2023 NHL Stanley Cup Market: Does Any Team Have Value?

Last night, the NHL handed out the Stanley Cup to the Colorado Avalanche for the first time since 2001. Looking ahead to next year, do any teams currently present value with their 2023 Stanley Cup odds?

With new lines already out for next season, the Avalanche own the highest odds to repeat at +500, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs priced at +900, along with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights all sitting at +1000. 

There’s certainly a lot to like about the makeup of the defending champs roster. Still, some offseason question marks need addressing, specifically in the net with Darcy Kuemper being a free agent. Kuemper proved valuable to an Avs team who had been looking for big saves in prior seasons, but it’s unknown if they’ll decide to go in a different direction. If they do, several goalies on the open market could make sense, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and Kuemper won’t command a significant raise. Nazem Kadri put up a career-high 87 points this year, and likely won’t return to Colorado unless he takes a discount. The Avs showed they could win without him, but his presence will be missed. Regardless of the situation with Kadri and in the net, the Avs are built to be a contender for years to come, and their current price of +500 isn’t difficult to swallow. 

Out of the five teams that own odds above +1000, the Vegas Golden Knights are due for some progression after missing last year’s postseason. Much of that had to do with the number of man-games the team lost to injury and salary cap trouble. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone should play more significant roles for the team and at least enter the season healthy. This squad is deep up front and should score at higher rates. It will be interesting to see how Golden Knight’s general manager Kelly McCrimmon manages the salary cap this offseason. Still, it’s difficult to see a world where this team isn’t back contending for the Stanley Cup next season. 

You can argue that the Toronto Maple Leafs are inches from breaking through and ending their long Stanley Cup drought. The team hasn’t won the ultimate prize since 1967, but there was a lot to like about their performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, suggesting they could break out sooner rather than later. Auston Matthews is one of the most dynamic scorers in the NHL, and it’s only a matter of time before he helps lead the Leafs to multiple playoff round victories. The Leafs’ roster should be relatively untouched this offseason, depending on what Kyle Dubas decides to change. The one thing that may change is their goalies, with Jack Campbell being an unrestricted free agent. If Campbell doesn’t return, the Leafs could find themselves trading for a netminder or finding one in a deep pool of free agents. With how talented this team is, it’s hard to see them not eventually breaking through after the lessons they’ve learned over the past two seasons. 

If you’re looking for value that isn’t listed among the top projected teams next season, there’s likely some present in the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers currently own odds of +2000, while the Blues are at +2500. Edmonton made it to the Western Conference Finals this season before being swept by Colorado, while the Avs defeated the Blues in six games in the round prior. Both clubs know improvements will be necessary to beat this powerhouse Avs team, and it will be interesting to see how they adjust their rosters this offseason. Connor McDavid appeared to be a man on a mission in the playoffs, while Leon Draisaitl will be someone to keep an eye on even more if he’s healthy and not playing through an injury. In terms of the Blues, it’s hard to see Doug Armstrong not making at least some changes, but this is also one of the deeper forward cores in the NHL. 

Even with the NHL season only concluding last night, it’s never too early to look ahead to next year, especially when there’s already some evident value on the board. 

Below you can find all 32 teams’ Stanley Cup odds for 2023 from the FanDuel Sportsbook.