NHL Presidents' Trophy Odds: Golden Knights Favored After First Month

With October in the rearview, many of the best teams in the NHL have already started to separate themselves from the pack.

While it's still incredibly early in the 2023-24 campaign, it's never too early to dive into futures markets, so let's do that with the Presidents' Trophy.

Here are the Presidents' Trophy odds, per the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

NHL Presidents' Trophy Odds

Vegas Golden Knights (+460)

The favorites to take home the Presidents' Trophy is the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights haven't stopped since winning the Stanley Cup last season, kicking off the 2023-24 season by earning points in each of their first 11 games.

So far, they have the best record in the NHL, storming out to a 10-0-1 mark with a +19 goal differential. And they've done so on the back of fantastic goaltending.

Adin Hill has followed up his playoff heroics by posting 3.73 goals saved above expectation (GSAx) with a 2.11 goals against average (GAA) and .923 save percentage. He's got a 5-0-1 record -- and pairing that with Logan Thompson is all the more impressive.

Thompson was excellent in the 2022-23 season as the Golden Knights' starter before injuries forced him to miss nearly half the season and the playoffs. He's been able to kick right back into gear by putting up a 2.16 GAA and .932 save percentage with an even better 6.8 GSAx (eighth in the league).

Between these two, the Golden Knights are in the driver's seat for success.

But once you pop the hood, they're not quite as dominant elsewhere.

The Golden Knights currently rank 26th with a 55.68 Corsi For (Total Shots Attempts Created) per 60 minutes -- despite averaging a sixth-best 3.54 goals per 60 minutes.

The same goes for Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) -- their 61.61 clip ranks as the 13th-worst. Vegas is outdoing the goals against per 60 minutes at a top-three clip of 2.12, which is much better than their expectation of 2.94.

Once you remove goaltending, the Golden Knights are exceeding expectations. It's hard to know if they'll be able to keep that up, but seeing that the season is still young, they have plenty of time to improve those numbers. After all, they did bring back most of the team from their 2022-23 run.

Goaltending is pushing them forward, and there's no reason to believe their elite goalie play will come to an end anytime soon. They're going to be in the fight for the Presidents' Trophy until the end, making the +460 odds a strong bet.

Boston Bruins (+700)

Is it fair to call a defending Presidents' Trophy winner an underdog for the award one season later? When it comes to the Boston Bruins, it certainly is.

After the offseason retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci along with the losses of multiple talents, including Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov, no one expected the Bruins to be sitting at a 9-0-1 record -- yet here we are.

The Black and Gold have roared out of the gates, limiting opponents to a league-best 1.57 goals against per 60 minutes. This is far better than their expected mark, which ranks sixth-best at 2.87. Boston, however, has been a good team offensively (3.05 goals for per 60) but is actually under their expected total (3.35) -- meaning there is still room to grow for Jim Montgomery's team on the offensive end.

Despite the great goals against, the defense could be better as they have the 19th-worst Corsi Against at 60.12. That's just below the league average, so while they've been good, they haven't been dominant. A lot of their stoppage in the goal department -- similar to the Golden Knights -- is aided by their impressive duo in the net.

Both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark rank top 12 in GSAx, with Swayman being the 3rd-best (8.27) and Ullmark coming in at 11th (5.66). When both goalies are playing at that level -- the same type of play that carried them to the Presidents' Trophy last season -- it's hard to argue against Boston running it back.

Admittedly, the Bruins might still be a few pieces away from joining that upper echelon in terms of Stanley Cup contenders, but going 10 games with at least a point to start the season, Boston looks like they'll be better than most were expecting.

The last team to win the Presidents' Trophy in back-to-back years was the Washington Capitals in 2015-16 and 2016-17. It's a long season, and a lot needs to go right for a repeat -- but with how good they've been early on, these +700 odds are appealing.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.