NHL 2026 Western Conference Odds: Can Anyone Dethrone the Oilers?
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Eric Kelly
- July 14, 2025
Top NHL Pick: Dallas Stars To Win Western Conference (+450) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
We are halfway through the mid-season break, and with just a few weeks remaining until pre-season kicks off, the top-rated sportsbooks have already made the Edmonton Oilers the favorites to win the Western Conference.
Is this a surprise? No — but at +325 NHL betting odds to win the West for a third season in a row, we believe there’s better value elsewhere.
NHL 2026 Western Conference Odds
Bold Call On Oilers Being Favoured
Sorry, Edmonton fans, but we can’t see the Oilers making it three Western Conferences in a row. They have had goaltending issues and it looks like they are sticking with the Stuart Skinner-Calvin Pickard duo for next season, which could spell trouble.
Yes, the defence has improved this season and contributed a lot more points than expected, but the Oilers have constantly had to rely on the brilliance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Yes, other players step up when needed and can be prone to high-scoring nights, but the Oilers tend to be nothing without the deadly duo.
McDavid and Draisaitl have to be prone to burnout now, having carried this team on its back for the past few seasons, including the previous two Stanley Cup finals in which the Oilers finished on both occasions as runner-ups.
However, our two main reasons for not supporting the Oilers in this endeavor are that we believe other teams around them will improve this season, and their odds don’t represent any value.
We give the Oilers about an 18% chance of winning the West this season, whilst their odds suggest they have a 23% chance of winning. Of course, it’s not much overall, but we do believe there are teams in the Western Conference that represent value as a better bet.
Who Can Take The Oilers Down
Two teams we think will play above their odds this season are the Dallas Stars and the Las Vegas Golden Knights, as well as one or two other bigger odds teams, such as the Minnesota Wild or Winnipeg Jets.
Dallas Stars (+450)
Dallas has been threatening for a few seasons now, having finished as runner-up in the Western Conference for the previous three seasons in a row. The Stars have been slowly improving each season, and this could be the one when it all clicks.
Considering they have finished as runner-ups in the three previous seasons, we like their odds. Dallas has a strong core and plays a style of hockey similar to Florida’s. The Stars are itching to get a win over the Oilers, and it could happen this season.
NHL Pick: Dallas Stars To Win Western Conference (+450) at BetOnline
Las Vegas Golden Knights (+500)
The Golden Knights are set for a bounce-back campaign, having won the Stanley Cup in 2023. They were eliminated in the first round when facing the Dallas Stars in 2024, and this past season, they were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.
Vegas is always a threat in the Western Conference. Let’s not forget how unstoppable they became towards the end of the playoffs in their Stanley Cup-winning season.
The Knights didn’t mess around, signing their newest acquisitions to contract extensions in Brian Saad and Reilly Smith. Vegas will most likely be in the playoffs, and when it comes to knockout hocke,y that’s usually where their game accelerates.
NHL Pick: Las Vegas Golden Knights To Win Western Conference (+500) at BetOnline
What About The Rest
We believe that, out of all the teams in the top ten of the betting market, the Colorado Avalanche have the worst odds.
They haven’t been anywhere near as dangerous as their Stanley Cup-winning campaign in 2022, and there are simply better teams in the conference capable of beating them.
The L.A. Kings are favoured over the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets, but we believe that, in a playoff situation, either of those teams could outdo the Kings. L.A. doesn’t hold much value at +1000, so we would rather take the Jets at +1100 or the Wild at +1800.
NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets To Win Western Conference (+1100) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
