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- The Dallas Stars have made huge strides both on and off the ice in recent weeks and are now the second favorites in the latest NHL betting to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
- The sign-and-trade deal of Mikko Rantanen to Dallas was seen as a game-changing trade that may turn the Stars into Stanley Cup winners.
- As well as signing Rantanen, the Stars have improved on the ice in recent weeks and are now genuine contenders to win a trophy this season.
Dallas on an upward trajectory
Timing is very important in sports, and the Dallas Stars seem to have got theirs just right both on and off the ice in recent weeks.
The likes of the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers were the early front runners in the futures markets to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made an appearance amongst the favorites, and in recent weeks we have also seen the Capitals, Jets, Hurricanes, and Avalanche, all mixing it among the betting favorites.
There is now a new name in the mix, the Dallas Stars.
Peter DeBoer’s team has always been in that group of teams just outside the betting favorites, but since adding Mikko Rantanen to their starting lineup, the best NHL betting sites have cut the odds of a Stanley Cup win for the Stars to just +600.
That still leaves the Stars just behind the Panthers, who are +550. But it sees DeBoer’s team leapfrog the Avalanche (+750), the Oilers (+850), and the Capitals (+850).
And as you’re about to see, along with the recent good form of the Stars, the recent activity off the ice has also resulted in a shake-up in the betting to win the Western Conference, although, it would appear to be too late to influence the betting to win the Central Division.
| Stanley Cup 2025 Winner Betting |  |  |  |
| Florida Panthers | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Dallas Stars | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Washington Capitals | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1300 | +1300 | +1300 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
| LA Kings | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Minnesota Wild | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Ottawa Senators | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| New Jersey Devils | +4500 | +4500 | +4500 |
We only use the best ice hockey betting sites for our odds. You can read more details about them on our How to Bet on Hockey Online page.
Betting to win the Central Division
The Winnipeg Jets seem to have the Central Division sewn up. Winnipeg has been out in front for a long time and at the time of writing, holds an eight-point lead over the Stars, although Dallas has played two games fewer than the longtime leaders.
The top NHL online betting sites have Winnipeg at -575. The Stars are the +370 second-betting favorites, with the Avalanche priced at +8000.
In what has become a two-horse race there is only one value bet in this market.
As good as the Jets have been this season, it would seem crazy to back them to win at -575. Especially now the Stars have built up a head of steam and have two games in hand on the division leaders.
Betting to win the Western Conference
A bet on the Dallas Stars to win the Western Conference instead of the Central Division, or indeed, even the Stanley Cup may make more sense to some punters.
The Stars are the betting favorites at +300. They have replaced the Colorado Avalanche (+400) and the Edmonton Oilers (+450) at the top of the betting. Dallas is also half the odds of the leaders of the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets, who are +600.
Although he already looks more than comfortable with his new team, Mikko Rantanen is still finding his feet and getting to know his new teammates.
No matter how he is performing now, he is only going to get better when he fully settles in and starts to form combinations with his new teammates.
This may take a few weeks, and it could be that it will be in the postseason when we see the best of the new signing. Taking all this into consideration, it’s easy to see why the bookmakers are favoring the Stars to win the conference.
Our best bets
Although we can see why punters would want to back the Dallas Stars to win the Western Conference, we believe the better value lies elsewhere.
The Stars are +370 to win the Central Division and +600 to win the Stanley Cup.
Only two teams are in the hunt to win the Central Division. Matches are running out, but if Dallas can win its two matches in hand on the Jets, they will only be four points behind. That will put additional pressure on the Jets, who were running away with this league a few weeks ago.
A wager on the Stars to win the Stanley Cup also pays double that of a bet on them to win the Western Conference.
Assuming the Florida Panthers win the Eastern Conference, they will probably be the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup. But if it is any other team, the Stars should start the finals as the favorites, allowing us to back their opponents and at the very least hedge our wager on the Stars.
If you do think the Stars can go the distance this season, we would recommend bye-passing the Western Conference market and backing Dallas to win the Stanley Cup.
You will get better odds on the Stars winning the Stanley Cup, and as we just pointed out, you can cover your bet with a wager on their opponents.
We are not convinced Dallas will win the Stanley Cup. So, our betting pick is a speculative wager on Dallas winning the Central Division.
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