2023 NHL Conference Title Odds: Avalanche and Leafs Lead the Way

The NHL consists of two conferences, the Eastern and the Western. The champion from each goes on to play in the Stanley Cup Final. Last season, the Colorado Avalanche were the champions of the West, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were the champions of the East.

For the upcoming 2023 season, the lines are pretty close for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. However, the Western Conference is a bit more spread out, due to the recent Stanley Cup won by the Colorado Avalanche.

Since the odds have been dropped for each conference, let’s take a look at each one a bit closer. We will use BetOnline for all of the odds.

2023 NHL Western Conference Title Odds

Odds are via BetOnline.

• Colorado Avalanche +185
• Edmonton Oilers +700
• Vegas Golden Knights +700
• Minnesota Wild +800
• St. Louis Blues +1200
• Calgary Flames +1200
• Los Angeles Kings +1400
• Nashville Predators +2200
• Vancouver Canucks +2300
• Dallas Stars +2300
• Winnipeg Jets +2500
• Seattle Kraken +5000
• San Jose Sharks +5000
• Anaheim Ducks +6500
• Chicago Blackhawks +10000
• Arizona Coyotes +15000

Just like last season, the Colorado Avalanche have taken a large lead early. They have most of their core players coming back after signing them to long-term contracts this offseason. They will be a force in the league for many years to come.

Teams like the Oilers are on the rise in the Conference, and they have proven themselves to be a threat. They made the Western Conference Final last season before ultimately being swept by the Avalanche.

Younger teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars are big wild cards. They have the ability to make the playoffs. and advance multiple rounds. However, as always, the biggest challenge for them will be Colorado when they meet.

Unfortunately for Anaheim, Chicago, and Arizona, they have been trending in the wrong direction the past few seasons. Chicago is the biggest surprise, as they may even be losing star forward Patrick Kane within the next few weeks.

It could be a repeat of 2022 in 2023. If Colorado puts on the same type of postseason performance like they did, it will be a steep hill to climb for any team to surpass them.

2023 NHL Eastern Conference Title Odds

Odds are via BetOnline.

• Toronto Maple Leafs +450
• Carolina Hurricanes +480
• Tampa Bay Lightning +500
• Florida Panthers +650
• Pittsburgh Penguins +950
• New York Rangers +1000
• Boston Bruins +1500
• New York Islanders +1500
• Washington Capitals +2000
• Ottawa Senators +3000
• Detroit Red Wings +3500
• New Jersey Devils +3500
• Columbus Blue Jackets +4000
• Philadelphia Flyers +4000
• Buffalo Sabres +4000
• Montreal Canadiens +7500

The Eastern Conference is more wide open with three teams in close proximity to the top spot. Currently, the Maple Leafs hold the shortest odds, and they have been trending in the positive direction over the past few weeks.

Carolina and Tampa Bay have been a solid pick for the conference for years. Especially with the fact that they always make the playoffs, and in the Lightning’s case, always make the Final. 2023 should show similar results for these two teams.

Teams like the Panthers, Rangers, and Penguins will have a question mark next to their name when it comes to deep playoff runs. The Rangers did make the Eastern Final last season, but they had to survive a lot of Game 7 drama before getting knocked out by Tampa Bay.

Ottawa, Detroit, New Jersey, and Columbus all represent the younger generation in hockey, and we could see one or more of them in the playoffs this season. For Columbus, they have signed star forward Johnny Gaudreau, and they have been trending upward this past week.

For the Flyers, Sabres, and Canadiens, there is just a bit too much competition in the division to safely say a playoff run is in the near future. Even though some are trending up, there just isn’t enough firepower from them to dethrone some of the conference powerhouses.

Other NHL News on Betting News

• 2023 NHL Division Title Betting Odds
• 2023 Stanley Cup Futures & NHL Offseason Moves