NHL Power Rankings 2024 & Early Stanley Cup Best Bets: Are Panthers Still on Top?

These NHL power rankings and early Stanley Cup best bets are brought to you by various sportsbooks, including BetOnline. BetOnline is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options from 2024-25 NHL season odds to MMA and everything in between.

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A lot has changed around the NHL since the Florida Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup last month. The 2024 NHL Entry Draft brought a new crop of rookies into the league well the free agency period saw dozens of players find new homes while some trades went down in between.

In other words, things could look a lot different when the 2024-25 hockey season begins.

Even though puck-drop isn’t for another three months, it isn’t too early to start thinking about the upcoming campaign. After all, it’s always fun to theorize how the league’s standings will shake up while also making an early Stanley Cup prediction.

With that being said, let’s take a look at Betting News’ initial 2024 NHL power rankings along with an early championship pick.

NHL Power Rankings 2024 After Free Agency — Top 10

1. Florida Panthers — Is it really that surprising to see the Panthers at No. 1? Florida reached the top of the mountain last season and has enough depth at all positions to pull off a repeat if the stars align.

2. Edmonton Oilers — Connor McDavid & Co. didn’t win it all last season, however, they did take the eventual champions to seven games. With experience from that run, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Oilers end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought next spring.

3. Dallas Stars — The Stars are on the rise after back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals. Even though the team lost Joe Pavelski to retirement, Dallas’ impressive depth means the 40-year-old’s presence won’t be missed too much.

4. New York Rangers — Let’s not forget that the Rangers were the best regular-season team last year and could’ve won the Cup had they not run into the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. With a better postseason path, New York could finish on top in 2024-25.

5. Carolina Hurricanes — The Hurricanes are consistently one of the NHL’s best teams every year, but we’re just waiting for them to finally put everything together. Will that finally happen next season?

6. Colorado Avalanche — The Avalanche will be a championship threat next season, however, their odds of doing so will improve if they can get both Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin back in the lineup.

7. New Jersey Devils — While the 2023-24 campaign didn’t go as planned, the Devils should be much better this fall with the additions of Jacob Markstrom, Brett Pesce, and Brenden Dillon. If Jack Hughes stays healthy, New Jersey might be in President’s Trophy contention.

8. Vegas Golden Knights — The Golden Knights will be hungry to re-establish themselves as a threat following a first-round exit to the Stars. It was also just a season ago when they were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

9. Vancouver Canucks — One of the best regular-season teams, the Canucks are in a good spot for more success after a large chunk of their roster had career years.

10. Boston Bruins — Could the Bruins be higher on this list? Certainly, however, that’ll depend on how Jeremy Swayman performs between the pipes now that Linus Ullmark is no longer his security blanket.

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NHL Power Rankings 2024 — Middle 10

11. Toronto Maple Leafs — The Maple Leafs boast some of the best players in the league, however, postseason success continues to elude the franchise. Will they finally go on a deep playoff run?

12. Nashville Predators — The Predators had a solid roster last year that needed a game-changing forward, so they went out and added Steven Stamkos this summer. He’s no longer in his prime, though, leaving time to tell if he can still help the Preds take that next step.

13. Tampa Bay Lightning — Even though the Lightning lost Stamkos to the Predators, they’re still one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. It’s best not to underestimate a team with two Stanley Cup victories in three appearances across the last five seasons.

14. Winnipeg Jets — Connor Hellebuyck was the NHL’s top goaltender last year and that was good enough to help lead the Jets to victory on most nights. Will they survive Sean Monahan’s departure, though?

15. Los Angeles Kings — The Kings are one of those middle-of-the-pack clubs looking to reach the next level. They showed promise last season but further progress will hinge on their young core’s development.

16. Washington Capitals — After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, the Capitals look like a stronger team following the offseason additions of Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Matt Roy.

17. New York Islanders — The Islanders will now have a full season under head coach Patrick Roy, meaning there aren’t any excuses not to return to the playoffs again.

18. Philadelphia Flyers — The Flyers shocked a lot of people last season and have the potential to repeat that feat if Russian prospect Matvei Michkov lives up to the hype.

19. Ottawa Senators — The Senators entered the NHL offseason looking for a starting goaltender and right-handed defenseman, and they got that with the addition so former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark and veteran D-man Nick Jensen.

