BETTING

Stanley Cup 2026 Betting: Florida Panthers Projected Favorites

The Florida Panthers’ superiority holds a tight grip on the NHL betting odds ahead of the 2025/26 season, as the back-to-back champions are the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup for a 3rd year in a row.

However, there are a lot of strong contenders for this upcoming season, and when we ignore the favorites in the betting market, we start to find much better value across the board.

2026 Stanley Cup Winner Odds

Below you will find the current Stanley Cup odds, courtesy of the top sportsbooks.

Florida Aiming For Three

We know from recent history that winning three in a row is much harder than many believe. Florida’s counterparts, the Tampa Bay Lightning, came close in recent years but fell short in their third Finals appearance after finishing 1st, 1st, and 2nd. Interestingly, the Florida Panthers’ last three seasons have seen them finish 2nd, 1st, and 1st.

At the very least, if the Panthers make the finals, it will be their 4th Stanley Cup finals in a row. If any team is capable of stringing together another solid post-season, it’s the Florida Panthers, as their brand of hockey is known to cause teams a lot of issues.

The Panthers were able to re-sign some key players, such as Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennet (all of whom were set to be unrestricted free agents). It’s hard to ignore that the Panthers can go deep into the playoffs once again, but +600 might be a little low on value when we take a look at some other potential winners.

Don’t Count Colorado Out

The Colorado Avalanche have been a solid playoff team in recent years and managed to get their hands on the Stanley Cup in 2022. However, since then, they have failed to make a deep playoff run.

This off-season, they made some good additions to strengthen their roster, bringing in defenceman Brent Burns and re-signing forward Brock Nelson. Gabriel Landeskog should be back to his best, and Martin Necas will finally have his first full season with the Avalanche.

Colorado is not to be counted out of the conversation, and +700 seems like a fair set of odds to be getting at this stage of the pre-season. We have seen their odds as high as +900, so make sure to check around for the best odds when placing your NHL Stanley Cup pre-season bets.

Gabriel Landeskog Colorado Avalanche
Gabriel Landeskog #92 of the Colorado Avalanche warms up before the game against the Dallas Stars in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 23, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

Carolina Hopeful Again

We’ve been harping on about the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup for a few seasons now, yet they always seem to fall short. They’ve reached the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the past six seasons but have finished as runners-up each time.

They have already strengthened for next season with the addition of former Winnipeg Jets forward, Nikolaj Ehlers, who will bring a much-needed peace to their attacking lineup and should improve their powerplay as well.

At the end of the day, the Carolina Hurricanes will likely have to overcome the Florida Panthers at some stage of the playoffs, which will be a hard task. However, their current odds at +800 are solid and could be a worthwhile bet before the first puck drop of the season.

Edmonton’s Final Stand

Honestly, what do the Oilers have to do to overcome the Florida Panthers, having lost to them in back-to-back Finals? Without a doubt, this feels like the Oilers’ last chance to win the Stanley Cup with Connor McDavid. If they fall short again, a rebuild could be on the horizon — and that’s not something McDavid has time to wait for.

As always, the main issue for the Oilers is goaltending.

Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard appear set to keep their spots on the team next season, and to be fair, they did have some strong stretches during the playoffs. Ultimately, though, the relentless pressure from the Panthers was what brought them undone.

The Oilers are +850 to win it all this season and its very likely you will get a run for your money yet again this season when betting on Edmonton to go all the way.

Notable Mentions

The Dallas Stars at +1000 and the Vegas Golden Knights at +850 are two teams that should give you a serious run for your money this season. Dallas has been knocking on the door for a few years now, while the Golden Knights were crowned champions in 2023.

*21+ Seek help with a gambling addiction at 1-800-Gambler

*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.

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NHL Betting FAQs

Question: Where Can I Go to Make a Bet on The NHL Playoffs?

Answer: The best online sportsbooks are the safest online sportsbooks, which are those licensed in jurisdictions where online sports betting is legal in the United States.

The top-rated books are BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, DrafKings, Bet365, Fanduel and BetRivers.

Question: What Types of Bets Are Popular with NHL Hockey?

Answer: The most popular bet is the moneyline where the underdog returns more money than you wagered while the favorite requires you to risk more than you could win. There is no point spread in moneyline wagering, it’s strictly whichever team wins the game wins the bet.

However, puck lines are also common, with the underdog getting +1 goal while the underdog is giving 1 ½ goals. Totals, or over/under betting, is another typical hockey bet where the bettor can bet over or under the posted total.

Question: Do I Have to Bet a Lot?

Answer: No, the minimum bet is as low as $1 and accounts can be funded with as little as $10 at many of the books across the nation.

Props and Bonuses

You can find a list of prop bets at all of the best U.S.-licensed online sportsbooks found right here at OddsTrader. Online sportsbooks like BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, DrafKings, Bet365, Fanduel and BetRivers all offer props like “Who Will Win the NHL Playoff MVP Award” and futures to win the Stanley Cup as well as generous signup bonuses.

Shop for Odds

If you want to compare the various NHL Odds, then click on the link and you will see the point spreads, moneylines, and totals at all of the best books in the industry.

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