Every year, Canadian hockey fans hope that their favourite team will hoist the Stanley Cup in June. But for many, that eventually changes to hoping for any Canadian team win the Cup. The last time we witnessed this great achievement north of the border was in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens defeated Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.
Both of those teams are in the mix this year. The Kings clinched their postseason berth with a stretch of three wins in the first week of April, while the Canadiens are a win away from muscling their way to the second wild card spot in the tightly-contested Eastern Conference. Montreal’s young roster is finding success under their captain Nick Suzuki, rookie defenseman Lane Hutson and stalwart goaltender Sam Montembeault.
Ahead of Montreal on the futures market—and on our list of Canadian playoff contenders—are the following four Canadian teams who have punched their ticket to the 2025 NHL postseason. It’s not too late to bet on which team you think will win this year’s Stanley Cup. But before you do, read our NHL playoffs preview to give you a good sense of how the top Canadian teams stack up.
Edmonton Oilers +850
The Oilers started the season as the Stanley Cup favourites (+750) and have since dropped to third (tied with Colorado), sitting behind the Dallas Stars and defending champion Florida Panthers. After several years of reaching various rounds in the postseason, they were in the Stanley Cup Finals last year for a wild series that saw Florida win the first three games, and Edmonton win the next three games to set up an exciting Game 7. Florida managed to swing the momentum back their way for the critical Game 7 win.
For a decade now, Edmonton has had the benefit of rostering two elite forwards in Leon Draisaitl (this season’s top goal scorer with 52) and Connor McDavid (26 goals, 73 assists). Those two put up the most goals on the team and tally the most assists with some extra help from Zach Hyman (27 goals, 17 assists).
Edmonton needs that level of production to compensate for their mediocre goaltending (2.88 GA/G is No. 14 in the league). Their No. 1 netminder Stuart Skinner (2.87 GAA, .894 SV%), who just returned from injury, has been inconsistent throughout much of the season, while backup Calvin Pickard (2.64 GAA, .902 SV%) has been so-so in his 35 starts.
Being a fairly top-heavy team, much of the Oilers’ success depends on the health of their top forwards. Connor McDavid just returned from a three-week absence due to injury, and Leon Draisaitl is still sidelined with injuries.
Winnipeg Jets +1000
Available at +2200 early on, the Jets were the toast of the league at the start of the 2024-25 season and finished as the President’s Trophy winners. The talented team went down in history as one of six to start a season with 17 wins in 20 games. All of that winning led to a whopping 114 points and enabled them clinch a playoff position early. And their strength shines beyond just wins, as they’re ranked No. 1 in the Simple Rating System (SRS), which factors in goal differential and strength of schedule in the NHL.
The Jets’ two-time Vezina winning goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck (2.02 GAA, .924 SV%) is a big reason for their success. He’s managed to reach even greater heights this season, surpassing his two Vezina-winning years. Hellebuyck is now gaining on league records, as he’s set to become just the second NHL goalie to register 46 wins in a season.
At the opposite end of the ice, the Jets have a lethal first line comprising Kyle Connor (41 goals, 55 assists), Mark Scheifele (38 goals, 48 assists) and Gabriel Vilardi (27 goals, 34 assists). Connor and Scheifele are having career seasons of their own, with Connor surpassing his personal best for assists (55), points (96), and +/- (+16). As for his linemate Scheifele, he has reached new heights in points (86) and shooting percentage (21.5). This productive top line gets more ice time than any other in the NHL. Injuries would be troubling but not impossible to surmount.
Toronto Maple Leafs +1200
In a tightly-contested divisional race, the Maple Leafs are first in the Atlantic at press time. Their +1200 futures suggest they’ve taken a small step back from the early season expectations that saw them tied for third at +1000 to win the Stanley Cup.
Last Wednesday, they had a critical game against their division rival Tampa Bay, who’d been nipping at their heels as they surged in the standings. But it was Toronto that came out on top in the 4-3 victory that saw Matthew Knies (29 goals, 26 assists) record his second hat trick of the season. The win fortified the Leafs’ position as the division leaders and will help with home ice advantage in the postseason.
The Leafs’ effort in the Tampa Bay game was a relief for fans who watched their team blunder against the Florida Panthers the night before.
This will be Toronto’s ninth straight year making the postseason, and fans hope they make it past the second round; they have yet to make that leap in their eight-year postseason run.
With Auston Matthews (31 goals, 44 assists) taking a step back in goal production this season, William Nylander (45 goals, 39 assists) has seized the opportunity and is having a career year in goal production; the winger eclipsed his 40-goal benchmark from 2022-23 and 2023-24 with 45 goals up to this point in the season, but he has two games left on the schedule to add to that total. The Leafs now have two players on their roster who’ve scored at least 40 goals in three straight seasons.
Ottawa Senators +4000
The Ottawa Senators surprised many by making the postseason this year—a feat they last accomplished in 2017 when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Much of their newfound success can be chalked up to their improved defensive system that focuses on layered zone defence instead of man-on-man protection. With this change, their goals against stat has gone from No. 27 last season to No. 9 at press time.
Sens captain Brady Tkachuk (29 goals, 26 assists) embodies the change in his evolved defensive game. After five straight seasons with a negative +/-, he flipped to positive last season and carried that on this year. Unfortunately for the Sens, Tkachuk sustained an upper-body injury in the Sens’ 1-0 OT loss to Pittsburgh on March 30 and is still considered day-to-day. Management is more than likely playing things safe with their star forward to ensure he’s ready come playoff time.
Goaltending has been a strong point for the Sens this season. Things looked grim when their netminder Anton Forsberg (2.67 GAA, .904 SV%) suffered an injury mid-December, with Linus Ullmark (2.67 GAA, .911 SV%) following suit the week after. They had to call up Leevi Merilainen from the AHL to suit up; the 22-year-old helped the Senators hang on to their spot in the standings by putting forth an incredible 8-2-1 record in 11 games when it mattered most.
Montreal Canadiens +6600
The Habs were longshots just a couple of months ago to make the postseason, but after a 6-3-1 run in the last 10 games, they’ve all but locked up the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. At press, they have a three-point lead on the Columbus Blue Jackets and are coming off of a 1-0 OT loss versus the division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs. A big reason for their recent surge has come from the play of team captain Nick Suzuki (29 goals, 58 assists); the centre has nine game-winning goals this year and is just three points away from 90 points on the season, which would be the first for Montreal since Vincent Damphousse in 1995-96.
Goaltender Samuel Montembeault has also been a leading force for Montreal in their push for the playoffs. The former waiver wire pickup has posted career numbers this season with 30 wins and a 2.83 goals against average. Martin St. Louis will certainly ride his No. 1 netminder in the final games of the season as the team attempts to secure the wildcard spot and push the Canadiens into the postseason.
A much-anticipated late-season signing by the Habs has given bettors something to think about when considering Montreal’s Stanley Cup odds. Last year’s fifth overall pick, Ivan Demidov, signed a three-year entry-level deal this past month. He’s arguably the best player not in the NHL and will provide an immediate boost to the Habs’ offensive attack. While it’s unknown what Demidov’s impact will be in the short-term, the skilled Russian presents an upside that could sweeten Montreal’s first round upset possibility.
Are you going all out on Canada this playoff season? Bodog Sportsbook are offering your stake back, up to $100, on bets placed on a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup if they fail to make it past the opening round, or even miss the playoffs. We’re all in this together.