Last year, the Stanley Cup was taken by the Colorado Avalanche, which has made them a popular team to root for this past season. With the 2023 Stanley Cup nearly upon us, April 17th, who are the obvious picks, and who are the underdogs, to take home the cup this time?

The Stanley Cup 2023 Favorites

As you might expect, the Colorado Avalanche is the number one projected favorite team to take home the cup this year. This is to be expected as they are the returning champions this season.

As popular as they might be, there are other teams who are closing in on them. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning are big fan favorites as well. These are by far the top three safest teams to be betting on this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning is a safe fan favorite as they have defended their Stanley Cup before, making them a notable repeat winner during the years 2020 and 2021.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs are still a popular choice to win the Stanley Cup, partially thanks to their dominating 13 previous Stanley Cup wins, they have yet to win a Cup since 1967.

For the above options, gamblers will be getting odds, of course. So either way, if you want to make the viewing experience more interesting, you can make a pick for the Stanley Cup 2023 predictions based on the information you have, and maybe a hunch!

The Stanley Cup 2023 Underdog Choices

While the Maples Leafs and Avalanche seem a bit more likely, it’s important not to count out the underdogs this year.

They’re not at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to projections, but the Boston Bruins are one of the most popular NHL teams outside the projected top ten. They are definitely one of the main underdogs for the 2023 Stanley Cup season.

Other than the Bruins, many NHL teams that are lower in rank still have devoted fanbases. The Philadelphia Flyers, the Montreal Canadiens, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are some of the big underdog choices for the Stanley Cup 2023. The Chicago Blackhawks are a particularly fierce underdog since they have several Stanley Cup wins under their belt, with their last victory being in 2015.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are another solid underdog choice because, just like Tampa Bay Lightning, they were back-to-back repeat Stanley Cup victors (for the years 2016 and 2017).

From a historical perspective, the Montreal Canadiens are almost always considered a major underdog for the Stanley Cup season, and 2023 is no exception. While they have the most Stanley Cup victories of any team by far, with a dominating score of 24 wins, their last victory was in 1993.

When it comes to who has the biggest longshot to win the 2023 Stanley Cup in terms of betting odds, no one is as far down the line as the Arizona Coyotes or the Chicago Blackhawks. If anyone is willing to make the ultimate high-risk, high-reward bet this season, these are the two underdog teams to watch out for.

Complete Ranking of all NHL Teams to win the 2023 Stanley Cup

In a time where professional sports are as mainstream as ever, it’s fun to keep up with the current rankings. If you want to know the total ranking of all 32 NHL teams, here’s a complete list of all the teams:

–        1. Colorado Avalanche

–        2. Toronto Maple Leafs

–        3. Tampa Bay Lightning

–        4. Florida Panthers

–        5. Carolina Hurricanes

–        6. Edmonton Oilers

–        7. Calgary Flames

–        8. Pittsburgh Penguins

–        9. Minnesota Wild

–        10. New York Rangers

–        11. Vegas Golden Knights

–        12. Boston Bruins

–        13. Washington Capitals

–        14. Nashville Predators

–        15. Los Angeles Kings

–        16. New York Islanders

–        17. St. Louis Blues

–        18. New Jersey Devils

–        19. Dallas Stars

–        20. Vancouver Canucks

–        21. Ottawa Senators

–        22. Detroit Red Wings

–        23. Winnipeg Jets

–        24. Anaheim Ducks

–        25. Columbus Blue Jackets

–        26. Seattle Kraken

–        27. Buffalo Sabres

–        28. Philadelphia Flyers

–        29. Montreal Canadiens

–        30. San Jose Sharks

–        31. Chicago Blackhawks

–        32. Arizona Coyotes

 

That’s their current order, but this, of course, is subject to change. In fact, this year should turn out to be a very interesting and entertaining one for professional hockey.

Conclusion

Colorado Avalanche are expected to be a repeat champion this year for the Stanley Cup. However, there are several other competitors that could potentially dethrone them, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, be on the lookout for the underdogs, and don’t make the mistake of costing them out. After all, in hockey, anything can happen!