As we quickly strategy the 2025-26 NHL season, now’s an excellent time to take inventory of what the standings could seem like within the Western Convention.
In my preview of the Jap Convention odds, I stated that it was the stronger convention within the NHL proper now.
I’m not going to vary my stance now for a Western Convention viewers, however I do assume there’s a case to be made that whereas the East has higher groups, the West has higher particular person abilities.
If we need to take a look at Hart Trophies, gamers from the West have claimed the award in seven out of the final ten seasons, courting again to Patrick Kane’s win in 2016. The reigning Hart winner is Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.
Additionally, not like the Jap Convention, the West is sort of any group’s for the taking. Whereas Edmonton has appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cups, they’re not essentially the prohibitive favourite that the Panthers are within the East.
Right here’s the place the percentages stand for the Western Convention winner as of September 9.
NHL Western Convention Odds
| Rank | Crew | Odds |
| 1 | Golden Knights | 375 |
| 2 | Oilers | 425 |
| 3 | Avalanche | 450 |
| 4 | Stars | 500 |
| 5 | Kings | 1100 |
| 6 | Jets | 1100 |
| 7 | Wild | 1800 |
| 8 | Mammoth | 2200 |
| 9 | Blues | 2500 |
| 10 | Canucks | 3000 |
| 11 | Flames | 5000 |
| 12 | Geese | 5500 |
| 13 | Predators | 5500 |
| 14 | Kraken | 10000 |
| 15 | Blackhawks | 40000 |
| 16 | Sharks | 40000 |
Who’s Favored to Win the Western Convention?
The Golden Knights are at present a slight favourite, at +375, to win the West within the 2025-26 season.
Vegas was the winner of a really muted offseason after signing coveted free agent ahead Mitch Marner to an eight-year $96 million contract. At season’s finish, a deal between the Knights and Marner gave the impression to be the most probably end result regardless of reported curiosity from Carolina and Utah.
His signing represented the final and solely actual fireworks of the 2025 offseason.
The addition of Marner follows a routinely strong season for Vegas in 2024-25, who had a 55-22-10 report touchdown them the highest spot within the Pacific Division.
Within the postseason, the Knights defeated Minnesota in six video games within the first spherical earlier than dropping in 5 to the Oilers.
I believe this may very well be the 12 months that the Vegas franchise wins its second Stanley Cup on condition that they’ve returned practically all their core gamers and have added one of many league’s high forwards.
They nonetheless lack a number of the top-tier expertise of a group like Edmonton however their entrance workplace is much extra aggressive with regards to enhancing the roster, if there’s a gap midseason their GM will doubtless appropriate it. The identical can’t be stated for the highest Oilers brass.
Possibly that is circumstantial or fully irrelevant, however Vegas’ first Stanley Cup win got here in opposition to Florida in 2023, who’ve, clearly, not misplaced within the Finals since then. May this imply that they’re the one group geared up to beat the Panthers is the Golden Knights?
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