Best Stanley Cup picks for 2023-24 season: Don't forget about the Lightning
The NHL season is quickly approaching, which makes now the perfect time for predictions.
When finding bandwagons to hop on we're always looking for the shiny new toy. There's something to be said about "seeing is believing," though, and our best bet has shown us plenty to be confident in over the years.
Below our are best Stanley Cup picks for the 2023-24 season.
NHL oddsas of 9:17 a.m. on 10/08/2023.
Best Stanley Cup picks
Best Bet: Lightning (+2,000)
All of the news surrounding Tampa Bay has been negative, so maybe it's my contrarian side that's happy to jump on board.
The Lighting, who've won two of the last four Stanley Cups while qualifying for three, are an aging group in some respects. Top talents like Steven Stamkos (33) and Victor Hedman (32) are older but are by no means retiring any time soon.
It's easy to look at their first-round exit from last season and say this team is past its prime. But, like anything, it's important to attach some context. Two stalwarts on the back end — Hedman and Erik Cernak — were injured in Game 1. Hedman missed a game and returned at less than full health while Cernak never re-entered the series.
Both had the offseason to fully rest, as has the entire team. No squad has played more hockey than the Bolts across the last four seasons, and a longer offseason was the best thing for their chances in 2023-24.
That's especially true for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is going to miss 8-10 weeks following back surgery. The Russian puck-stopper wasn't his usual self in the postseason, posting a brutal .875 save percentage across the team's six-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He'll return with his back fixed and the hope is that newly-acquired netminder Jonas Johansson can hold down the crease in the meantime. The early returns are positive in Johansson as he posted two shutouts in three preseason appearances.
Despite everything that conspired against Tampa Bay in last year's playoffs, it only lost one game in regulation to Toronto during the series.
The core is strong with Stamkos, Hedman, Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev, making the Lightning the best blend of skill and value on the Stanley Cup futures market.
Best Stanley Cup picks - Team to watch
New York is in the midst of its Stanley Cup window.
That might be weird to read considering it wasn't too long ago that it was in the midst of a rebuild. But with Artemi Panarin (32 in October), Mika Zibanejad (30) and Chris Kreider (32) in the mid-to-late stages of their primes, the team's best forwards are beginning to age.
A sense of urgency from the organization to field a winner has been apparent. The Rangers swung two notable deadline deals last year, acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Taraseanko midseason.
The results from those trades were a little underwhelming as the two combined for a modest 10 points in the squad's seven-game series loss to the New Jersey Devils.
New York went back to the veteran well this offseason, however, luring Blake Wheeler via free agency. Wheeler, 37, is entering the twilight of his career but has continued to be an effective player. He has 115 points across 137 games in his last two seasons.
Although the forward core is aging there is upside all over the roster with young players like Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and K'Andre Miller. Add in perennial Norris Trophy candidate Adam Fox, hard-hitting captain Jacob Trouba and Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, and the Blueshirts boast a roster as complete as any.
Best Stanley Cup pick - Long shot
Only one playoff team from a year ago (Winnipeg Jets, +5,000) has lower odds to win the Stanley Cup than Seattle, which inherently shows that there's some value on the team.
We'll take this exercise one step further by showing the Stanley Cup odds for all squads that qualified for the second round.
Not only does Seattle hold the longest odds, but it's the only team with odds greater than 20-to-1.
The Kraken's roster lacks high-end star power but there's no question they're a tough team to play against. Matthew Beniers, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, is a burgeoning centre in the mould of Patrice Bergeron. He'll have his name in the Selke Trophy conversation for years to come as he progresses.
It's no coincidence that Jared McCann posted a career year in his first season alongside Beniers. The talented winger had 40 goals and 70 points in 2022-23, setting career highs across the board.
Vince Dunn quietly had a breakout year as the rearguard finished 10th among defencemen in points (64).
There's always the Shane Wright wild card, too. The 2022 No. 4 overall pick will start the year in the AHL but has the potential to play his way up to the big-league roster and make an impact.
Philipp Grubauer leads the team between the pipes. Grubauer isn't an elite goaltender by any stretch, but he owns a respectable career .912 save percentage. Nobody was talking about Adin Hill being a championship-calibre goalie a season ago, but here we are one year later.
