have a solid lineup from top to bottom, no one is giving this season's team enough credit for a deep playoff run.

#9 Toronto Maple Leafs (+1400)

It's the same thing in Toronto every spring. Is this the year the Maple Leafs finally turn a page, win a playoff series, and challenge for the Stanley Cup?

The team tried so hard to get Auston Matthews to 70 goals, but it lost its final two games and looks weak heading into a playoff series with the Boston Bruins, whom the Leafs haven't beaten in the postseason since 1959.

#8 Boston Bruins (+1300)

The Bruins limped into the playoffs, losing their opportunity to win the Atlantic Division by dropping contests to the Capitals and Ottawa Senators, registering a single goal. Maybe those losses were all part of the plan, but Boston has been inconsistent enough to worry its diehard fanbase, who recently watched the Bruins lose a chance at history in 2022-23.

#7 Vegas Golden Knights (+1100)

The reigning Stanley Cup champions are on the ropes, both figuratively and literally. Injuries to key players derailed their regular season, and the Golden Knights had to fight tooth and nail to get into the playoffs. Although their final spot is still undetermined, it will not be easy for them to repeat, despite what the odds say.

#6 Edmonton Oilers (+850)

For the past couple of seasons, the Oilers have had decent odds to win the Stanley Cup and have failed to get Connor McDavid his first ring. Like Toronto, the organization is always looking toward the next season being theirs.

Eventually, something has to break in Edmonton, or McDavid may pursue his dreams in another city.

#5 Colorado Avalanche (+850)

The Colorado Avalanche have the fifth-best odds to hoist the Stanley Cup, which they won just two seasons ago. However, Nathan MacKinnon lost out on the Art Ross Trophy, and Alexandar Georgiev looks tired heading into the postseason. Despite the odds, they look like a team that could not advance out of the first round.

#4 New York Rangers (+800)

The NHL's best team only gets the fourth-best odds of winning it all. Of course, it wasn't easy for New York to win its division and edge everyone else for the top spot, but the Rangers just compiled the best regular season in their history and are posing to wreak havoc in the Eastern Conference.

#3 Dallas Stars (+800)

The Dallas Stars are the only elite team in the NHL that was not talked about until two weeks ago, when they overtook the top spot in the Western Conference and sealed it in Game 82.

Although no one wants to admit it, the Stars are the deepest team in the league, and they will be tough out and want to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four seasons.

#2 Florida Panthers (+700)

The Florida Panthers saw a bump in odds after clinching the Atlantic Division when they won their final regular-season game. Their path to the Stanley Cup is more manageable from this position, as they play a wild-card team in the opening round. But their opponent is Tampa Bay, whom they've never beaten in the postseason.

#1 Carolina Hurricanes (+650)

The Hurricanes came into the season with lofty expectations. They didn't disappoint, finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and loading up their lineup at the NHL trade deadline.

Unfortunately for Canes fans, Carolina has not advanced past the conference final since 2006, so like many teams on this list, will they finally break through this year?

Edited by R. Elahi