A tradeoff that comes with having a championship-caliber roster in today’s NHL is that you’re likely to be long in the tooth across the board, which is definitely the case for the reigning Western Conference champions, though Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup odds are still very viable.
The Kris Knoblauch-coached club entered the 2024-25 NHL regular season with the oldest roster in the 32-team league, with an average age of 30.10, which tends to happen when you employ four players born in 1990 or earlier, headlined by 39-year-old forward Corey Perry. Where do the Oilers rank now?
OntarioBets.com wanted to know which NHL teams have the oldest rosters after the recent trade deadline. Using official team rosters as of March 12, we found the average age of each team and ranked the top 10 oldest NHL teams.
Top 10 Oldest NHL Team Rosters
Rank | Team | Average Age |
1 | Minnesota Wild | 29.60 |
2 | Edmonton Oilers | 29.41 |
3 | Washington Capitals | 29.35 |
4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 29.17 |
5 | New York Islanders | 28.96 |
6 | Florida Panthers | 28.92 |
7 | Carolina Hurricanes | 28.71 |
8 | Colorado Avalanche | 28.70 |
9 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 28.64 |
10 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 28.55 |
If you believe older teams have an edge with experience, you may want to consider this information when you place NHL bets with Ontario sports betting operators this season.
In our original story, the Oilers were the oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 30.1 years, just ahead of the Nashville Predators (29.86) and Pittsburgh Penguins (29.59). Edmonton is still well up there, with its updated average age of 29.41 years after last week's trade deadline ranking only behind the Minnesota Wild (29.6). But the Predators dropped out of the top 10 and the Penguins have sunk to ninth, as both teams made moves at the trade deadline to get younger because their playoff hopes are just about gone for 2025.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were very active, making four trades on March 7 alone (trade deadline day), but they remained fourth with an updated average age of 29.17. Check out Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds as the team vies for the Atlantic Division title and home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Teams That Got Older At Trade Deadline
The Oilers got just slightly younger in recent weeks. On March 7, they acquired 29-year-old defenseman Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks for minor-league forward Carl Berglund, 25, and a conditional first-round draft pick in 2026. Three days earlier, Edmonton picked up forwards Trent Frederic, Max Jones and Petr Hauser in a three-team trade with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins.
Minnesota was tied for ninth on our previous list with an average age of 28.67, but tried to pick up their flagging form with deals at the trade deadline. See our NHL Stanley Cup Odds page to compare current lines from various operators. The defending champion Florida Panthers were not in the top 10 before, but now they are at an average age of 28.92, ranking sixth.
For now, Edmonton fans will likely accept their team’s veteran-laden lineup as long as the Oilers bring the first Stanley Cup championship north across the border since Montreal won it all in 1993. That quest for immortality continues in the final quarter of the season, with the Oilers entering play on March 12 sitting second in the Pacific Division, five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, with 18 games remaining for both teams.
At NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook, the Oilers have +750 odds to win the Stanley Cup, fourth behind the Panthers (+600), Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars (+700 each).
Author
Christopher Boan is a writer at OntarioBets.com. He's covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
