The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, with 16 teams competing to be the ultimate champion after four challenging rounds. The Florida Panthers are back to defend their title, facing tough competition from regular-season leaders like the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, and Edmonton Oilers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are aiming to end the longest championship drought in NHL history, starting strong with a Game 1 victory against the Ottawa Senators. In the Metropolitan Division, despite an injury setback, Nico Hischier and the New Jersey Devils lost their opening game to the Carolina Hurricanes, who are now seen as the favorites in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers will have a rivalry clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has been on a hot streak in the latter half of the season, with their Game 1 coming up on Tuesday.
In the Western Conference, a highly anticipated first-round matchup features the Dallas Stars against the Colorado Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen, formerly a star for the Avalanche, is now playing for Dallas. However, Colorado dominated Game 1 with a 5-1 win. Meanwhile, the Jets rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-3. The Vegas Golden Knights won their series opener against the Minnesota Wild, and the Oilers are set to begin their series against the Los Angeles Kings tonight.
Connor McDavid, last year`s Conn Smythe Trophy recipient, earned the MVP award despite his team not winning the Stanley Cup. This year, he hopes to win both. Below are the leading contenders for the Conn Smythe Trophy, along with odds for each team to win their first-round series, advance in the playoffs, and ultimately win the Stanley Cup.
Odds to win Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs. Here are players with odds of 200-1 or better.
- Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche: +900
- Connor Hellebuyck, Jets: 12-1
- Cale Makar, Avalanche: 16-1
- Connor McDavid, Oilers: 16-1
- Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs: 18-1
- Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: 20-1
- Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: 20-1
- Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: 25-1
- Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: 25-1
- Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs: 25-1
- Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs: 25-1
- Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers: 25-1
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning: 30-1
- Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes: 30-1
- Kyle Connor, Jets: 30-1
- Logan Stankoven, Hurricanes: 30-1
- Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers: 30-1
- Nikita Kucherov, Lightning: 30-1
- Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: 30-1
- Kirill Kaprizov, Wild: 40-1
- Mackenzie Blackwood, Avalanche: 40-1
- Mark Scheifele, Jets: 40-1
- Sam Reinhart, Panthers: 40-1
- Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes: 40-1
- Tomas Hertl, Golden Knights: 40-1
- William Nylander, Maple Leafs: 40-1
- Adin Hill, Golden Knights: 50-1
- Brayden Point, Lightning: 50-1
- Logan Thompson, Capitals: 50-1
- Mark Stone, Golden Knights: 50-1
- Adrian Kempe, Kings: 60-1
- Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes: 75-1
- Darcy Kuemper, Kings: 75-1
- Dylan Strome, Capitals: 75-1
- Jake Oettinger, Stars: 75-1
- John Tavares, Maple Leafs: 75-1
- Mikko Rantanen, Stars: 75-1
- Pavel Dorofeyev, Golden Knights: 75-1
- Roope Hintz, Stars: 75-1
- Wyatt Johnston, Stars: 75-1
- Anze Kopitar, Kings: 100-1
- Brady Tkachuk, Senators: 100-1
- Filip Gustavsson, Wild: 100-1
- Jason Robertson, Stars: 100-1
- Linus Ullmark, Senators: 100-1
- Matt Boldy, Wild: 100-1
- Miro Heiskanen, Stars: 100-1
- Nico Hischier, Devils: 100-1
- Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes: 100-1
- Tim Stutzle, Senators: 100-1
- Brandon Hagel, Lightning: 150-1
- Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes: 150-1
- Jacob Markstrom, Devils: 150-1
- Jake Guentzel, Lightning: 150-1
- Jordan Binnington, Blues: 150-1
- Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs: 150-1
- Kevin Fiala, Kings: 150-1
- Martin Necas, Avalanche: 150-1
- Matt Duchene, Stars: 150-1
- Pierre-Luc Dubois, Capitals: 150-1
- Sam Bennett, Panthers: 150-1
- Shea Theodore, Golden Knights: 150-1
- Thomas Harley, Stars: 150-1
- Tom Wilson, Capitals: 150-1
- Valeri Nichushkin, Avalanche: 150-1
- Victor Hedman, Lightning: 150-1
- Aliaksei Protas, Capitals: 200-1
- Brad Marchand, Panthers: 200-1
- Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers: 200-1
