Clubs like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs lead NHL betting lines to win the 2019 Stanley Cup, according to odds sourced by beabetterbettor.com prior to the preseason. Compared to most pro sports leagues, the NHL features relatively strong parity, giving underdogs a great chance to rise as legitimate cup contenders.

Florida Panthers +4500

Florida were a single point away from qualifying for the 2018 post season, despite a sub-.500 win-loss ratio at the halfway mark. During the last half of the season, the Panthers were one of the best teams in the NHL, earning a 24-8-2 record in the stretch run.

Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck were among the best duo of centers last year, leading the Panthers production. Evgenii Dadonov jumped from the KHL to the NHL successfully, with 28 goals and 37 assists, while Jonathan Huberdeau netted 27 goals and 69 points in his first full season back from injury.

The Panthers also added Mike Hoffman to their fleet of forwards, which will be among the deepest in the NHL. Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad are a superb top-two pairing on defense while Roberto Luongo’s playoff experience includes a devastating Stanley Cup loss with the Canucks. Florida’s a talented club, far better than the +4500 odds given by Vegas experts.

Colorado Avalanche +4000

Colorado would’ve enjoyed the spotlight as the best underdog story of 2018, but the Vegas Golden Knights took the spotlight as the best expansion franchise in North American pro sports history. Out of nowhere, the Avalanche put together a 10-game win streak at the turn of the new year, climbing into the playoff race at the beginning of 2018.

Nathan MacKinnon broke out with his first superstar season since winning the Calder in 2014, scoring 39 goals and 97 points in 74 games. If he didn’t miss eight games due to injury, there’s a chance he would’ve won the Hart Trophy instead of finishing second in voting. Miko Rantanen joined the NHL scoring elite without much fanfare, scoring 29 goals and 84 points.

Tyson Barrie leads an underrated blue line as a top offensive defenseman, while the front office signed Philipp Grubauer away from the Stanley Cup winning Capitals. Grubauer and Semyon Varlamov form a superb goaltending tandem, with both netminders competing for a starting spot. The west is tough, but the Avs should be considered an excellent longshot pick.

Calgary Flames +3300

A late-season losing trend was a puzzling, depressing finish to the Flames 2018 playoff aspirations. Calgary dropped nine of eleven games to finish the regular season, including three shutouts against the Ducks, Golden Knights and Kings. Opposing teams keyed in on an exhausted Johnny Gaudreau, who couldn’t single-handedly produce enough offense to win down the stretch.

Last season wasn’t supposed to end in abject disappointment because of Calgary’s deep defense and the addition of Mike Smith. A mid-season injury to Smith seemed to disrupt the entire unit. The foursome of Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic have top-five potential, which the Flames will bank on to return to the post season.

Calgary’s defensive depth allowed the front office to trade Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland to the Hurricanes for Elias Lindholm and the aforementioned Hanifin, bolstering the offense with a promising top-six forward entering his prime years. Gaudreau and a healthy Monahan could form a superb top line with Lindholm. Add a full, healthy season for goalie Mike Smith, and the Flames may emerge as a dangerous western contender.

Edmonton Oilers +3000

As the 2017 Hart Trophy winner, after winning two consecutive Art Ross Trophies, Connor McDavid indisputably claims the mantle of best player in the NHL. Incredibly, at the age of 21, he’s yet to reach his prime. Reports suggest that his skating and backhand shot improved with offseason training. Considering his ability to blow by most defenders, McDavid with another half-step of speed will terrorize the NHL.

Connor’s among a handful of skaters with the ability to win games on his own. Edmonton had an 11-3 record in games where McDavid collected three points or more, accounting for 30.5% of total victories during the Oilers 2017-18 season. The franchise missed the playoffs because the rest of the lineup didn’t perform as expected.

Leon Draisaitl enters the season healthy, as does the second most important player on the

Oilers – Cam Talbot. The 2016-17 version of Talbot finished fourth in Vezina voting, leading the league in saves while maintaining a .919 SV% - a big reason the Oilers proceeded to the second round of the playoffs. The defense appears thin on paper with the injury to Sekera, but another excellent season from Talbot will help young defenders like Oscar Klefbom gain confidence, while covering for Andrej’s absence.

Los Angeles Kings +2600

This Los Angeles franchise still employs the heart and soul of recent Stanley Cup wins, including Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, all of whom enter this season with a clean bill of health. Last year, Kopitar bounced back with a fantastic 92-point campaign, Quick had a .921 SV% over 33 wins, while Doughty excelled once again with a 60-point season that garnered a runner-up in Norris Trophy voting.

Los Angeles were stopped by an historic run by the Golden Knights, partly because of the Kings inability to score on a consistent basis. Signing Ilya Kovalchuk back into the NHL will be an intriguing gamble, especially after the Russian superstar defected to the KHL for six seasons. Ilya was one of the best snipers in the NHL before leaving the Devils. He won’t return to prime production, but he could have a 30-goal season remaining in the tank.

Typically a team which peaks in the playoffs, Los Angeles getting swept by Vegas in four close games was a shock to the organization. The Kings won’t dominate regular season standings, but no team wants to face a healthy Los Angeles club in April. If the Kovalchuk signing works well, the Kings will enjoy a legit shot at their third Stanley Cup in seven years.