The NHL is nearly three months removed from Carolina beating the Golden Knights in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup. But fans won’t have to wait much longer until NHL teams return to the ice.
Discourse regarding which teams to watch in 2026/27 is gathering steam, and while lots of factors such as injuries or roster moves might impact a franchise’s odds of success, sportsbooks have already singled out who they believe are contenders for the famous silverware in the upcoming season. Here’s where the betting markets currently lie with just a few weeks to go until ice hockey returns.
Carolina, Florida and Colorado lead the way
After two consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs, the 2025/26 season was nothing short of a disaster for Florida. The Panthers went 40-38-4 last year, suffering from injuries to key players like captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, but Paul Maurice’s team is not expected to struggle for much longer.
The trade to acquire Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk gives them one of the league’s best forwards and has made them joint-favorites to capture the Stanley Cup. They are priced at +650, as is reigning champion Carolina, with sportsbooks believing the two Eastern Conference teams to be the gold standard in the NHL presently.
If anyone from the West is to emerge victorious for the first time since 2023, it will likely be Colorado. The Avalanche, which is not too far behind Carolina and Florida with odds of +700, has kept the bulk of its defense that allowed the fewest goals in 2025/26 and has signed Jaden Schwartz to a three-year deal, a move which should only add to the league’s top-scoring offense.
Can Pacific’s two biggest contenders beat the favorites?
Across the border, Canada’s best hope of a first Stanley Cup winner since Montreal’s 1993 success lies with Edmonton. The Oilers are +800 to lift the trophy for the first time in 36 years, and those looking to back the Alberta-based team can use a Sports Interaction promo code to get started.
Mike Babcock brings a winning mentality, having guided Detroit to the pinnacle of the NHL in 2008, while the offseason additions of goaltender Frederik Andersen and defenseman Ryan Shea have made the team favorites in the Pacific. With the league’s leading points scorer last season Connor McDavid hoping to carry his form into the new season, could this be the year that Edmonton finally gets over the line?
To do so, the Oilers will need to see off a threat from within their division, as Vegas will also be looking to reach back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. The trade sending Pavel Dorofeyev to New York means there is greater emphasis on the likes of Jack Eichel, captain Mark Stone, and others to pick up the slack. But at +850, sportsbooks still believe there’s enough talent for the Golden Knights to pose a threat.
The dark horses to watch
Outside of the top five is a whole host of teams hoping to upset the odds. In the East, Tampa Bay is looking to bounce back from a first-round loss to Montreal and will hope that the offseason additions of John Carlson, Dennis Hildeby, Ilya Mikheyev, and Jeffrey Viel can provide a boost. At +1200, Jon Cooper’s team is regarded as a much stronger contender than the Capitals, with Washington being the only other Eastern Conference franchise with odds below +2000.
The Capitals also trail behind the two dark horses in the West, as Minnesota and Dallas are priced at +1300 and +1400, respectively. While the Wild is sweating over the future of star defenseman Quinn Hughes, the American and fellow teammates Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek will all play a key role as Minnesota looks to surpass last season’s run to the second round of the playoffs.
Dallas, meanwhile, has added attacking depth following the return of Joel Kiviranta, but the loss of Mavrik Bourque, who had 41 points in the regular season, is a big one. Re-signing Jason Robertson to a long-term contract is the big objective hanging over Stars general manager Jim Nill currently, but both he and Wyatt Johnston coming off excellent seasons bodes well for 2026/27.
