NHL Western Conference Odds 2025-26: Who Will Win the Conference?

As we rapidly approach the 2025-26 NHL season, now’s a good time to take stock of what the standings may look like in the Western Conference. 

In my preview of the Eastern Conference odds, I said that it was the stronger conference in the NHL right now. 

I’m not going to change my stance now for a Western Conference audience, but I do think there’s a case to be made that while the East has better teams, the West has better individual talents. 

If we want to look at Hart Trophies, players from the West have claimed the award in seven out of the last ten seasons, dating back to Patrick Kane’s win in 2016. The reigning Hart winner is Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.  

Also, unlike the Eastern Conference, the West is kind of any team’s for the taking. While Edmonton has appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cups, they’re not necessarily the prohibitive favorite that the Panthers are in the East. 

Here’s where the odds stand for the Western Conference winner as of September 9. 

NHL Western Conference Odds

Who’s Favored to Win the Western Conference?

The Golden Knights are currently a slight favorite, at +375, to win the West in the 2025-26 season. 

Vegas was the winner of a very muted offseason after signing coveted free agent forward Mitch Marner to an eight-year $96 million contract. At season’s end, a deal between the Knights and Marner seemed to be the most likely outcome despite reported interest from Carolina and Utah. 

His signing represented the last and only real fireworks of the 2025 offseason.

The addition of Marner follows a routinely solid season for Vegas in 2024-25, who had a 55-22-10 record landing them the top spot in the Pacific Division. 

In the postseason, the Knights defeated Minnesota in six games in the first round before losing in five to the Oilers.

I think this could be the year that the Vegas franchise wins its second Stanley Cup given that they’ve returned nearly all their core players and have added one of the league’s top forwards. 

They still lack some of the top-tier talent of a team like Edmonton but their front office is far more aggressive when it comes to improving the roster, if there’s a hole midseason their GM will likely correct it. The same can’t be said for the top Oilers brass.

Maybe this is circumstantial or completely irrelevant, but Vegas’ first Stanley Cup win came against Florida in 2023, who have, obviously, not lost in the Finals since then. Could this mean that they’re the only team equipped to beat the Panthers is the Golden Knights?