NHL Trade Deadline 2023 Winners and Losers: The West is Now Connor McDavid’s to Lose

The Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders are finished jousting for position following the NHL trade deadline Friday afternoon. There were clear winners and losers, and here’s sports betting analyst Neil Parker’s breakdown of who won and lost the 2023 NHL trade deadline based on the best NHL odds. 

That’s all, folks.

With the 2022-23 NHL trade deadline behind us, teams must now look within to bolster their lineups – and the playoff picture and Stanley Cup odds are settling into place.

Almost all of the major deals took place ahead of Friday’s cutoff, but even Friday's transactions will have an impact; after all, it’s often the players slotting into the supporting roles who push teams from contenders to champions.

Here’s a look at the NHL trade deadline winners and losers from a betting perspective, along with their updated Stanley Cup odds.

NHL trade deadline 2023 winners

Edmonton Oilers 

The Oilers addressed their largest weakness with the acquisition of defenseman Mattias Ekholm. He brings 75 games of postseason experience and can log top-four minutes while matching up against the opposition’s top scorers. Ekholm also kick-starts the offensive attack as a skilled passer and chips in offensively. 

Edmonton also acquired a reliable bottom-six forward in Nick Bjugstad. He’s capable of playing center or wing and uses his 6-foot-6 frame effectively. Bjugstad has flashed offensive upside and been solid in the faceoff circle in the past, too. 

In what remains a wide-open Western Conference, the Oilers won the NHL trade deadline. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will lead the way, and now the supporting cast is better – especially on the blue line.

It’ll all come down to goaltending for Edmonton. If Stuart Skinner or Jack Campbell can heat up when it matters most, the Oilers will win the West. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Here we go again.

It’s pretty clear that as long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are playing, the Penguins are going to push all in to fill out the supporting cast around their long-standing stars.

Winger Mikael Granlund headlines the additions. He’s a skilled forward who can produce offense and drive possession while slotting in up and down the lineup. Simply put, Granlund will improve any line he plays on.

I value the depth additions of defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and center Nick Bonino, too. Bonino won multiple cups with the Pens, and he has 105 postseason games on his resume. Kulikov is a no-nonsense defenseman who can kill penalties and succeed in a supporting role.

Finally, a quick peek at the Pens' Stanley Cup odds across our best sportsbooks is indicative of their range of outcomes this spring. I don’t think Pittsburgh is going to win it all, but at the same time, I think those +6000 odds through Caesars are the best bet on the board.

Boston Bruins

The betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup got better –  potentially a lot better.

Adding winger Tyler Bertuzzi beefs up an already deep scoring attack, and Dmitry Orlov checks out as one of the most underrated defenseman in the league in my books. Assuming Taylor Hall (lower body) returns to full health for the postseason push, Boston is stacked top to bottom.

Bertuzzi perfectly slides into the middle-six opening Hall was occupying, and Orlov makes the Boston top-four blueliners the best group in the NHL. 

The Bruins are already in the midst of a historic season, and now they’re deeper, more skilled and more experienced than they were last week. Add No. 1 netminder Linus Ullmark pacing the NHL in every meaningful stat, and I expect Boston to be the most difficult out in the playoffs. 

I doubt we see longer odds than the +450 through DraftKings again this season, and I peg the Bruins as the team to bet.

NHL trade deadline 2023 losers

Vegas Golden Knights

With the Western Conference still very much up for grabs, the Golden Knights didn’t do enough to improve ahead of the trade deadline. I don’t think 37-year-old netminder Jonathan Quick is an upgrade in goal, and the Vegas offensive attack isn’t as prolific as it's been in years past.

Additionally, with Mark Stone’s back leaving his status murky and with salary cap wiggle room available with Stone on Long Term injured Reserve, Vegas passed up a chance to improve the forward group.

Every other team in the West playoff picture improved, while the Golden Knights brought in a goaltender with an .876 save percentage, 3.50 GAA and -23.4 goals saved above average. I respect Quick’s two Stanley Cups, but the last one came nine years ago.

I expected more from the Vegas brass, and I wouldn’t back them at their current odds. Furthermore, I wouldn't back them at +1700 again, either.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay got worse, to the point where it's the most mispriced team currently occupying a playoff seed.

Giving up an entire draft class for winger Tanner Jeannot doesn’t hurt this year’s Stanley Cup outlook, but I actually view him as a downgrade from proven forward Vladislav Namestnikov. 

Jeanott is undisciplined, and his 24-goal showing in 2021-22 was the result of an unsustainably-high 19.4 shooting percentage. He’s only scored five goals with a 5.7 percent success rate this year. His rambunctiousness is a nice playoff trait, but Tampa Bay lacks the secondary scoring to make another deep postseason run.

Namestnikov drives possession and plays responsible defense, and Jeannot has done just the opposite to start his career.

It’s all but set that Tampa Bay will need to go through both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, and both those teams have superior depth up front and on the blue line. If Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t a brick wall in nets, Tampa Bay isn’t reaching Round 2.

Tampa Bay at +1200 to win the Stanley Cup is the worst bet on the board.

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