Stanley Cup Odds 2022: Avalanche, Panthers, Flames Clear Favorites

Stanley Cup Odds 2022

As we head into the final few weeks of the regular season, let’s look at the favorites to hoist the 2021-22 Stanley Cup and two clubs who could be considered “dark horses” to win the title, especially if their goaltenders are at the top of their game.

Updated Stanley Cup Odds

The Favorites

Colorado Avalanche +350:  Forward Nazem Kadri in his third season in Colorado, is having the best offensive season of his career; 83 points in 65 games; he had a career high 61 points in 2016-17 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.   He’s currently injured and his return his unknown, this is obviously a story to be watched.  Mikko Rantanen has scored over 20 goals in seven different NHL seasons.  In 43 postseason games he has 52 points (18 goals and 34 assists) while averaging 20:45 of ice time per game.  Rantanen has scored seven power play goals and four game winning goals during his playoff career.  Nathan MacKinnon has scored over 90 points in three different NHL seasons and could have a fourth if he has a strong finish to the season.  In 50 playoff games, the two-time All-Star has 69 points (28 goals and 41 assists). Colorado captain, Gabriel Landeskog is out indefinitely due to a knee injury, if he’s unable to play in the playoffs it’ll be a severe blow to the Avalanche.  In 51 games played this season, he’s scored 30 goals. 

Defenseman Cale Makar, who’s -110 to win the Norris Trophy this season, has been an amazing force on Colorado’s blueline.  The 2019-20 Calder Trophy winner is one of the top scorers amongst defensemen this season; having gone over 75 points in early April.  Maker has over 170 points in almost three full seasons in the NHL.  The 22-year-old has played in 35 playoff games, is a +15 and has scored 31 points (seven goals and 24 assists).  Makar is averaging 22:05 of ice time through his Stanley Cup playoff career.   Devon Toews has been among the league leaders in plus/minus all season.  Toews has played in 40 career playoff games and is +10.  The fourth-year defenseman has scored 21 points (four goals and 17 assists) in his postseason career.

Darcy Kuemper has started 47 games for the Avalanche this year.  He’s 31-9-3 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.37 GAA.  In his first season with Colorado, he’s third in the league in shutouts with five this season.  I do question if he is a number one goalie who could lead his team to a Stanley Cup? 

Florida Panthers +550:  Jonathan Huberdeau is the first Florida Panther in team history to score at least 100 points in a season.  He’s +1700 to win the 2021-22 Hart Trophy.  The 28-year-old has been brilliant this season, as Florida has climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.  Aleksander Barkov has scored over 75 points three times in his career.  In 16 career playoff games he’s scored 14 points (four goals and 10 assists).  He’s averaging 23:19 of ice time per contest during the playoffs.  Sam Reinhart has scored at least 50 points in a season four times in his career.  Having played his whole career in Buffalo, this will be his first appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It could be argued, goalie Sergei Bobrvosky is the key to Florida winning a championship.  In 41 playoff games (36 starts) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Panthers he’s 13-23 with a GAA of 3.24 and a save percentage of .899.  In seven postseason games with Florida, Bobrovsky is 2-5 with a save percentage of .880 and a GAA of 3.80. 

The Panthers have made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals; losing the series 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche is 1996.  Could 2022 be a rematch of that matchup in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals?

Calgary Flames +900: Johnny Gaudreau is phenomenal player, who can make his teammates better and has scored over 95 points for the second time in his career.  He’s played in 30 playoff games and scored 19 points (eight goals and 11 assists).  Gaudreau has tallied five power play goals while averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game in the postseason.  Matthew Tkachuk is one of the top power forwards in the NHL and is a perfect complement to Gaudreau.  He’s scored over 60 points in a season three times and through early April has already scored 85 points; a career high.  In 15 career playoff games he has five points while averaging 16:42 on ice time per game.  Andrew Mangiapane has scored 30 goals in season for the first time in his career during the current campaign.  In his fifth season in the NHL, he has scored over 70 goals.  Mangiapane has appeared in 15 playoff games for Calgary scoring six points, while registering 36 hits and skating 14:28 of ice time per game.  He’s the secondary scoring the Flames will need if they want to advance far in the playoffs.   

Rasmus Andersson is over 40 points for the first time in his career in 2021-22; his season high was 22 set in 2019-20.  In six NHL seasons he has registered over 360 blocked shots and more than 200 hits.  Andersson has played in 15 playoff games for the Flames scoring eight points while being a +3.  Additionally, he has 21 blocked shots and 17 hits in post season play.

Jakob Markstrom will ultimately be the key to Calgary hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first since 1989 and second in franchise history.  He’s won over 30 games this season while adding nine shutouts through early April.  He’s played in 14 career playoff games all for the Vancouver Canucks in 2019-20, going 8-6 with a 2.85 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Toronto Maple Leafs +900: This season Auston Matthews is the first NHL player to score at least 50 goals (51) in a 50-game span since Mario Lemieux did so in 1995-96, per NHL.com.   The Arizona born center is in pursuit of a 60-goal season (only done once in the last decade, Steven Stamkos in 2011-12); Matthews has the record for goals in a season by a U.S. born player.  Matthews is -330 to win his first Hart Trophy.  Mitch Marner is a tremendous offensive player scoring at least 90 points for the second time in his career this season.  Marner is averaging 1.07 points per game in NHL career.  In 32 playoff games all with Toronto, the 24-year-old has 25 points (five goals and 20 assists).  He’s tallied two game winning goals while averaging 20:40 of ice time per game. 

