It’s one of the hardest things to do in most sports, repeat being champion, but it’s especially hard in the NHL.
Can the Florida Panthers repeat the feat going back-to-back or will they fail to hoist Lord Stanley in 2025? Check out what we think and if the Panthers are considered a value NHL betting pick at their current futures odds.
Repeats Are Rare
In NHL history, only 18 times has a repeat occurred, with 13 of those back-to-back while the remaining five range from 3, 4 and 5 times in a row. It’s gotten even harder lately when we see it’s only occurred three times in the previous 30 years.
The last team to repeat was the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021; they appeared in 3 of 4 Stanley Cup finals at that time. The Panthers have already repeated the feat of being in the finals in back-to-back seasons, having made the finals in 2023, but ending up as runners-up.
NHL Stanley Cup Odds
As we can tell from the odds, there is not a lot separating the top seven favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup. The Florida Panthers are ranked as joint 2nd favorite, but technically with these odds so close, they’re pretty much as good as 7th.
The one piece of advice we would give regarding the Panthers and their current odds: we would hold out for better because we believe they will go way higher, especially if they go down two or three games in the playoffs. We would take them at +1500 ideally, but it’s all situational.
They Kept Some Big Guns
Yes, Florida’s success in recent years has been down to their style of play rather than one or two individuals, but it was a big asset securing two of their star players during the offseason. With both Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart’s contracts set to run out, they both ended up pledging their future to the Panthers with an eight-year contract each.
Another strong player the Panthers managed to keep this offseason was two-way player Anthon Lundell, who signed a six-year deal, having scored 17 points in last season’s playoffs.
Panthers’ Current Position
At the time of writing, the Florida Panthers are sitting joint 2nd in the Eastern Conference (along with the Toronto Maple Leafs). They are 8-2 in their last ten games and have the 5th-best goal difference in the league, sitting at +34.
It also must be noted the Panthers have a very tough division, featuring both the Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Eastern Conference Winner Odds
Although a complaint we would have had around the team is the fact their goaltending has been below par compared to the previous two seasons, with Sergei Bobrovsky having an 89% save average, compared to his career average of 91%.
With that said, the Panthers’ goaltending has improved massively since January, allowing only 9 goals in their last seven games, with 5 of those games seeing just one or zero goals.
Still, it’s going to be hard to call how things will shape come the end of the season in the crease, with the Panthers adding another goaltending Vitek Vanecek just hours ago.
Conclusion: Will The Panthers Repeat The Feat?
Honestly, this one is a tough one to call. Ideally, if any team is built to repeat it’s the Florida Panthers, but we don’t like their current odds as suggested. Currently, the Panthers are +850 to lift the cup, but there is a lot of competition and a lot of competitive teams around them in the betting market.
We would ideally like to see them +1500 or better. If we are talking about betting them before the playoffs start, +1200 is as low as we would go.
This really is a season where it’s going to be impossible to predict who will be the winner, with so many competitive teams the Panthers could easily find themselves gone early, so it’s important to get them at some strong odds.
If the Panthers keep their goals allowed per game and get the goaltending as strong as last season, they do have a chance to repeat, but get the best odds. Hold out and wait.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
