The 2023-2024 NHL postseason is here and the race for the Western Conference championship is wide open. With a solid number of legitimate contenders in this conference, the race to see who will come out on top should be fascinating all year long. Here, we look at the latest odds to win the Western Conference and break down which teams are worth taking a look at in the futures markets on the ice.
Western Conference Futures Betting Odds
Western Conference Championship Favorites
In the 2022-23 NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights won the Western Conference championship to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas was the top seed in the Western Conference going into the playoffs, and they lived up to that billing by running through their competition to get to and win the Final. This year, Vegas is one of a handful of teams still being given a chance to win the West.
The other favorites to win this conference are the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Dallas Stars. All of these teams have more than enough talent and potential to win the Western Conference at the end of this season. And they are all inside of +1000 to win the West going into the first round of the playoffs, creating a ton of intrigue this postseason.
This year’s Western Conference title could come down to which team listed above does the best job of winning games on the road. During the regular season, Dallas and Winnipeg were especially dangerous on the road among the playoff favorites out West. But if a team in the group of favorites can figure things out away from their home rink for just a few weeks, they could be the ones representing this conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
Western Conference Championship Dark Horses
Just two of the eight teams that made the playoffs in the West are longer than +1000 to win the conference going into the postseason. The Los Angeles Kings finished ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division standings, but are not getting as much credit from oddsmakers as Vegas. And the biggest longshot to win the West is the Nashville Predators, who finished a point better than Vegas in the regular season.
The problem for these two teams is that they would need an upset somewhere a long the line in order for them to secure home ice advantage in a Western Conference playoff series. But that certainly isn’t impossible in a sport as unpredictable as professional hockey, making these teams still worth considering in futures markets for now.