Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche Still Favorites Following Wild Free Agency

What a wild two weeks it's been in the NHL. First, the league officially introduced its 32nd team, as the Seattle Kraken have their initial roster following the expansion draft.

Then came the regular NHL entry draft, which had a few trades and interesting choices, but it was the free-agent frenzy that lived up to its name — and caused some shifts in Stanley Cup Futures odds.

No teams really switched positions at the top of the board, but the favorites fell a little bit back to the pack, and with at least one more major move likely (cough cough Jack Eichel cough cough) there is still some more movement to come with NHL futures odds before the season starts.

While the Bolts remain one of the NHL betting leaders, they are not the favorite. Check out the latest 2021-22 NHL odds to win the Stanley Cup to see who's on top.

Odds to win the Stanley Cup

The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning are the early favorites for the 2021-22 Stanley Cup. 

Odds above are up-to-date and reflect the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Compare NHL futures odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Stanley Cup favorites

The Lightning may have another Stanley Cup, but they aren't on top of the Stanley Cup odds board for the 2021-22 season — as the Colorado Avalance are the current favorites at +600. 

Colorado lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals last season, after it won the President's Trophy with the best regular-season record. The Avs were a trendy pick to win this last season and should be a force again this year, powered by star center Nathan MacKinnon and a deep group of forwards — although No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer left for Seattle in free agency, causing Colorado to trade for veteran (and wild card) Darcy Kuemper.

Tampa Bay slots in just behind Colorado at +650, although the Lightning took a hit in losing forward Yanni Gourde to Seattle in expansion and then, due to salary cap constraints, lost forward Blake Coleman and defenseman David Savard to free agency and traded away Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Johnson. The Lightning entered the offseason with a huge salary cap crunch to navigate, and while it has depleted some of the team's depth, they still are powered by Andrei Vasilevski, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman.

Vegas slots in third with +800 odds. The Golden Knights did not have to lose anyone to Seattle's expansion — as they are just a couple of years removed from joining the league themselves — but salary cap issues forced them to trade reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury to Chicago (for a mid-tier prospect) and the only major offseason addition, thus far, is acquiring forward Evgenii Dadonov from the Ottawa Senators.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (+1,200) had another disappointing end to their season as they were knocked out in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens. While navigating minimal salary cap room (notice a theme?), the Buds lost Top-6 forward Zach Hyman but brought in some middle-six forwards and goalie Petr Mrazek.

The team they poached Mrazek from, the Carolina Hurricanes, ironically welcoming in former Maple Leaf Frederick Andersen as their new No. 1 netminder. After also losing star defenseman Dougie Hamilton — and welcoming controversial blueliner Tony DeAngelo and a host of other depth pieces — the Canes are tied for fifth at +1,300 with the Boston Bruins, who welcomed goalie Linus Ullmark (to replace the injured Tuukka Rask and departed Jaroslav Halak) as well as forward Nick Foligno, who will help fill the void left by veteran center David Krejci's departure back to Europe.

Also worth noting is the expansion Seattle Kraken, who will be making their debut during the 2021-22 season. While they aren't expected to do much at +4,000, the Kraken still have better odds than 13 current NHL clubs. 

The bottom end of the board, meanwhile, features the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres — who all eyes are on as they are expected to move superstar Jack Eichel — at +20,000.

Past Stanley Cup winners

The Tampa Bay Lightning claimed Lord Stanley's grail last season in the COVID-19 bubble. The Lightning were at or near the top of the Stanley Cup odds board throughout the 2020-21 season, along with the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.

Here are the last 12 winners of the Stanley Cup, their odds of winning just before the playoffs began (courtesy of Sports Odds History), and the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.

How to read Stanley Cup odds

Sportsbooks will post NHL futures odds before the season starts — including odds to win the Stanley Cup. These odds are constantly adjusted throughout the offseason as players get hurt, suspended or are traded. Once the regular season begins, title odds will change daily as teams win and lose games and as more players get hurt, suspended or traded. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NHL futures odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.

Stanley Cup odds will usually look like this:

• Colorado Avalanche +750

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $750 if the Avs win the Stanley Cup. If it's close to the end of the regular season or even during the playoffs and the NHL has a very dominant team, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds. 

• Tampa Bay Lightning  -120

This means that you would need to bet $120 to win $100 on a Lightning Stanley Cup win.

Above we have posted the American odds for the Stanley Cup. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool.

Where can I bet on Stanley Cup odds?

You can bet on Stanley Cup odds and NHL futures at every online and casino sportsbook. Find ratings and reviews for the best sportsbooks for betting on NHL futures your area.

Stanley Cup odds FAQs