20. Detroit Red Wings — Red Wings fans are constantly wondering if each year will be the one where the franchise returns to the playoffs. They missed the mark by three points this past spring, leaving time to tell if they can further close the gap come April.

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NHL Power Rankings 2024 — Middle 12

21. Minnesota Wild — The Wild have promising pieces, however, it’s difficult to trust a team that’s either missed the playoffs or suffered a first-round elimination in each of the last nine seasons.

22. Pittsburgh Penguins — As long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are playing at a high level, the Penguins should continue to challenge for a playoff spot.

23. Buffalo Sabres — Will head coach Lindy Ruff’s return to the franchise be enough to end the Sabres’ historic playoff drought? Time will tell — especially since Buffalo has hit the 90-point mark just once since 2012.

24. St. Louis Blues — Without any concrete offseason moves that made them better, the Blues will likely be a bubble team once again in 2024-25.

25. Utah Hockey Club — The Arizona Coyotes are no more as the Utah Hockey Club makes its debut next season. Expectations are low at the moment, meaning the NHL’s newest franchise could surprise a lot of people.

26. Montreal Canadiens — The Canadiens are another up-and-coming team that’s looking to make some noise after years of failure. We’ll see if Juraj Slafkovsky can live up to his monster extension.

27. Seattle Kraken — Head coach Dan Bylsma has his hands full after the Kraken missed out on the 2023-24 postseason. Seattle is still young down the middle of the ice, meaning any success could depend on newly signed center Chandler Stephenson.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets — The Blue Jackets have a bright future, but there’s still a lot of proving to do. It’s best to temper expectations for now until we see some real progress.

29. Calgary Flames — The Flames are firmly in a rebuild after getting rid of the majority of their veteran players. I’d be shocked if they were anything more than a lottery team for the next few seasons.

30. Chicago Blackhawks — Connor Bedard isn’t good enough to get the Blackhawks out of the basement on his own. Sure, the franchise brought in plenty of veterans this offseason, but will that be enough?

31. Anaheim Ducks — Outside of updating their logo and uniform, the Ducks remained largely unchanged this summer. Given where they finished last season, it’s safe to say we can expect more of the same.

32. San Jose Sharks — Rookies Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickinson could be game-changers one day, however, that likely won’t happen as soon as the 2024-25 NHL season. Expect more pain for the Sharks fanbase going forward.

NHL Stanley Cup 2025 Odds & Early Prediction

NHL Stanley Cup 2025 odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 11:47 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 17. 

• Edmonton Oilers (+800)
• Florida Panthers (+900)
• Dallas Stars (+1000)
• New Jersey Devils (+1000)
• Colorado Avalanche (+1200)
• Carolina Hurricanes (+1400)
• New York Rangers (+1400)
• Toronto Maple Leafs (+1400)
• Nashville Predators (+1600)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (+2000)
• Los Angeles Kings (+2200)
• Vancouver Canucks (+2200)
• Winnipeg Jets (+2500)
• Minnesota Wild (+3300)
• Ottawa Senators (+3500)
• Detroit Red Wings (+4000)
• New York Islanders (+4500)
• Buffalo Sabres (+5000)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (+5000)
• Philadelphia Flyers (+6000)
• St. Louis Blues (+6000)
• Seattle Kraken (+6000)
• Washington Capitals (+6600)
• Utah Hockey Club (+6600)
• Calgary Flames (+8000)
• Chicago Blackhawks (+15000)
• Montreal Canadiens (+15000)
• Anaheim Ducks (+25000)
• Columbus Blue Jackets (+25000)
• San Jose Sharks (+30000)

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Even though the Panthers are the defending champions, I could see the Oilers winning the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the NHL’s best players and the duo likely would’ve won Edmonton a championship had Sergei Bobrovsky not stood on his head at times during the Stanley Cup Final. Motivated by failure and backed by one of the West’s deepest rosters, the Oilers have what it takes to win it all.

But if you want a bit more value on your pick, I do like the Rangers at +1400. They’ve reached the conference finals in two of the last three seasons and would’ve reached the championship round for the first time since 2014 had they not run into the Panthers this spring.

Early Stanley Cup 2025 Prediction: Edmonton Oilers (+800)

Early Stanley Cup 2025 Dark Horse: New York Rangers (+1400)

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NHL Best Bets & Picks Today

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