NHL Stanley Cup 2025 Odds: Will the Cup Stay in Florida?

Carolina Hurricanes (+475)

• • Head Coach: Rod Brind’Amour
  • 2024-25 Record: 47-30-5 (2nd Metropolitan Division)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 1
  • Key Players: Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere

Bettors are high on the Carolina Hurricanes after the opening matchups of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Rod Brind’Amour’s squad has looked good against the New Jersey Devils, and money is pouring in on them to win the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes are in full control of the Devils in the first round of the postseason. With a 3-1 series lead, they may very well be onto the second round by the time you read this! The series might have played out differently if the Devils were a healthy squad, though.

The Devils are a depleted roster that went into the playoffs without many expectations, though. Carolina making it look easy against the Devils isn’t moving the meter much for me, but the public is all over the Canes recently.

THE STORM THAT WON'T GO AWAY 🌀

The Hurricanes take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Devils 💪 pic.twitter.com/jsqNuhrrw1

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 27, 2025

On the back of an Andrei Svechnikov hat trick, the Hurricanes put the Devils on the brink of elimination. It’s highly unlikely that the underdogs stage a big comeback, so assume that the Hurricanes are heading to the next round. Given their success in the first round, their Stanley Cup odds have moved considerably.

They finished second in the Metropolitan Division with 99 points. The Metropolitan was expected to be a highly competitive division, but the Devils ran into injuries, the Rangers faltered, and the bottom of the Metropolitan featured bad Flyers and Penguins teams.

Aside from the Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes had no competition in the division. Led by a solid core, including Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes finished ninth in goals and tenth in goals against per game this season.

However, Carolina never “wowed” compared to some of the other top contenders in the league. They are a well-built roster that can get results from all of their lines. That being said, I don’t see the value on the Hurricanes at +475 odds!

Handling a banged-up Devils squad doesn’t jump off the page, and shouldn’t be viewed as a huge accomplishment. The Hurricanes should probably be in the +750 range, so I will pass on their Stanley Cup Playoffs odds!

Florida Panthers (+650)

• • Head Coach: Paul Maurice
  • 2024-25 Record: 47-31-4 (3rd Atlantic Division)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 1
  • Key Players: Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Sergei Bobrovsky

After the Florida Panthers entered the playoffs with question marks surrounding their health, they got some bodies back at the right time. Most notably, Matthew Tkachuk returned for the first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov were dealing with injuries late in the regular season, but have received a clean bill of health, too. Additionally, defenseman Aaron Ekblad cleared his 20-game suspension and was back on the ice for Game 3.

MATTHEW TKACHUK'S GOT HIS THIRD GOAL OF THE SERIES 🥶

The Panthers have opened the scoring for the THIRD straight game against the Lightning 🚨 pic.twitter.com/RSejHJyCLZ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 26, 2025

Tkachuk has been on fire in the first-round series against the Bolts. He has scored three goals and chipped in with an assist. The time off for the injury might have been the best scenario for Tkachuk, as he looks fresh and is taking command on the ice!

The defending champions finished third in the Atlantic after going 3-6-1 in their last ten regular season games. That being said, the Panthers are a different team when they’re healthy, and that’s why you see this sudden surge of money on them to win the Stanley Cup recently.

Nevertheless, the Panthers aren’t out of the woods yet against a quality Lightning squad. Tampa remains alive against their in-state rivals despite the Stanley Cup odds favoring the Panthers heavily over the Lightning. It’s always difficult to play well into June in the Stanley Cup Final and then follow up the next year with another deep run.

Aside from those concerns, the Panthers are a tough and physical team. That formula is tough to beat in the playoffs, so watch out for the Panthers again this spring!

Toronto Maple Leafs (+750)

• • Head Coach: Craig Berube
  • 2024-25 Record: 52-26-4 (1st Atlantic Division)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 13
  • Key Players: Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares

Could we have an all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final? It would be wild, but it isn’t that outlandish considering the latest 2025 Stanley Cup odds. The Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs are among the top favorites to win, so you can’t rule it out!

