NHL Eastern Conference Winner Odds & Predictions 2024/25: Rangers Continuity to Carry Them to a Deep Run in the Playoffs

• The Florida Panthers won the Eastern Conference Championship and Stanley Cup in 2023-2024

• The Panthers have won the Eastern Conference Championship two years in a row

• The New York Rangers have not made it past the Eastern Conference Finals since 2014

After claiming their second straight Eastern Conference Championship, the Florida Panthers also went on to win the Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling game seven. Winning a third straight Conference Championship will be tough to pull off after losing key pieces throughout the offseason, yet the Panthers may have enough depth to mask their loss of production to help make another deep run in the playoffs.

Eastern Conference Championship Odds 

Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Click on the odds in the table below to head to BetMGM Sportsbook and place your bets: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets.

*Rest of field listed at +800 or higher

Eastern Conference Championship Predictions and Favorites to Win 

After winning the Stanley Cup last season, oddsmakers believe the Florida Panthers are poised for another deep run as they enter the year listed as the betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference Championship.

Florida Panthers (+600) at Caesars

After falling just short of winning the Stanley Cup in 2022-2023, the Florida Panthers completed their revenge tour by thwarting the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in last year’s finals. Heading into this season, the Panthers have the opportunity to be the first team to win three straight Eastern Conference Championships since the New York Islanders did it back in 1982-1984 when it was called the Prince of Wales Conference.

Making another deep run in the playoffs will be a tall task for the Panthers heading into this season as they lost star defenseman Brandon Montour to the Seattle Kraken in free agency, leaving a massive hole in their back line. Fortunately for Florida, they have more than enough depth to try and mask his loss of production, yet it may take awhile for the new faces to gel together before recapturing last year's championship level of production.

Use code WSN1000 for $1,000 First Bet on Caesars

New Jersey Devils (+625) at Caesars

It was a disappointing 2023-2024 campaign for the New Jersey Devils who came into the year with Stanley Cup potential, yet their inability to stay healthy and play defense at a competitive level resulted in them missing out on the playoffs entirely. Their lack of defense was especially alarming as the Devils ended the year ranked well below league average in Expected Goals Against in All Situations and 5-on-5 Play.

Knowing they desperately needed to upgrade their defense in order to make a run to the playoffs, the Devils were active in the offseason by signing Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon in free agency. Should they have an immediate impact on defense, then the Devils can ward off the variance that comes with high scoring contests. While the Devils make for an intriguing pick to win the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s worth waiting until Luke Hughes makes his return from injury as a slow start may give a boost to their odds.

Claim $1,000 First Bet on Caesars

Carolina Hurricanes (+700) at BetMGM

While the Carolina Hurricanes did manage to make the playoffs, their fans can’t help but feel disappointed after failing to make it to the Conference Finals when they were arguably one of the best teams in the league last season. That has been a common theme for Carolina over the years, stringing together a successful regular season campaign while failing to win the Eastern Conference Championship. A feat they have not done since 2006 when they beat the Buffalo Sabres in seven games.

To make matters worse for Carolina, they now enter this season with plenty of question marks after losing multiple key players at various positions throughout the offseason. While most of their top lines are intact, the Hurricanes lost plenty of depth with multiple forwards and defenseman finding new homes over the past couple of months. That signals the Hurricanes may regress after finishing last year ranked near the top of the board in Expected Goals For and Goals Against in All Situations, making them a pass to win the conference at their current odds.

Go to BetMGM and Get $1,500 in Bonus Bets

Who Will Win the Eastern Conference Championship - My Pick 

New York Rangers (+600) at BetMGM

After losing to the Stanley Cup champions in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Rangers are in a position to make another deep run in the playoffs heading into this season. They bring back a majority of their roster that led them to a run last year, including star goaltender Igor Shesterkin who finished last year ranked in the top half of the board of all qualified goalies in Goals Against per Game and Save Percentage.

While they managed to rank above league average in Expected Goals For and Goals Against in All Situations, the Rangers offense actually sharply declined when playing 5-on-5. Should New York want to make another deep run in the playoffs, then they will desperately need to improve in 5-on-5 Situations to help limit variance. With improvement imminent due to their continuity, back the Rangers to make another deep run and win the Eastern Conference Championship.

Join BetMGM for $1,500 in Bonus Bets

Who Won the Eastern Conference Championship in 2023/2024?

The Florida Panthers won the Eastern Conference Championship in 2023-2024, claiming their third conference title.

Eastern Conference History

While the Western Conference has seen plenty of parity, the Eastern Conference has been dominated by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning as of late. Each club has repeated as conference champions over the past four years with the Florida Panthers winning the last two. Should the Panthers win the conference this season, then they would be the first club to three-peat since the New York Islanders did it in 1982-1984 when the Eastern Conference was called the Prince of Wales Conference.

Past Eastern Conference Winners

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the Eastern Conference Championship

When looking to make a wager on the Eastern Conference Championship futures market, it’s vital to have access to as many top-rated NHL sportsbooks as you can get. This allows you to line shop the futures market as odds can vary between each book. When betting on the New York Rangers to win the Eastern Conference Championship, they can be found as low as +550 at Caesars and as high as +600 at BetMGM. That is a difference of $50 in profit for a $100 bettor.

Another benefit of acquiring multiple sportsbooks is that you can collect multiple signup bonuses to help boost your bankroll ahead of the NHL season. Caesars Sportsbook for example is giving new users up to $1,000 back in the form of bonus bets should they lose their first wager after creating an account with the WSN promo code WSN1000.

How to Read Eastern Conference Winner Odds

Before making any type of wager, it’s important to know how the listed odds work. Should you bet the Rangers to win the Eastern Conference at their current odds of +600, then a $100 wager would profit you $600 should they win the championship. Should you wait to see if they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and are listed with a minus sign in front of their number (ex: -130), then you would need to wager $130 to profit $100 if they win the conference title.