Hurricanes begin season as betting favorites for Stanley Cup - ESPN

The Carolina Hurricanes begin the NHL season as the consensus betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup at sportsbooks.

The Hurricanes are the Cup favorites at 15-2 at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by the Colorado Avalanche (8-1), Edmonton Oilers (8-1) and Toronto Maple Leafs (9-1). The New Jersey Devils are 10-1, and the defending-champion Vegas Golden Knights are 12-1.

The Hurricanes have been contenders under coach Rod Brind'Amour, boasting the NHL's fourth-best record over the past five seasons, but have not been able to get past the conference finals in that span. Carolina hasn't reached the Stanley Cup Final since 2006.

The Avalanche have attracted more bets to win the Stanley Cup than any other team at DraftKings, including a $2,300 wager at 10-1, the largest reported by the sportsbook. The Oilers, Devils and Boston Bruins also have been popular bets at DraftKings.

The Bruins, who are 18-1 to win the Stanley Cup, are coming off the most successful regular season in NHL history. They set the record for wins (65) and points (135) last season but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers. Caesars has the Bruins' over/under on season points set at 101.5.

The New York Rangers and Dallas Stars are each 13-1 to win the Stanley Cup, followed by the Los Angeles Kings and Panthers, who are each 22-1.

The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers have the longest Stanley Cup odds at Caesars at 200-1.

Edmonton's Connor McDavid is the odds-on favorite to win the Hart Trophy, listed at -125 at Caesars Sportsbook.

Chicago Blackhawks' rookie Connor Bedard, the first overall pick, is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy at -145. Bedard has garnered 42% of the