This is the first playoffs with head coach Craig Berube after Sheldon Keefe was fired from his duties in the offseason. One of the criticisms of the Maple Leafs has been their lack of urgency and physicality in the playoffs. Fighting for loose pucks and winning battles in the corners was an afterthought.

That’s exactly why Berube, who won the Cup with the Blues in 2019, was brought into Toronto.

His coaching philosophy doesn’t reward players who don’t work hard and fight for the puck. This has been evident in the Maple Leafs’ first-round matchup against the Ottawa Senators. In a refreshing sight, the Maple Leafs are hitting and winning the 50-50 battles for pucks. As a result, they have the Senators on the brink and out to a 3-1 series lead heading into Game 5.

While the Maple Leafs have a lot of pure talent with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and other offensive stars, they can’t rely just on that in the playoffs. That’s what happened during the Keefe era, but we’re seeing a different effort under Berube. Even the goaltender is getting physical!

Anthony Stolarz was not very impressed with Ridly Greig in his crease 😳
•••
(🎥: @espn) pic.twitter.com/2cGUWrJIz3

— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) April 23, 2025

If the Maple Leafs can maintain that energy and get timely goaltending from Anthony Stolarz, they are going to be right there with the rest of the league.

Stolarz came up big for the Maple Leafs when he was healthy this season. The New Jersey native posted a 2.14 GAA and 0.926 save percentage in 34 matchups. He owns a 2.63 GAA and 0.893 save percentage through four playoff games. The numbers don’t look the best on paper, but he’s made some huge stops against the Sens!

We know that the playmaking ability is going to be there for Toronto. The Leafs are seventh in the NHL, averaging 3.26 goals per game in the regular season. Matthews didn’t have another near 70-goal campaign, but they’ve been more well-balanced, and John Tavares has elevated his game substantially.

Is this going to be the year, Leafs fans? This might be a better season than ever in the current era!

Colorado Avalanche (+875)

• • Head Coach: Jared Bednar
  • 2024-25 Record: 49-29-4 (3rd Central Division)
  • Stanley Cup Titles: 3
  • Key Players: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Brock Nelson

The Avalanche have been one of the most notable movers in the Stanley Cup betting markets! In mid-March, Jared Bednar’s team had a +1000 price to be the winners of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. That price steadily dropped to +825, and then dropped all the way down to +700 at the start of the 2025 NHL Playoffs.

Now, the Avalanche are back up to +875 in the midst of a tight opening round series against the Dallas Stars! They opened the postseason with a 5-1 blowout win in Game 1 over the Stars. It was an impressive all-around performance from the Avs. However, the Avalanche dropped Game 2 in an overtime thriller by a score of 4-3 at the American Airlines Center.

With the Avalanche and Stars tied at 2-2, I anticipate this going seven games. That may not bode well for the Avalanche at first glance, but this very well could be their toughest playoff series. If the Avalanche advance, getting Dallas out of the way now is a huge plus! However, the Stars aren’t going down quietly, and may very well oust the Avalanche in a nail-biter.

Gabriel Landeskog scoring his first NHL goal since 2022 in Game 4 has to be a massive boost for the Avalanche’s confidence. It was looking like the Avs’ captain may have had to retire due to a brutal knee injury, but he persevered and is back and contributing. I expect this to be a source of motivation for the Avs going forward.

Colorado bench is so proud of Landeskog ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RyLuO7U6SX

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 27, 2025

In the regular season, the Avalanche finished sixth in scoring and 12th defensively. They have no shortage of offense with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. Most importantly, Cale Makar’s presence on the blue line affords the Avalanche a weapon that other teams don’t have as an elite offensive defenseman.

Experience is the high point of this Avalanche squad. Only three years removed from their Stanley Cup win in 2022, many of the main components of that roster remain together. Trading Mikko Rantanen was viewed as a head scratcher earlier this season, but Necas has blended in seamlessly.

In such a wide-open postseason, the Avalanche can’t be disregarded to win the Cup at +875 odds! The Stars may prove to be too much of a thorn in their side — either removing them from the playoffs completely, or wearing them down too much for the subsequent rounds.