It’s the start of a new NHL season, and every team has an equal opportunity of lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup this coming spring. How do you tell the difference between the contenders and pretenders when looking at each team’s odds to win the 2020 Stanley Cup when every franchise feels like they’ve signed the right players, made the right trades and drafted the young talent needed to make their team competitive this season? 

Join us as we set out to uncover what makes the elite teams in the NHL so good. We’ll shed some valuable insight, including NHL betting tips, so that you have an edge when it comes time to wager on this year’s Stanley Cup winner. If you’re new to hockey betting and wondering how to bet on the NHL with Bodog Sportsbook, all you need to do is visit the hockey futures tab and bet on the team that you think will win it all.

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Tampa Bay Lightning +700 Stanley Cup Odds

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the best regular season team in the NHL for nearly two years and oddsmakers feel that they’re due to deliver on their NHL Vegas odds this season. 

Tampa secured the fourth-most points all time (128) last season, which goes to show just how dominant this club is. 

This year, the Lightning will have three forwards returning that scored more than 90 points each in Nikita Kucherov (41 goals, 87 assists), Steven Stamkos (45 goals, 53 assists) and Brayden Point (41 goals, 51 assists); no other NHL team even comes close to those numbers. They also filled out their roster with veteran defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Cup-winner Patrick Maroon during the offseason. As long as we don’t see another epic collapse in the first round, there’s reason to believe this is Tampa Bay’s Cup to lose.

Toronto Maple Leafs +900 Stanley Cup Odds

Leafs Nation has never been more excited for a season than they are for this one. GM Kyle Dubas has taken an offensive powerhouse, which is comprised of John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and added quality defencemen that are capable of fueling the offensive attack (Tyson Barrie), while also making life difficult for opposing offences (Cody Ceci). The trades for Barrie and Ceci bring the Leafs from a porous goal-scoring machine to a complete hockey juggernaut. We’re expecting to see the Leafs finish among the top clubs in the Eastern Conference this year and push deep into the playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights +1000 Stanley Cup Odds

The Vegas Golden Knights have treated their supporters kindly on the NHL betting lines since they came into the league two seasons ago. That success has resulted in growing expectations for this season. They’ll have Mark Stone (33 goals, 40 assists) for the entirety of the year, and he’ll compliment a very good forward group that’s made of multiple 30-goal scorers. It’ll be interesting to see how veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury holds up this season in the year that he’ll turn 35. If he’s as good as he has been in the first two seasons for Vegas, they’ll make a serious push for the Cup with their improved depth.

Contenders

Boston Bruins +1100 Stanley Cup Odds

Not far behind the Vegas Golden Knights are the team that lost to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. The Boston Bruins have one of the oldest cores in the league with Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask all in the second half of their careers. Luckily, the B’s have a bunch of young talent that’s complimenting the veteran presence, but it seems that Boston’s window to win may be closing. With that increased urgency, don’t be surprised if we see Boston make a move that’ll push them over the top during the course of the season.

Colorado Avalanche +1300 Stanley Cup Odds

The Avalanche may be one of the strongest second-tier contenders in the league with +1300 NHL betting odds. With Mikko Rantanen locked up for the next six years, Colorado has top-end skill that few teams can contend with. They’ll also have 20-year-old rookie defenceman Cale Makar on the blue line to start the season. In last year’s playoffs, he put up six points in 10 games, having never played in the NHL before. This guy is an absolute stud and is going to give the threat of MacKinnon and co. a new wrinkle that’ll bring the Ave’s offence into the NHL’s elite.

St. Louis Blues +1500 Stanley Cup Odds

No one expected the St. Louis Blues to do what they did last season. They were last in the league on January 3 and stormed all the way back to a secure a playoff spot and ride that momentum to Stanley Cup victory; it was nothing short of a hockey miracle. Over the offseason, only minor subtractions were made to the Blues’ roster, but they made a massive addition with the acquisition of D Justin Faulk. Faulk should slot in nicely as an offensive threat to compliment the Blues’ scoring core.

Underdogs

Florida Panthers +1800 Stanley Cup Odds

When head coach Joel Quenneville was convinced to join the Panthers this spring, everything changed for Florida. They proceeded to sign Vezina winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and added roster depth to an already impressive core of young players. Though the Panthers have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, expectations have changed for this new edition of the team. As a result, they’re a threat to make a run at their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1996.

Carolina Hurricanes +3300 Stanley Cup Odds

The ‘Canes showed the hockey world that they were more than just “a bunch of jerks” last season. They finished with 99 points in the regular season and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. The trio of Sebastien Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov will be another year older and will be hungry to show that last year was no fluke.

Montreal Canadiens +3500 Stanley Cup Odds

The Habs showed that they can win games with tenacity and solid team play last season, missing out on a playoff berth by just two points. With another year of growth from one of the youngest teams in the league, and several highly-touted rookies expecting to make an impact this season, the Carey Price-led Canadiens will have a chance to win most nights. If one of their young players, like Jesperi Kotkaniemi, can accelerate his development, Montreal will be among the top clubs in the East. 

NHL Betting Tips

When selecting a club to go all-the-way, it’s crucial to look at the health of the team’s roster before you make your wager. This could be in the form of injuries, suspensions or holdouts. For example, the Winnipeg Jets are thought to be among the top clubs in the West, but they were informed just days before the start of the regular season that top defenceman Dustin Byfuglien is considering retirement and would not be available until further notice. Byfuglien’s absence will throw a massive wrench in the Jets’ plans and could hurt their Stanley Cup chances. 

It’s also important to consider teams’ “windows” to win. This season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have gone all-in with the trades and signings that they made. They’re going to have serious difficulty resigning many of their pending free agents next year, so Toronto will have an all-or-nothing mentality this season. You can feel confident that Leafs management will continue to do everything possible to bring the Cup home for the first time since 1967.

*Head to the Bodog Sportsbook for more NHL betting throughout the season!