NHL Stanley Cup Final 2025 Odds: Panthers Early Favorites to Defend Title, Oilers 3rd

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJune 25, 2024

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The Florida Panthers aren’t only Stanley Cup champions.

They are favorites to win it again.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Panthers are the favorites to lift the Cup next season at +900 (bet $100 to win $900). They are tied with the Dallas Stars and followed closely by the same Edmonton Oilers team they just defeated in a thrilling seven-game series:

Florida Panthers: +900Dallas Stars: +900Edmonton Oilers: +950New York Rangers: +1,200Colorado Avalanche: +1,200Carolina Hurricanes: +1,200New Jersey Devils: +1,300Vegas Golden Knights: +1,600Winning back-to-back titles would be quite the accomplishment, as Florida had never won a championship in franchise history prior to Monday’s 2-1 victory over the Oilers in Game 7.

However, the Panthers are clearly on the short list of the NHL’s elite teams considering they were also in the Stanley Cup Final a season ago. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s series but were able to earn some revenge on the Western Conference with the latest win over Edmonton.

Next year’s Panthers team will surely look different, but goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is signed through the 2025-26 campaign and figures to once again be an anchor.

While he was up-and-down at times as the Oilers nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final, he was at his best with the trophy on the line in Game 7. He stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced, including an onslaught in the third period as Edmonton was attempting to force overtime.

If he plays like that again next season, the Panthers may deliver on those championship expectations yet again.