NHL season opens with Avs as co-favorites to hoist Stanley Cup

Oddsmakers think the Colorado Avalanche will have a great chance to capture another Stanley Cup next summer and become one of just ten NHL franchises to hoist the famous trophy four times.

The Avs have already appeared in the final round the most times without losing at three. The other franchises who have won four Cups are either Original Six teams or founded in 1972 or earlier. The Avalanche captured their first cup in their first season in Colorado in 1995-96, after moving from Québec. Colorado is already one of the more successful teams of the past 30 years but even more so, only four NHL franchisees (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Tampa) have been able to win two cups in as such short as the Avs would be doing.

Colorado won the Stanley Cup, their third as a club, in the summer of 2022. The Avalanche have lost some pieces from that team but the front office, coach and core remain—even after an early first round exit from last year’s playoffs. The team has been honest about the early exit meaning more time off might be a good team for the club given the amount of insures they amassed.

The Avalanche are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes at +800 for best chance to win it all. The Edmonton Oilers, who met the Avs in the conference final two seasons ago and got bounced in the second round last season, have the second-best chance in the west (+1000) followed by the reigning champs, the Vegas Golden Knights (+1200.)

The East could be a bloodbath with even the reigning east champs down at +2000, which gives the conference having seven teams with a reasonable chance to get a ring.

The NHL season starts tomorrow 🏒

Who's going to hoist the cup this year? pic.twitter.com/pWPvmCWG06

— SuperBook Sports (@SuperBookSports) October 9, 2023

ESPN has Colorado winning the Central and being joined by Dallas, Minnesota and Nashville in the playoffs. ESPN and Bleacher Report Cale Makar could have a 100-point season while Sportsnet has offseason scrapheap pickup and former top pick Jonathan Drouin having a career year with old junior teammate Nathan Mackinnon. Two of NHL.com’s writers have the Avs winning it all, and one writer on the DailyFaceoff has the Avs throwing a parade.

The NHL season begins with a triple-header of games on Tuedsay, the Avs will faceoff for the first time on Wednesday night in Los Angeles with their home opener being a week from Thursday.

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