Morgan Reilly has scored over 35 points in five different NHL seasons.  The 27-year-old has appeared in 32 playoff games in a Toronto uniform, scoring 19 points (four goals and 15 assists).  In the post season Reilly is a +1 and averaging 25:09 of ice time per game.

Goalie will be the position that’ll have the Maple Leafs concerned about the most.  In his third season as a Maple Leaf, Jack Campbell has won over 25 games, but suffered a rib injury that could linger into the playoffs.  If he can play, Campbell has the most pressure on him than any other goalie in the 2021-22 Stanley Cup playoffs.  If Toronto hoists the Stanley Cup for the first times since 1966-67, Jack Campbell will have to be the man to lead them. 

A Notch Below 

Tampa Bay Lightning +1000:   Tampa Bay is looking for their third straight Stanley Cup, the first team to do since the New York Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups in the early 1980’s.

Steven Stamkos, the Lightning’s captain is one of my favorite players in the NHL due to his ability to put the puck in the net, grit, and leaderships skills.  In 94 career playoff games he’s scored 72 points (32 goals and 40 assists), scoring 16 power play goals and four game winning goals. 

2018-19 Hart Trophy Nikita Kucherov has scored at least 30 goals in five different seasons.  In 113 career playoff games he’s scored 127 (44 goals and 83 assists); leading the playoffs in scoring the last two seasons.  Also, during his playoff appearances, Kucherov has scored 12 goals on the power and four game winning goals.

Victor Hedman is one of the top defensemen in league, he’s scored 10 or more goals in a season in eight out of the last nine seasons.   The 2018 Norris Trophy winner has played in 132 playoff games during his Lightning career.   The two-time Stanley Cup winner has 88 career postseason points (19 goals and 69 assists) while averaging 25:03 of ice time per game.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner and has won over 220 contests in his NHL career.  The Lightning’s number 88 is one of the best goalies in the league and can be counted on every night to give you a chance to win.  The 2020-21 Conn Smythe winner has 49 career playoff victories with a 2.24 GAA and a .924 save percentage.  Through mid-April he’s listed at +5000 to win his second career Vezina Trophy. 

Carolina Hurricanes +1000:  Forward Sebastian Aho has played in 32 playoff games in the last three seasons for Carolina.  In those contests he has 35 points (14 goals and 21 assists); scoring five goals on the power play and two game winning goals.  Teuvo Teravainen has more than 300 points in over 400 career regular season games.  A Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014-15 has 32 points in 59 career playoff games.  The forward is a +21 while averaging 17:11 of ice time per game in his postseason career.  Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes captain has played in 107 playoff games for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.  The 2008-09 Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh has scored 32 postseason goals while averaging 18:50 of ice time per game.

Jacob Slavin has played in 32 playoff games for the Hurricanes in the last three seasons.  The defenseman has 19 career playoff points and is a +11. 

Frederik Andersen has won over 33 games in 2021-22 along with four shutouts through early April.  The goaltender in his ninth season has played in 53 playoff games for Anaheim and Toronto going 27-23 with a GAA of 2.55 and a saver percentage of .916. 

Can Rod Brind’Amour lead the franchise to their second Stanley Cup as head coach, as he did as captain of the Hurricanes in 2006, leading Carolina to their only Stanley Cup championship?

Dark Horse Candidates

New York Rangers +1600:  Artemi Panarin aka “The Bread Man,” is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NHL; a wizard with the puck, he can score in any situation.  He’s scored at least 74 points in six of his seven seasons in the NHL.  In 30 career playoff games he has 10 goals and 18 assists while averaging 22:06 of ice time per game.

Defending Norris Trophy winner, Adam Fox is the real deal at age 23.  He’s a tremendous skater, reminding me of Duncan Keith with a Paul Coffey like ability to move the puck and be involved offensively.  He’s been one of the top leading scorers amongst defensemen this season; through the beginning of April, he’s already eclipsed 65 points.  Fox is +1000 to repeat as the Norris Trophy winner.  Jacob Trouba has been tremendous this season, blocking over 150 shots and delivering more than 190 hits.  His physical presence will be important as the playoffs became nastier and nastier throughout the rounds.

Igor Shesterkin has over 30 wins this regular season but has played in one playoff game: giving up three goals on 30 shots in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019-20.   Shesterkin is currently the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy at -800 and while being +2000 to win the Hart Trophy.  The last goalie to win both awards was Carey Price in the 2014-15.

If New York can score and paired with the fantastic play of Igor Shesterkin between the pipes the Stanley Cup could return to Madison Square Garden for the first since 1994.