2024 Stanley Cup odds: New champion Golden Knights second favorites for next season behind 2022 Cup-winning Avalanche

It took the Vegas Golden Knights only six seasons of existence to win their first Stanley Cup title thanks to a 9-3 home rout of the Florida Panthers in Game 5 on Tuesday night to conclude the 2022-23 NHL season. Repeating has been somewhat common in the NHL of late and the Knights are +800 second favorites at Caesars Sportsbook to hoist the Cup again next June behind the 2022 Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche (+700).

Jonathan Marchessault was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner following Tuesday's win. he finished the postseason with 25 points, one behind teammate Jack Eichel for the NHL lead. So why did Marchessault get the Conn Smythe nod over Eichel? Probably because the former Florida Panther – he was left unprotected in the 2017 expansion draft and gobbled up by Vegas – ended the postseason on a 10-game points streak, totaling 15 in those games (eight goals, seven assists). Marchessault was one of six members of the Golden Knights' inaugural roster to lift the Stanley Cup on Tuesday.

Vegas is in good position with its forward group for next season, but goaltenders Adin Hill, Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit are all free agents. Brossoit began the postseason as the starter but was injured and replaced by Hill, who deserved Conn Smythe consideration after becoming only the fifth goaltender in NHL history to secure a Cup-clinching win after not appearing in his team's opening-round series.

Hill made his career playoff debut when he relieved Brossoit in Game 2 of the second round and went 11-4 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 SV with two shutouts in 16 appearances. He's probably too expensive for the Golden Knights now, who presumably will go back to Logan Thompson as the No. 1 next regular season. He had been out injured since March 23. The Golden Knights became the third Cup-winning team in the last 30 years with three goaltenders on their roster.

Mark Stone had a hat trick on Tuesday, the first hat trick in the Stanley Cup Final since former Avalanche star Peter Forsberg had one in Game 2 in 1996… against the Panthers. Meanwhile, former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy won his first Stanley Cup just one day short of the one-year anniversary of him being announced as Vegas' third head coach (June 14, 2022). 

Golden Knights owner Bill Foley originally said his plan for his new team was to win a Stanley Cup within six years. He was right. In the modern era, the only franchise to win it sooner was Edmonton in 1984, its fifth season of existence.

Florida had a remarkable run to the Final as the lowest-seeded team in the playoffs, upsetting record-setting Boston and then Toronto and Carolina to reach its second Final. The Panthers were without superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk in Game 5 due to injury. He led the Panthers this postseason in goals (11) and points (24).

Florida is +1000 to win its first Cup next season along with Carolina. Canada hasn't had a champion since 1993 and Edmonton (+1200) has the shortest odds among those teams. I'm a bit surprised Boston is +1200 after setting NHL records for wins and points. DraftKings has Boston and Colorado as +800 Cup favorites for next year and Vegas down at +1300.

The Knights became the 23rd club to win the Stanley Cup since 1927 and the 21st active franchise to win it. The lone teams yet to do so other than Florida are Vancouver, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose and Nashville. The Sabres have the shortest 2024 Cup odds of that group at +3000. The others are in various stages of rebuilding.

Next up in the NHL is the draft on June 28-29 in Nashville, with generational prospect Connor Bedard a lock to go No. 1 overall to Chicago. There will be two preseason games in Australia for the first time ever as the Coyotes and Kings will play in Melbourne in late September. The regular season then will open at some point in early October. This season's first game was played on Oct. 7  in Prague. 

2024 Stanley Cup Favorites via Caesars Sportsbook

• Avalanche +700
• Golden Knights +800
• Hurricanes +1000
• Panthers +1000
• Oilers +1200
• Bruins +1200
• Stars +1200
• Maple Leafs +1500
• Lightning +1500
• Devils +1500

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