The 2023-24 NHL season gets started on Tuesday night, just under four months after the Las Vegas Golden Knights closed out the 2022-23 season by winning their first Stanley Cup. The defending champions will look to pick up where they left off last season, while the Florida Panthers, who shocked the hockey world by reaching the Stanley Cup Final as the East’s No. 8 seed, will do the same. Last spring, Florida pulled off what was arguably the biggest playoff series upset in NHL history by beating the Boston Bruins in the playoffs’ opening round. Can Florida get back to the Final again and get the job done? It's almost time to drop the puck, so let's jump into some predictions for what should be a wild Eastern Conference this season.

We're preparing for it with NHL futures bets for the entire Eastern Conference, including projected Atlantic Division odds and Metropolitan division odds champions and Eastern Conference championship odds for this season. Let's get into some NHL Eastern Conference odds as we make our winner picks. 

Best NHL Eastern Conference Futures Bets, Odds, Predictions & Picks Season 2023-24 

Odds to win NHL Eastern Conference 2023-24 

Toronto Maple Leafs (+450)
New Jersey Devils (+550)
Carolina Hurricanes (+600)
New York Rangers (+650)
Boston Bruins (+750)
Tampa Bay Lightning (+750)
Florida Panthers (+1000)
Pittsburgh Panthers (+1400)
Buffalo Sabres (+1700)
Ottawa Senators (+1700)
Detroit Red Wings (+2500)
New York Islanders (+2500)
Columbus Blue Jackets (+3000)
Washington Capitals (+6600)
Montreal Canadiens (+6600)
Philadelphia Flyers (+6600)

Favorites to win NHL Eastern Conference

The Florida Panthers completely shocked the NHL with their magical playoff run through the Eastern Conference. It all started in the postseason’s first round, when Florida upset the Atlantic Division champion Boston Bruins, a team everyone thought would win the Stanley Cup. With a new season upon us and new faces in new places, the Bruins will have a tough time repeating last season’s record-setting 65 wins, particularly because veteran David Krejci and team captain Patrice Bergeron both retired during the offseason. With Boston potentially no longer a runaway favorite, let's break down our best NHL futures bets to determine who will take home the Eastern Conference title.

2023-24 NHL Eastern Conference Predictions and Best Bets When the 2023 postseason started, I honestly couldn’t imagine any team beating the New Jersey Devils. They have a great goaltender in Vitek Vanecek, a rising superstar in center Jack Hughes, and great offensive power and depth at all positions. They made a smart trade for winger Timo Meier and signed him to a long-term contract. With moves like this, New Jersey is going to be a great team for awhile. Look for Hughes and Meier to be a 1-2 punch that defenses fear this season and the Devils to emerge as one of the league’s best teams. Hughes and Meier are special, but let's not forget that the Devils also have winger Jesper Bratt and center Nico Hischier, who each broke 30 goals last season. Watch out for New Jersey.

The Pick: New Jersey Devils (+550)

The Carolina Hurricanes ran into Cinderella last season before the clock struck dawn when they were swept by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. While a sweep suggests the Panthers utterly dominated the series, those who watched it closely saw that the series included two overtime games, a close Game 3, and buzzer-beater goal to avoid OT in Game 4. This Hurricanes team returns essentially the same group of players, and they are loaded offensively and defensively, as well as having one of the NHL’s better goaltending tandems in Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Look for Center Sebastian Aho and wing Martin Necas to lead the way offensively for Carolina again and for the ‘Canes return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+600)

Odds are subject to change*

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