2023 Stanley Cup Odds – One NHL Betting Pick to Make Before October

• Stanley Cup odds are available for all 32 teams as the regular season approaches
• The Colorado Avalanche are favored to repeat as Stanley Cup champs
• Read below to find out the best Stanley Cup betting pick to make right now

The 2022-23 NHL season is less than a month away, and hockey bettors are foaming from the mouth with excitement. Boringly enough, sportsbooks have made it clear that they believe the Avalanche will repeat as champions. Colorado are favored at +425 in the Stanley Cup odds. Other notable teams include the Leafs, Panthers, and Hurricanes near the top. Although we aren’t picking the favorite, we have a great bet that all NHL bettors should lock in before October.

The Colorado Avalanche opened as favorites last year at +500. The Avs didn’t dip below +500 at any point last season and ended up taking down the Lightning in the finals. It’s important to monitor the Stanley Cup odds throughout the entirety of the season, so this is an article to revisit for reference to ensure you are getting certain teams at a sell high or buy low point.

Stanley Cup Odds

Odds as of September 19 at BetMGM

Ontario sports betting markets legalized online wagering back in April, which gives Maple Leafs fans a whole season to be disappointed by their hometown team! Toronto are currently the second betting favorite to win at +800 in the Stanley Cup odds.

Avalanche, Leafs Pegged as Stanley Cup Favorites

The Colorado Avalanche were the favorites in last year’s Stanley Cup odds for almost the entire season. They did lose Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Darcy Kuemper, but this team still has great offensive depth and did a good job retaining defensemen. A defensive core that boasts a bottom pair of Erik Johnson and Bowen Byram is stellar.

The Lightning are the most recent example of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins (2020 & 2021), but before that you’d have to look at the Penguins when they went back-to-back in 2016 & 2017. As of right now, I think there’s better value in the Stanley Cup odds, so I’m passing on the Avalanche this offseason.

Goaltender Matt Murray has been the Stars best player so far.
Dallas leads 1-0 but could easily be down two or three goals

— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) September 18, 2022

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be the most unserious team in the NHL. They find new ways to lose in the first round of playoffs year in and year out. Last year, it came down to bad luck. Drawing the former Stanley Cup champs in the first round is never easy, and they were one win away from breaking the curse. The Leafs haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016, but have suffered an exit in the first round in six straight years.

Jack Campbell left for Edmonton, so Dubas brought in Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov as their new goalie tandem. The Leafs had the 11th worst Expected Goals For per 60 rate at 2.42, and we’re the only team in the bottom 13 that made the playoffs.

Murray had a 3.2 Goals Saved Above Expected rate in 20 games with the Sens last year, while Samsonov posted -12.1 in 44 games. Samsonov was definitely more tested, but neither goalies come into this season in their prime.

Best Stanley Cup Betting Pick to Make

Before the NHL season starts, some hockey bettors try and get cute with their Stanley Cup futures. They’ll look for the big ticket winner in a team with +2500 odds or above. You’d be an idiot to do that at this point. Over the last five years, there hasn’t been a team with opening Stanley Cup odds of +1000 or longer to win it all.

That’s why with my pick I’m going right on the bubble with the Carolina Hurricanes at +1000.

Brent Burns will join the Carolina Hurricanes! pic.twitter.com/nrbhsYwJW1

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 13, 2022

They are starting to become a popular pick, but how can they not be? They signed Brent Burns, that will add a stable defensive presence, and Max Pacioretty to add to their list of goalscorers. Pacioretty will most likely be out until February, but I’m confident Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis can carry the burden until then.

The Hurricanes had the third-best Expected Goals per 60 rate at 3.03, and had Freddie Andersen, who posted incredible numbers last year. Andersen had the third-best Goals Saved Above Expected rate only behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin.

With the offseason additions, and another full season for this group to mesh together, I like the Canes to win the Cup. Be sure to shop around at multiple sportsbooks like DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook and others when locking in your NHL futures.

Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+1000) at BetMGM