Winning the Stanley Cup is what every team in the NHL strives for. Each year, the teams go through the regular season and then the postseason to decide who gets to take the trophy home. It gets harder every year to predict who will win the Cup; however, let’s look through all of the statistics and try to decide which teams have the best chance of winning it all. Keep reading to see who you should be backing!

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are sitting pretty at the top of the Central Division at the moment. In fact, they have the most wins of any team in the NHL right now. It means that while people tend to like to bet on NHL teams from New York, perhaps the safest bet would be to back this team from Colorado. They’re looking very strong at this stage of the season. 

What makes them an even better pick is that they are also looking to be active in the trade market. So, not only are the Avalanche performing at a very high level, they’re also likely to add to their roster. This means that they will have an even stronger team going into the postseason, and will have a good chance of picking up the Stanley Cup.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers are having an amazing season. They had Aaron Ekblad return from a long-term layoff, which helped make the team instantly stronger. Their goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, is also in splendid form. In fact, Bobrovsky has managed a 0.915 save percentage so far in the season, which means that he’s been playing above average hockey.

Add this to trading for Sam Reinhart from the Sabres, and the Panthers are looking good. While they might not be the favorite to grab the Stanley Cup, they are still in a very strong position and are a great outside option.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights have one of the strongest rosters in all of the NHL. This is why they are such a solid pick to take home the Stanley Cup. However, there are some injury troubles for the Golden Knights at the moment, which has somewhat lessened their chances of winning the Cup. There have also been some salary cap issues, which is where their biggest problems lie. 

But the reason they’re a solid pick is that if they’re able to get healthy before the postseason, they can without a doubt challenge anyone in the NHL. So, as an outside choice, they are perfect. It does, however, mean that you’ll be relying on the Golden Knights playing their best hockey. If they’re able to do so, then you can expect the Golden Knights to make a late surge for glory.

Calgary Flames

What is there to say about the Flames? Without wanting to sound corny, they’ve been on fire recently. The Flames are confident that they can go all the way this season, as shown by their trade for Tyler Toffoli. By bringing in a player who is a seasoned professional, the Flames clearly believe that they are able to win the Stanley Cup.

It’s this attitude that makes the Flames such a good team to back. Because they are playing so well right now, and adding to their roster with top-level players, they could well make a charge to the Final. The fact that their odds are shortening all the time proves that the sportsbooks are becoming aware of what the Flames have to offer.

John Smark