The 2024-2025 NHL season is set to be wide open, with several teams that could come away with the title and earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. With the winner of the West falling short in the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, the winner of the West this year will hope for better results against the winner of the East. Here, we look at the race to win the Western Conference and handicap the group of favorites and dark horses to win the conference.
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Western Conference Futures Betting Odds
| Team | Western Conference Championship Odds |
| Edmonton Oilers | +420 |
| Dallas Stars | +475 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +650 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +700 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +800 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +800 |
| Minnesota Wild | +900 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +900 |
| Nashville Predators | +2000 |
| Calgary Flames | +3000 |
| St. Louis Blues | +3300 |
| Utah Hockey Club | +3500 |
| Seattle Kraken | +4000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +10000 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +12500 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +15000 |
NHL Western Conference Championship Favorites
Edmonton Oilers
In the 2023-24 NHL season, the Edmonton Oilers won the right to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton got off to a terrible start last season, firing their coach early in the year and having to rebuild on the fly. But they managed to do just that, as their explosive attacking ability helped them to overcome that early season adversity.
This season, the Oilers are coming the favorites to win the West once again. But there are questions about whether this group can continue doing what they did during their run to the NHL Western Conference title the last time we saw them in the postseason. They are off to a slow start again this year and as this group has aged there are understandably questions about whether they can recover from a bad start the way they did last season.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars finished last season with the highest point total in the Western Conference during the regular season. But they lost in the Western Conference Final to the Edmonton Oilers in six games. Dallas was one of the more offensively gifted teams in the Western Conference this past season, finishing second to the Colorado Avalanche in goals scored among teams from the West.
This season, the Stars have plenty of work to do to rise to the top of a crowded Central Division. The Stars are in a heated race with the Avs, Minnesota Wild, and Winnipeg Jets and will need to continue to throttle opponents at home just to put themselves in a good playoff position by winning their division.
Colorado Avalanche
No team in the Western Conference scored more goals than the Colorado Avalanche last season. But they were cut down in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars. Colorado was one of the best home teams in hockey last year, winning 31 of their 41 home games during the regular season. But that home-ice advantage wore off during the playoffs, which they will need to remedy if they want to win the West in the year to come.
So far this season, the Avs have been mediocre at home, which has led to a decline in the standings. There is time for them to remedy that situation, but the start to the year has been disappointing even if oddsmakers haven’t given up on them yet.
Other Western Conference Title Contenders
Along with the three favorites mentioned above, there are a few other teams with a genuine shot to win the West in the NHL in 2025. The Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Los Angeles Kings are all viable options to win the conference according to oddsmakers. The Canucks and Golden Knights are especially intriguing among that group of teams, with Vegas having recent championship experience and the Canucks being one of the most explosive teams in the league for most of the 2023-24 season.
