Stanley Cup Odds: Canadian NHL Teams After Trade Deadline

Show of hands – How many of you think the Toronto Maple Leafs shortened their odds of winning their first Stanley Cup in 56 years with the moves they made at the NHL trade deadline last week?

Or the Vancouver Canucks? On Wednesday, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation issued a news release saying the Canucks were in a three-way tie for the fifth-best odds to win the Cup on BCLC’s PlayNow.com platform. 

But this morning, after the Canucks failed to do anything substantive on March 8, trade deadline day, missing out of Jake Guentzel (who ended up with the Carolina Hurricanes), the Canucks are now tied with the Dallas Stars in seventh spot (11.00), after the Florida Panthers (7.00), Edmonton Oilers (8.00), Colorado Avalanche (8.50), Hurricanes (9.50), Boston Bruins (10.00) and Vegas Golden Knights (10.00).

Here’s how each of the Canadian teams look (those in playoff races) as of this morning on the sports betting front with Stanley Cup futures, according to some of the other sports books. 

Edmonton Oilers (39-21-3-81, 2nd in the Pacific Division) 

• Games This Week: Wednesday Night at home vs. Washington Capitals, Saturday at home vs. Colorado Avalanche 

The Oilers added F Sam Carrick, F Adam Henrique and D Troy Stecher, without giving up anyone of note, a nice bit of finetuning to a roster that has gone 21-8 since Jan. 2.

The Oilers are in the drivers’ seat in terms of Canadian teams with the shortest odds this morning to win the Cup – tied with Florida for No. 1 at 7.50 at NorthStar Bets, tied with the Hurricanes for No. 2 at DraftKings (9.00, with the Panthers at 7.00).

Vancouver Canucks (42-17-7-91, 1st in the Pacific Division)

• Games This Week: Wednesday Night at Home vs. Colorado Avalanche, Saturday at Home vs. Washington Capitals

Perhaps we shouldn’t be judging them on what they did Friday. The Canucks did most of their work weeks before – including the F Elias Lindholm trade with the Calgary Flames, and the D Nikita Zadorov trade back in November. Andrei Kuzmenko was traded to the Flames.

According to NHL betting odds at NorthStar Bets, the Canucks are at 13.00 this morning, eighth after the Oilers (7.50), Panthers (7.50), Avalanche (9.00), Stars (10.00), Hurricanes (11.00), Golden Knights (11.00), and the New York Rangers (12.50). At DraftKings, the Canucks are eighth as well – Panthers (7.00), Oilers (9.00), Hurricanes (9.00), Avalanche (9.50), Bruins (10.00), Rangers (11.00), and Stars (11.00). 

Toronto Maple Leafs (37-19-8-82, 3rd in the Atlantic Division)

• Games This Week: Thursday on the Road vs. Philadelphia Flyers, Saturday at home vs. Carolina Hurricanes 

Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving elected to hold back from doing anything bold – trading for D Joel Edmundson and F Connor Dewar, on top of the D Ilya Lyubushkin trade a few days before that. 

The objective was to add some grit to a lineup dominated by hyper-skilled forwards, with little track record of success in the playoffs over the past six-seven seasons when games get more defense-focused and physical.

Treliving decided he didn’t want to give up the No. 1 drafts picks they have left (2024 and 2026) or prized prospects like Eastern Cowan and Fraser Minten to throw everything at a Cup run this season. 

The Leafs don’t have a No. 1 defenseman, and their goaltending is up in the air with the playoffs coming. They are slipping in the odds charts, and that’s understandable, when looking at the bolder moves other teams made. 

PointsBet Canada has them in the tenth spot, at 14.00. At BetMGM, the Leafs opened at 11.00, but they’re now at 16.00.

Winnipeg Jets (40-18-5-85, 2nd in the Central Division) 

• Games This Week: Tonight on the Road vs. Washington Capitals, Wednesday on the Road vs. Nashville Predators, Friday on the Road vs. Anaheim Ducks 

The Jets made arguably the biggest move Friday – picking up F Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. The also picked with F Sean Monahan weeks before the trade deadline, and D Colin Miller.

The Jets have one of the best goalies in the NHL – Connor Hellebuyck – and they are No. 2 in the league in goals against per game – 2.41, second to Florida. 

So, what do they do? They trade for Monahan first, who’s had eight goals in his 15 games since joining the Jets, and Toffoli, who has 26 goals this season, without subtracting anyone from their roster. Toffoli slots in nicely on the Jets’ second line next to Monahan, his former teammate when they were in Montreal, and Alex Iafallo.

BetMGM has the Jets tied with the Leafs and Canucks at ninth at 16.00 today, after opening at 51.00.