The Carolina Hurricanes sit on top of the NHL’s Metropolitan division, and there’s good reason to be bullish about their Stanley Cup odds.
Getting over the playoff hump and winning multiple rounds in the postseason has been an issue for Carolina, but that hasn’t deterred oddsmakers from listing them as one of the favorites.
Line movement (Open, Current)
- Bruins +2500 to +550
- Hurricanes +1200 to +750
- Devils +8000 to +1400
The Hurricanes have generated a lot of regular-season success over the last five seasons, but there’s been a lack of consistent playoff success over that stretch. They lost in the conference finals in 2019 but have yet to find the right mix to get over the top and compete for the Stanley Cup. Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, but many wonder if this is finally the year they establish themselves as genuine contenders.
The recent line movement that they’ve seen in the Stanley Cup marketplace certainly indicates so. The Hurricanes opened the year with +1200 odds to win the Stanley Cup and were listed at +900 last week before being bet down to their current number of +750. It certainly won’t be easy to capture the Metropolitan division, with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers breathing down their necks. Still, these playoff matchups would be relatively favorable for the Hurricanes, and it’s hard to see them entering any of those series as underdogs.
Carolina went out in the offseason and acquired Max Pacioretty for pennies on the dollar, and he could be the missing piece they’ve been looking for. This team has lacked game-changing goal scorers, and Pacioretty certainly identifies as that. It’s likely no coincidence that when Pacioretty made his season debut last week, the Hurricanes also saw their Stanley Cup odds rise.
Still, bettors haven’t fully bought into the Canes’ narrative, with them compiling just 5.6% of tickets and 4.5% of the handle. If Carolina can keep up the level of play they’ve brought to the table through the first half of the year, those numbers will likely see an uptick as we trend toward the postseason, and the public will have no choice but to take notice.
