Stanley Cup Odds and Action Report

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Stanley Cup odds might not be top of mind for most of you, with March Madness now creeping up on the calendar. But pucks are going on, and action is coming in.

As the calendar hits the second half of February, the Boston Bruins remain atop the odds to win the Stanley Cup. Perhaps surprisingly, the Carolina Hurricanes have risen to the second choice.

BetMGM sports trader Christian Cipollini offers his insights on 2022-23 Stanley Cup futures odds and action. Check back all season long for updates.

2022-23 Stanley Cup Odds

Rangers Dangerous

On Feb. 9, three weeks ahead of the NHL's trade deadline, the New York Rangers decided to beat all comers to the punch. New York made a deal with the St. Louis Blues to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko, bolstering a Rangers team already in the thick of the Stanley Cup odds market.

The move took a popular team and made it even more so with bettors.

"The Rangers have been the recent public favorite with the Tarasenko trade," Cipollini said. "I know from living in the area that Rangers fans have been a bit down on their team, and this trade was significant. The Rangers jumped from +2000 to +1400 and are currently the biggest loser for the book."

At 14/1, New York is the co-sixth choice with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers. As noted above, the Bruins continue to lead the pack at +450, followed by the Hurricanes at +650.

The defending champion Colorado Avalanche, who were atop Stanley Cup futures odds until the calendar turned to 2023, are the +700 third choice at BetMGM.

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Trending Teams

Along with the Rangers, Cipollini pointed to two more squads getting bettors' attention over the past few weeks: the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. As of Feb. 16, Edmonton has surged to fourth in the Pacific Division on the strength of a recent 9-0-2 run.

"The Oilers have been hot as of late. Personally, I place a bet on the Oilers before every season. Connor McDavid will not go his career without a Cup, so I will be right at some point," Cipollini said, noting the Oilers have moved from +2200 to +1400 from the recent success.

Dallas is leading the Central Division and is actually leading the Western Conference in points as of Feb. 16 (71).

"The Stars are still holding in the same range, +1600, but we haven’t taken much action on them," Cipollini said. "Of teams that have a legitimate chance of winning, the Stars and Minnesota Wild have the least bets."

Minnesota is at +2200 on BetMGM's Stanley Cup odds board.

Ticket Takers and Money Makers

All season long, the Avalanche led in both tickets and money in BetMGM's Stanley Cup futures odds market. But the favored Bruins are now atop the ticket count, followed by Colorado and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are the +1000 fourth choice to win the Cup.

Colorado still leads in money, followed by the Bruins and the Rangers, who as of Feb. 16 were on a six-game winning streak.

BetMGM has several teams in its root-for box at the moment.

"Of teams with a chance, the Stars and Wild for sure," Cipollini said. "Of the real competitors, the Hurricanes are our biggest root-for. They have been very hot and look good, but haven’t taken the action you’d typically see on the second favorite. I would throw the Lightning in here, too. They've been been about +1200 most of the season.

"Maybe there's a little fatigue with the Lightning from the public side, but they feel invisible this year. Tampa is consistently a top-five team in terms of price in the futures market, yet I rarely see bets on them. The Lightning are one of our better outcomes."

On the flip side, BetMGM has three teams in its root-against box.

"The Rangers are No. 1 at this point by a big margin. They've been floating around +2000 for most of the season, but they're a very popular public team, and the recent trade hasn’t helped us," Cipollini said. "For the past four years, the Avalanche have been a team we root against, and that isn’t changing this year. The Golden Knights are another team that we wouldn’t want to see win it. Especially if they continue to advance in the playoffs, those tickers start flying in Nevada."

As noted above, Vegas is +1400 along with the Rangers and Oilers.

Flying Under the Radar

As Cipollini noted above, even while sitting second in odds to win the Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes aren't getting much traction with NHL bettors. As of Feb. 16, Carolina has 78 points, second only to red-hot Boston's 85.

"It's hard to say the Hurricanes are flying under the radar. But when I look at teams that aren’t taking action relative to their strength, the Hurricanes are No. 1," Cipollini said. "Other than the Stars, every team at +2000 or better has more bets than Carolina."

The Seattle Kraken continue to be a likable under-the-radar outfit for Cipollini said.

"I’m still on the Kraken bandwagon this year. Seattle is a bottom-10 team in terms of handle, but is certainly a team that has a chance to make a splash in the playoffs," Cipollini said. "Also, don’t sleep on the Buffalo Sabres. They're 4 points out of a playoff spot, but still 150/1. They have been good of late, and the advanced stats love them. I think there’s some value in that price.

"And of course, the Stars, as I've mentioned plenty of times. They're a great team this year, but the public doesn’t seem interested. No betting in Texas probably doesn’t help."

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson