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Early favorites for the 2026-27 NHL Stanley Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Carolina Hurricanes have barely had time to pop the champagne, and the sportsbooks are already moving on, posting their early Stanley Cup odds for the 2026-27 season. As always with early markets, some numbers make sense, and others are going to raise a few eyebrows around the league.
Leading the way is the Colorado Avalanche, who open as the outright favorites at +700 according to BetMGM. The Hurricanes sit right behind them at +750, giving Carolina a realistic shot at becoming the fourth back-to-back Stanley Cup champions since 2016. The Vegas Golden Knights, who fell short in the Final, are listed at +1000 as they look to rebound and finish the job next season.
At the other end of the board, the Vancouver Canucks find themselves at the very back of the pack at +50000, with the Calgary Flames just ahead of them at +30000. Both franchises have significant ground to cover before anyone seriously considers them contenders.
MORE: The NHL's goaltending market will be one to watch this off-season
The numbers generating the most conversation, however, involve a pair of teams that feel either over or undervalued given what happened this past season.
The Detroit Red Wings are perhaps the most puzzling entry on the board, as they were among the league’s better teams for much of the season before a late collapse knocked them completely out of playoff contention.
Despite finishing ahead of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and New York Islanders in the standings, the Red Wings find themselves sharing +6600 odds with the Islanders while sitting behind both Toronto and San Jose on the board. For a team that showed genuine top-end capability for stretches of the season, those odds feel like an opportunity for believers. Dylan Larkin’s future will play a pivotal role in which direction the Red Wings go.
Then there is the Dallas situation, where they enter a complicated off-season with two impactful pending restricted free agents in Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque, a pair of negotiations that figure to consume significant cap space and front office attention this summer.
MORE: Dylan Larkin’s trade request signifies a failed Red Wings rebuild; A trade will set the team back disastrously
Meaningful roster moves may be necessary to keep the team competitive. Yet, BetMGM has the Stars installed with the eighth-best odds in the league at +1500, a clear signal that the market believes GM Jim Nill will find a way to keep Dallas in the conversation.
NHL 2026-27 Stanley Cup Odds
Colorado Avalanche +700
Carolina Hurricanes +750
Vegas Golden Knights +1000
Edmonton Oilers +1100
Florida Panthers +1100
Tampa Bay Lightning +1200
Minnesota Wild +1400
Dallas Stars +1500
Buffalo Sabres +1800
Ottawa Senators +1800
Anaheim Ducks +2200
Montreal Canadiens +2200
New Jersey Devils +3000
Utah Mammoth +3000
Los Angeles Kings +3500
Columbus Blue Jackets +5000
Philadelphia Flyers +5000
Washington Capitals +5000
Pittsburgh Penguins +6000
San Jose Sharks +6000
Toronto Maple Leafs +6000
Detroit Red Wings +6600
New York Islanders +6600
New York Rangers +8000
Winnipeg Jets +8000
Boston Bruins +9000
St. Louis Blues +10000
Chicago Blackhawks +15000
Nashville Predators +15000
Seattle Kraken +20000
Calgary Flames +30000
Vancouver Canucks +50000
With the NHL draft and free agency still ahead, early odds like these rarely tell the full story. Rosters will look different by the time training camps open, and some of these numbers will shift dramatically in the months to come.
But for bettors with a strong feeling about a particular team, right now, before the roster shuffling begins, might be the best time to lock in a price before the market catches up.
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