Who should be the betting favorite to win the 2025 Stanley Cup?
By Michael Leboff
Noah Hanifin of the Vegas Golden Knights during warmups before a recent game.
NHLI via Getty Images
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information.
The Stanley Cup playoffs project to be wide open for the second straight year.
FanDuel Sportsbooks has the Stars as the nominal favorite to lift the trophy at +600, but nine teams are listed between +600 and 10/1.
That’s over half the field, and the first team outside that range is Toronto at just 13/1, so you may as well lump the Maple Leafs in that group, too.
The betting market is telling us that 10 teams are true contenders to win the Stanley Cup, and six would be surprises of varying degrees.
With so many teams bunched together, the path to the Cup becomes almost as important as a team’s talent level. That is what we’ll use to separate one team from the pack.
What rival told Rory McIlroy moments after Masters heartbreak
Rory McIlroy; Steve Elkington; Jim Nantz
Former PGA Tour star eviscerates CBS for handling of Rory McIlroy's Masters 'collapse'
Dallas is the Stanley Cup favorite, but it has a brutal projected path. The Stars will play the Avalanche in Round 1, and whoever gets out of that battle will likely take on the Winnipeg Jets in Round 2.
And that’s just to get to the Western Conference finals.
Cody Ceci and the Dallas Stars are the betting favorites to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
AP
The same logic applies to Colorado, which is +950 to win the Stanley Cup.
The Avs are a trendy pick to come out of the West after a busy trade deadline, a strong second half, and the return of Gabriel Landeskog, but Dallas and Winnipeg stand in their way to get to the final four.
Winnipeg’s route to the business end of the playoffs is slightly easier, but the Jets will still need to deal with Dallas or Colorado in Round 2.
The second-favorite behind Dallas is Florida at +650. It’s hard to argue with the logic of hanging the Panthers at this price — they’ve been to the past two Stanley Cup Finals and won in 2024 — but Florida has looked less than inspiring down the stretch, and will have Tampa Bay and Toronto in its way just to get into the Eastern Conference finals.
Betting on the NHL?
Check out the best NHL betting sites
Read our expert guide on how to bet on the NHL
The Lightning (+900) are getting a lot of love from the hockey media as the team to beat in the East this season, but the Bolts are staring down either Toronto or Florida in Round 1, with the other likely to come in Round 2.
The Hurricanes (+850) are a formidable group, but their goaltending may be the least reliable of any team in this cluster, and they’ve got some serious playoff demons to contend with this spring.
The Canes are a big favorite to beat the Devils in Round 1, but it would likely be the first-place Capitals that await them in Round 2. The Caps have been a beast all season, but they’d likely be an underdog to Carolina in Round 2.
That brings us to the team I believe should be the favorite going into the playoffs.
The Golden Knights (+850) are almost guaranteed to win the Pacific Division, which will earn them the opportunity to play one of the wild-card teams in Round 1 and the winner of Edmonton-Los Angeles in Round 2.
Maybe the Oilers turn things up a notch in the playoffs, but they’re mired in a 14-13-1 stretch since the beginning of February and don’t look like the team they were last spring.
The only way to access Joel Sherman’s columns and full expert coverage.Try it free
The Yankees are asking more from Carlos Rodon — and it’s not going well
The Yankees’ AL East hopes will come down to how quickly they can fix this glaring issue
The clock is ticking on Brett Baty’s Mets career
The Kings are 21/1 to win the Cup, meaning the Knights would be a considerable favorite to beat L.A. in Round 2.
You may not think Vegas is the best team in the league, but that’s not the question we’re asking.
Given their path, experience, and talent, there should be enough to make the Knights the leader of this pack.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings