The Edmonton Oilers have won the NHL’s Western Conference in each of the past two seasons. Those conference champions have not translated to success in the Stanley Cup Finals, as the team has fallen to the Florida Panthers in each of those trips to the Cup Final.
No team has won three Western Conference Championships in a row since the Oilers did so in 1983-1985. Despite that history, Edmonton is the betting favorite to win the 2025-26 NHL Western Conference Championship.
The 2025-2026 NHL season kicks off on October 7, 2025, with three games: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings.
Before we look at the odds, picks and predictions for the 2026 NHL Western Conference, check out the Vegas Stanley Cup odds for 2025-26.
| To Win 2025-26 NHL Western Conference |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | +425 | +350 | +450 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +425 | +500 | +450 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Dallas Stars | +450 | +450 | +500 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +1000 | +1000 | +900 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +1200 | +1100 | +1200 |
| Minnesota Wild | +2000 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Utah Mammoth | +2000 | +1600 | +1800 |
| St. Louis Blues | +2500 | +2200 | +2000 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +2800 | +2800 | +3000 |
| Nashville Predators | +3300 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +5000 | +6600 | +10000 |
| Calgary Flames | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Seattle Kraken | +12500 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +25000 | +15000 | +25000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
2024-25 was supposed to be the Edmonton Oilers‘ year to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1989-90. Instead, the Oilers fell short in their third attempt to win the ultimate trophy in hockey since the club last had their names etched on the Cup. The Oilers are the betting favorites to win the Western Conference in 2025-26 and to get another chance to win the Cup.
This season will be head coach Kris Knoblauch‘s first full season behind the Edmonton bench. He will have his star players, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, in the fold, but the team is expected to give top prospects Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard every chance to make the top two forward lines.
The big concern for the Oilers is goaltending. The team has not given up on Stuart Skinner, but the club has a new goalie coach for the season in Peter Aubry, who replaced Dustin Schwartz, who had been with the Oilers since November 2014.
The Oilers are the best team in the Western Conference, but the gap between them and the rest of the conference is closing.
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division for the fourth time last year, finishing the season with a record of 50-22-10, putting them five points ahead of the LA Kings. The club then defeated the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Oilers in five games.
In the offseason, the Golden Knights made the biggest splash in free agency, inking Mitch Marner on a sign-and-trade deal for the max allowable eight years and $96 million. Marner was the fifth leading scorer in the NHL last year with 102 points.
“You want to be in a place where you can win. That’s the whole goal of why we do this. You want to hoist a Stanley Cup. This team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough to now hopefully help bring it back here,” Marner said after the signing.
The bad news for Vegas is that the Marner signing leaves the team no cap space, and that top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will miss an undetermined amount of time because of bilateral femur reconstruction surgery.
The Colorado Avalanche last won the Western Conference in 2021-22. The team went on to win its third Stanley Cup that year. Last year, Colorado placed third in the Central Division with 102 points. The team fell in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Dallas Stars in seven games.
The Avalanche did not do much in the offseason, other than adding veteran defenseman Brent Burns to the lineup and giving second-line center Brock Nelson a new contract.
One bright spot for the Avalanche is that team captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to start the season on the Colorado roster. Landeskog, who missed the past two regular seasons because of knee surgeries, was back in the lineup for five playoff games last season, picking up four points (1 goal, three assists).
Landeskog’s return will give the team a boost.
The Oilers have the best offensive firepower in the West, and as long as the goaltending can remain steady the team should be able to win its third straight Western Conference title at the end of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Prior to making any bets, check the latest NHL Vegas odds. You definitely should be taking advantage of these Vegas betting site bonuses.
