With the NHL conference finals set to begin on Wednesday, oddsmakers believe that the Colorado Avalanche are in line to become the next Stanley Cup champions.
The Avalanche lead BetMGM’s Stanley Cup odds board at +135, yet their hoisting the trophy would be a positive outcome for the sportsbook.
Key Takeaways
- Only one remaining team, the Canadiens, began the year with odds longer than +1200.
- The Canadiens beat the Hurricanes in all three regular-season matchups.
- Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is the odds leader and most popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Stanley Cup Odds
| BetMGM | DraftKings | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +135 | +130 | +130 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +175 | +170 | +165 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +575 | +600 | +600 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +600 | +700 | +650 |
The Avalanche most recently won the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 season. They’re down to +135 at BetMGM after opening the season at +800, the third-shortest of all teams and only behind the Edmonton Oilers (+650) and the Florida Panthers (+750).
Colorado continues to appeal to bettors; 17.7% of tickets and 23.7% percent of the money wagered in the Stanley Cup futures market were on the Avalanche, both the leading amounts in their respective categories.
While the Avalanche have been the most popular pick to win the league championship, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t far behind in odds. Sitting at +175 after opening at +900, they have 8.3% of bets (second) and 10.5% of the pot (third) backing them.
While the Avalanche have been the most popular pick to win the league championship, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t far behind in odds. Sitting at +175 after opening at +900, they have 8.3% of bets (second) and 10.5% of the pot (third) backing them.
The two remaining teams — the Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens — are much further down the board.
One of those teams, the Knights, has still remained quite popular with bettors. The 2022-23 champions are +575 in odds to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season at +1200. They have 7.3% of wagers (third) and 11% of the money (second) supporting them.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also has a $100,000 ticket placed at +650 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook riding on the Golden Knights. A win would pay a $750,000 total prize.
Davey Pucks Activated. #dkpartner pic.twitter.com/0FEgl3LV3p
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 3, 2026
The final remaining team is the Canadiens, who are +600 after opening the year at a whopping +8000. Only 10 of the league’s 30 teams had longer odds when players took the ice for the first time last October.
The Canadiens aren’t just fighting the oddsmakers, they’re also fighting the public consensus. Their 4.5% of tickets and 3.6% of the handle are both the lowest of the remaining teams and rank ninth among all teams in both categories.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup at @BetMGM
— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 19, 2026
▪️ Avalanche +135
▪️ Hurricanes +175
▪️ Golden Knights +575
▪️ Canadiens +600@GoldenKnights are the only remaining liability on the future market@Canes are the best outcome
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Does the past predict the future?
The Golden Knights and the Canadiens are both +200 series underdogs, while the Avalanche and the Hurricanes are both -250 series favorites in the conference finals, per BetMGM sportsbook.
No team has been better in the playoffs than the Hurricanes, who swept the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers in consecutive series. On the flip side, the Canadiens went seven games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres, and needed overtime to grab a win against the Sabres in Game 7 on Monday.
Despite the series odds heavily tilting one way, the Hurricanes lost all three of their regular-season matchups with the Canadiens by an aggregate score of 15-8.
Out west, the Avalanche have only dropped one game in the playoffs, a Game 3 second-round defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Wild. The Knights went six games with both the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks, although they won seven of their last nine games on the ice.
The Knights did not have the same luck against their favored opponent as the Canadiens, losing two of three regular-season matchups with the Avalanche. The lone win was the most recent matchup on April 11, which ended in overtime, 3-2.
Conn Smythe odds
With the Avalanche in pole position to win the Stanley Cup, center Nathan MacKinnon is the Conn Smythe Trophy odds leader (+170) and most popular pick for BetMGM users, with 22% of tickets and 27.5% of the handle. Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is second in odds (+400) but far behind in support from bettors, receiving 5.7% of wagers (second) and 8.1% of the pot (third).
The most popular underdog pick is Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, who is third in odds at +900. He only has 5% of bets, but he also generated 17.6% of the money wagered in this market (second).
