The Edmonton Oilers entered the week as the betting favourite to win the Stanley Cup in 2025.
In the past 24 hours, they’ve dropped from the favourite to the third choice even though their betting odds have remained static.
The Oilers are still +650 to win the Stanley Cup.
However, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers have leapfrogged them as the co-favourites to win the Stanley Cup at +600 at FanDuel.
Of course, Edmonton’s odds to win it all weren’t going to get any shorter after they dropped six of seven games.
At the same time, that adjustment at the top has as much to do with the strength of the Oilers side of the playoff bracket as it does anything else.
Edmonton remains the frontrunner to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final at +280.
That number represents a 26.3 per cent implied probability.
However, the Western Conference is very clearly the deeper side of the NHL playoff bracket, featuring four of the top six choices to win the Stanley Cup.
The fact that list doesn’t even include the first-place team in the Winnipeg Jets is a testament to how difficult it will be for the top contenders in the West.
Can the Oilers live up to the hype and beat out some tough competition to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row?
Despite their struggles, recent history illustrates why there’s no reason for hockey fans in Edmonton to hit the panic button right now.
This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday March 6th, 2025.
Will The Oilers Bounce Back Against The Habs?
The Oilers opened as the favourite to win it all at FanDuel last summer after they pushed the Florida Panthers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before just falling short.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the NHL’s most talented teammate duo and after a deep postseason run, Edmonton appeared primed to run it back after a minor retool that include some notable offseason adjustments.
The additions of Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Vasily Podkolzin haven’t resulted in the immediate impact that most fans and fantasy hockey managers expected.
Still, the Oilers position in the standings is similar to this time last year, and despite their recent struggles the Pacific Division title is still very much within reach.
How important is it for Edmonton to beat out the Vegas Golden Knights for the best record in the division?
Last year, the Oilers finished second in the Pacific, then took down the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks to reach the Western Conference Final.
Edmonton went 6-3 in nine playoff road games.
