We’ve made it to the final round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, otherwise known as the Stanley Cup Finals. And what a dream matchup for hockey fans up here in Canada, such as myself – the Vegas Golden Knights vs the Carolina Hurricanes. Blech. Here are your NHL Stanley Cup Finals futures before the puck gets dropped on Tuesday night.
NHL Stanley Cup Finals Futures
Maybe before we dive into it, I’ll recap my outstanding futures. My Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup at +600 is looking mighty good right about now. As is my Frederik Andersen to win the Conn Smythe at +1100. And I cashed the Hurricanes-Canadiens series to go under 5.5 games. Things are looking pretty, pretty, pretty good. But I want more. Here are some more winners.
Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup (+130)
Let’s get in on some more Vegas Golden Knights stock, shall we? The logical move would probably be to invest in the Carolina Hurricanes to hedge my bets – arbitrage and whatever – but the Canes are overpriced. They should be more in the -120 to -130 range instead of the -155 they are posted at.
So we’ll go with the value and take the Golden Knights at +130. Vegas just easily dispatched the supposed best team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. Sure, the Avalanche were beaten up, but the Golden Knights swept them and outscored them 14-7. With a roster full of former Cup winners, Vegas can do the same to Carolina.
Stanley Cup Finals to go Six Games (+210), Stanley Cup Finals to go Seven Games (+210)
If you’re braver than I, just take one of these two bets (I prefer seven games over six games). But you can bet the Stanley Cup Finals will go six games and seven games and still walk away with a profit.
That’s because I expect this to be a long series, despite both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights making quick work of the opposition up to this point. It would serve the NHL right to have a long, drawn-out affair that no one in their biggest market (Canada) will watch.
The analytics folks put the odds on this series going six or more games at 62%, so this is a solid bet, if I do say so myself.
Logan Stankoven Series Leading Goal Scorer (+900)
I can’t make this all Vegas Golden Knights bets, so along with my Frederick Andersen Conn Smythe bet, I’m taking a flyer on the Canes’ Logan Stankoven to lead the Stanley Cup Finals in goal scoring. Actually, this is far from a flyer despite the odds making it appear so. The 23-year-old center leads Carolina in playoff goals with nine, and playoff shots on goal with 46. Why should he let up now? Keep those pucks flying at the net, good sir.
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