Oddsmakers believe Colorado is heading for an avalanche dynasty.
Avalanche emerged as a wire-to-wire favorite to win the Stanley Cup this season, and Sportsbook has established itself as a favorite to win the trophy next season.
The avalanche, which ended Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday in the Stanley Cup final, is a 6-1 favorite for Caesars Sportsbook next season. Lightning leads 8-1 and is the only team to go off-season with single-digit opening odds with a deep pool of impressive free agents.
The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers will each win the Stanley Cup next season 10-1, followed by the Florida Panthers, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers 12-1 each.
Colorado started the 2021-22 season with 6-1 championship odds and remained a favorite in most sportsbooks throughout the campaign. Although goalkeeper Darcy Kumper is a free agent, Avalanche is expected to return to the top of their championship roster.
“The Avalanche was a no-brainer as a favorite for next year,” Thomas Foster, senior hockey dealer at Kaiser Sportsbook, said in a company release. “Even after being a favorite all season, they haven’t given up and are still on the climb. They just have young talent. “
The left-handed duo of Philip Forsberg of Nashville and Johnny Godreau of Calgary highlighted the free-agent pool. Forsberg is coming down to its best offensive season with 42 goals and 42 assists in 69 games. Godreau has been one of the top 10 scorers in three years and Flames has said he will work hard to keep him in Calgary.
“We’re going to move heaven and earth and we’re going to do everything we can to get Johnny back here,” said Brad Treliving, general manager of Calgary.
The Arizona Coyotes have the highest chance of winning the 2023 Stanley Cup 250-1 in the Caesars Sportsbook.
Greg Washinski of ESPN contributed to this report.