2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Hurricanes Now Favored Following Barkov Bombshell

The Florida Panthers are the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, but bettors and oddsmakers are leery of their odds to three-peat following a significant injury to team captain Aleksander Barkov.

Kyle LaRusic - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Kyle LaRusic • Betting Analyst
Oct 1, 2025 • 13:21 ET • 4 min read
Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho (20) shoots the puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers
Photo By - Imagn Images. Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho (20) shoots the puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have seen their Stanley Cup odds drift from +650 to +1100 following a knee injury for Aleksander Barkov that will require surgery. He could potentially miss the entire season.

As a result, the Carolina Hurricanes are now the betting favorite in the Stanley Cup futures, narrowly ahead of the Tampa bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche.

Here's an early look at the NHL odds to hoist Lord Stanley's hardware next season.

🏆Stanley Cup Final 2025-26 odds

Team Bet99
Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes +750
Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning +800
Avalanche Colorado Avalanche +850
Golden Knights Vegas Golden Knights +850
Oilers Edmonton Oilers +900
Stars Dallas Stars +1100
Panthers Florida Panthers +1100
Devils New Jersey Devils +1300
Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs +1700
Kings Los Angeles Kings +2250
Jets Winnipeg Jets +2500
Rangers New York Rangers +3000
Capitals Washington Capitals +3000
Senators Ottawa Senators +3000
Wild Minnesota Wild +4000
Utah Utah Mammoth +4500
Canadiens Montreal Canadiens +5000
Blues St. Louis Blues +5000
Canucks Vancouver Canucks +6000
Predators Nashville Predators +7500
Red Wings Detroit Red Wings +8000
Blue Jackets Columbus Blue Jackets +8000
Ducks Anaheim Ducks +10000
Flames Calgary Flames +10000
Bruins Boston Bruins +15000
Islanders New York Islanders +15000
Flyers Philadelphia Flyers +15000
Sabres Buffalo Sabres +15000
Kraken Seattle Kraken +20000
Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins +20000
Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks +50000
Sharks San Jose Sharks +50000

Odds as of 10-1.

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Opening Stanley Cup odds

  • Edmonton Oilers: +650
  • Florida Panthers: +750
  • Colorado Avalanche: +800
  • Dallas Stars: +850
  • Carolina Hurricanes: +900
  • Vegas Golden Knights: +1200
  • Tampa Bay Lightning: +1500
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: +1300
  • New Jersey Devils: +1800
  • Los Angeles Kings: +2000
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: +2000
  • Winnipeg Jets: +2200
  • Washington Capitals: +2800
  • Vegas Golden Knights: +1800
  • New York Rangers: +3000
  • Ottawa Senators: +3300
  • Minnesota Wild: +3500
  • St. Louis Blues: +4000
  • Utah Mammoth: +4000
  • Vancouver Canucks: +5000
  • New York Islanders: +6600
  • Columbus Blue Jackets: +8000
  • Montreal Canadiens: +8000
  • Calgary Flames: +9000
  • Nashville Predators: +9000
  • Boston Bruins: +10000
  • Detroit Red Wings: +10000
  • Philadelphia Flyers: +10000
  • Anaheim Ducks: +15000
  • Buffalo Sabres: +15000
  • Pittsburgh Penguins: +20000
  • Seattle Kraken: +30000
  • Chicago Blackhawks: +50000
  • San Jose Sharks: +50000

📈 Stanley Cup betting trends

Here are some trends you may want to consider before placing a bet on the Stanley Cup.

  • Repeat winners are more common than you think. Since 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning have successfully defended their Cup once. Florida now enters that elite group.
  • Top teams from the beginning of the year typically go on to win the Cup. Since 2010, just five teams with odds above +1,000 have gone on to hoist Lord Stanley.
  • In the last 10 seasons, the Eastern Conference has won seven Cups.
  • The President’s Trophy winner has gone on to win the Stanley Cup just eight times in the 35 years that both trophies have been awarded.
  • A team has won 2+ consecutive Stanley Cups 16 times, with the Panthers just completing the task.
  • The runners-up have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the following season only once since 1990 (Pittsburgh Penguins 2009).

Despite losing in the Eastern Conference Finals again, books think next year may be the year for the Carolina Hurricanes. Following suit are familiar faces in Florida and Edmonton.

👑 Past Stanley Cup winners

Here are the last 15 winners of the Stanley Cup, their odds of winning just before the playoffs began (courtesy of Sports Odds History), and the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Season Stanley Cup Winners Odds before playoffs Runner Up
2024-25 Panthers Florida Panthers +1000 Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2023-24 Panthers Florida Panthers +800 Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2022-23 Golden Knights Vegas Golden Knights +1,200 Panthers Florida Panthers
2021-22 Avalanche Colorado Avalanche +325 Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
2020-21 Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning +800 Canadiens Montreal Canadiens
2019-20 Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning +650 Stars Dallas Stars
2018-19 Blues St. Louis Blues +1,250 Bruins Boston Bruins
2017-18 Capitals Washington Capitals +1,225 Golden Knights Vegas Golden Knights
2016-17 Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins +770 Predators Nashville Predators
2015-16 Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins +650 Sharks San Jose Sharks
2014-15 Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks +800 Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
2013-14 Kings Los Angeles Kings +1,400 Rangers New York Rangers 
2012-13 Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks +400 Bruins Boston Bruins
2011-12 Kings Los Angeles Kings +2,200 Devils New Jersey Devils
2010-11 Bruins Boston Bruins +800 Canucks Vancouver Canucks
2009-10 Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks +450 Flyers Philadelphia Flyers

As the Lightning appear set to fade a bit, the Panthers have reached consecutive Cup Finals and are favored to do it again next year.

🥅 NHL teams with the most Stanley Cups

Team Stanley Cup wins Stanley Cup appearances
Canadiens Montreal Canadiens 24 35
Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs 13 21
Red Wings Detroit Red Wings 11 24
Bruins Boston Bruins 6 20
Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks 6 13
Oilers Edmonton Oilers 5 8
Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins 5 6
Islanders New York Islanders 4 5
Rangers New York Rangers 4 11
Avalanche Colorado Avalanche  3 3
Devils New Jersey Devils 3 5
Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning 3 5

The Habs have a comfortable lead in the clubhouse but haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993 — the last Canadian-based team to do so.

Stanley Cup Odds FAQs

Pages related to this topic

Kyle LaRusic - Covers
Betting Analyst

Kyle LaRusic joined Covers in 2020 with a Holland College diploma in Journalism and a Mount Saint Vincent Degree in Public Relations. Stints at Amherst News and the Cape Breton Post helped sharpen his skills in a newsroom setting, while working for MSVU and Dalhousie’s athletic departments landed Kyle in his comfort zone.

Kyle has been an avid bettor for over five years, starting with just one Sports Interaction account before discovering both the beauty and importance of price shopping. bet365 and Pinnacle are his go to books, but accounts at 10+ sportsbooks give him an array of options. “Rusty” will bet on anything under the sun as long as there’s value and good reasoning behind it, but NHL and NFL are his two favorite leagues to watch and wager on — especially with friends.

Kyle’s biggest tip for any bettor is simple: gamble responsibly. Only bet what you’re willing to lose and make sure to install a proper bankroll method to keep track of your ROI. If you’re still dwelling on the amount you lost the next day, it’s time to decrease your spending.

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