The 2022-2023 NHL season is in the postseason stages, and the Eastern Conference championship has been decided. The playoffs in this conference were full of surprises, all the way to the end, and next season could be the same. Here, we look at the results of the Eastern Conference Final, and look ahead at the upcoming season and who the favorites are to make it to the Stanley Cup Final next season.
Eastern Conference Championship Odds
| Team |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CAR
|
+500 | +500 | +375 | +450 | +500 |
|
TOR
|
+550 | +600 | +475 | +550 | +600 |
|
NJ
|
+600 | +600 | +500 | +550 | +600 |
|
TB
|
+750 | +700 | +1200 | +950 | +750 |
|
BOS
|
+850 | +800 | +1200 | +850 | +850 |
|
FLA
|
+850 | +1000 | +1400 | +850 | +1100 |
|
NYR
|
+950 | +900 | +750 | +750 | +950 |
|
PIT
|
+950 | +1000 | +1400 | +1400 | +950 |
|
BUF
|
+1800 | +1800 | +2200 | +1700 | +1800 |
|
OTT
|
+2000 | +2200 | +4000 | +2000 | +2200 |
|
NYI
|
+2500 | +2200 | +2600 | +2500 | +2300 |
|
DET
|
+3000 | +3500 | +4000 | +3000 | +3800 |
|
WAS
|
+3000 | +4000 | +6000 | +3000 | +4100 |
|
CBJ
|
+7500 | +6600 | +7500 | +7500 | +7500 |
|
PHI
|
+7500 | +10000 | +17500 | +7500 | +10000 |
|
MON
|
+13000 | +12500 | +10000 | +13000 | +12000 |
Eastern Conference Championship Winner
The 2023 Eastern Conference champion in the NHL was the Florida Panthers. They entered the postseason as the worst team in the Atlantic Division, but they enjoyed a miraculous run through the playoffs. Florida upset the greatest regular season team of all-time in the Boston Bruins, and followed that up with series wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to make the Stanley Cup Final.
The postseason run of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will go down in hockey history, as he stood on his head to help the Panthers win the East. Bobrovsky saw his save percentage increase by about three percent from the regular season to the Eastern Conference playoffs. That combined with some great all-around defensive hockey helped the Panthers to be the last team standing from this conference.
Looking Ahead to Next Season
Looking ahead to the 2023-24 NHL season, several of the same faces from this year’s postseason will be among the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Boston Bruins will be the favorites to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. But there will be several teams from the East set to challenge them, as the Bruins will be expected to regress after their historic regular season.
Also on the short list of Eastern Conference favorites for the upcoming season are the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes. All three of those teams advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Whether they can do the same thing in next year’s postseason remains to be seen, but bettors are likely to flock to this group of teams in the Eastern Conference futures market.
