2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche Clear Favorites After Kadri Trade

• Track the odds to win the Stanley Cup for all 32 NHL teams
• The Colorado Avalanche have taken command at +260 after reuniting with Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline
• The graphs below show the movement in the Stanley Cup odds, starting in the offseason

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This page tracks all 32 NHL teams’ odds to win the 2026 Stanley Cup. The graphs below were generated by calculating the average odds for each team from a variety of online sportsbooks.

You can see the latest 2026 NHL Stanley Cup odds here, along with how each team fares in the odds throughout the course of the 2025-2026 NHL season.

The Colorado Avalanche have separated from the pack at +260, sitting at 93 points through 61 games with a league-best +82 goal differential. Tampa Bay is second at +410 after leading the Atlantic Division with 80 points, while Carolina (+550) owns the best record in the Metropolitan at 40-16-6.

2026 NHL Stanley Cup Odds

Colorado is the runaway favorite at NHL betting apps after adding Nazem Kadri in a deadline-day stunner. The 35-year-old center had 12 goals and 29 assists in 61 games for Calgary, and his return to Denver reunites the core that won it all in 2022. Colorado’s center depth now runs MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Kadri and Nicolas Roy.

Tampa Bay sits second after a steady climb from +1200 in the preseason. Nikita Kucherov is on a 146-point pace and Andrei Vasilevskiy has been outstanding in net. Carolina rounds out the top three, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 heading into the deadline despite a quiet trade period.

Stanley Cup odds above are updated every 15-30 minutes from our top NHL betting apps, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. Sign up at FanDuel Sportsbook to bet on the Stanley Cup winner.

Track Odds to Win Stanley Cup 2026

Here are some key notes on the movement of the top contenders for the 2026 Stanley Cup:

• [March 6]: Colorado acquires Nazem Kadri from Calgary for Victor Olofsson, prospect Max Curran, a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 second. Avs’ odds shorten to +260. Earlier in the week, the Avs landed Nicolas Roy from Toronto for a conditional first and defenseman Nick Blankenburg from Nashville for a fifth-rounder.
• [March 6]: Toronto sells off assets. The Leafs deal Nicolas Roy, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann, with their Cup odds cratering from +22500 to +50000. Washington moves John Carlson to Anaheim and goes from seller to full-on rebuild mode.
• [March 6]: Buffalo adds Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley and Sam Carrick at the deadline after their original Colton Parayko deal fell through. The Sabres’ odds shortened by 800 points over the past month thanks to a 26-5-2 run from December 9 through early March.
• [February 4]: Colorado enters the Olympic break as the clear favorite at +300. Tampa Bay closes the gap to +425 after a strong January. Carolina holds at +700.
• [October 20]: Carolina stays perfect at 5-0. Seth Jarvis becomes first player in NHL history with four game-winning goals in team’s first five games.
• [October 18]: Aleksander Barkov tears ACL and MCL at practice, out for regular season. Panthers drop to 3-4.
• [October 15]: Connor McDavid signs two-year, $25 million extension. Oilers’ odds improve to +790.
• [June 30] Mitch Marner signs an 8-year, $96 million extension with Toronto before being traded to Vegas for Nicolas Roy.
• [June 17]: The Florida Panthers open as +600 favorites to three-peat as champions in 2026. Fresh off their second straight Cup victory over Edmonton, the Panthers look to join elite company with a third consecutive championship.

 

Stanley Cup Favorites for 2026

The 2026 Stanley Cup odds have a clear frontrunner for the first time all season. Colorado has run away from the field, while Tampa Bay and Carolina battle for Eastern Conference supremacy. Here’s a closer look at each contender post-deadline:

Colorado Avalanche (+260)

The Avs are the best team in hockey and it’s not particularly close. At 42-10-9 with 93 points and a +82 goal differential, Colorado leads the NHL in both categories. They did cool off a bit after a blistering start, going 7-7-2 in one 16-game stretch, but the deadline additions should fix their biggest weakness.

Colorado’s power play has ranked dead last in the NHL at 15.5%, and Kadri’s playmaking could be the missing piece. Nathan MacKinnon continues his Hart Trophy odds campaign, and Cale Makar remains the league’s best blueliner. BetMGM reports that Colorado has more than double the money and ticket count of the next closest team in Cup futures.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+410)

Tampa Bay has made the biggest climb of any contender this season, shortening from +1200 in the preseason to +410 now. They lead the Atlantic Division with 80 points in 60 games, and Nikita Kucherov is on a 146-point pace.

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been a rock in net, and the Lightning have proven playoff pedigree under Jon Cooper. BetMGM says Tampa is the best outcome for the book among realistic contenders. They added Corey Perry at the deadline, bringing his infamous Cup Final curse along for the ride.

Carolina Hurricanes (+550)

Carolina leads the Metropolitan Division at 40-16-6 with 86 points and a +42 goal differential. They went 8-1-1 in their last 10 before the deadline but stayed quiet on the trade market, only adding enforcer Nic Deslauriers from Philadelphia for a conditional seventh-round pick.

The Canes have been built for this moment all year. They added Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller in the offseason, and their defensive structure remains one of the tightest in the league. The lingering question is whether they have enough top-end scoring punch to win four rounds.

Vegas Golden Knights (+900)

Vegas sits at 72 points and holds a Pacific Division playoff spot. Mitch Marner’s arrival in the offseason gave them another star alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. The Golden Knights haven’t been as consistent as the top three, but this franchise has a Cup pedigree that books respect.

Their +900 price is more about playoff track record than regular season performance. If they get healthy and Adin Hill finds his form, Vegas is the kind of team that can flip a switch in April.

Dallas Stars (+850)

Dallas has quietly put together one of the best seasons in the Western Conference, sitting second in the Central at 38-14-10 with 86 points. Jake Oettinger has been excellent in net, and the Stars went on a record-breaking 12-game road point streak earlier this season.

The Stars rank as one of the best teams in expected goals percentage over their last 25 games. They added a depth defenseman at the deadline without giving up any roster players. With repeated Western Conference Final appearances in recent years, Dallas knows how to compete in the spring.

Buffalo Sabres (+2200)

The biggest surprise of the 2025-26 season. Buffalo opened the year at +15000 and has shortened all the way to +2200 after a remarkable run. The Sabres went 26-5-2 from December 9 through early March and sit at 37-19-6 with 80 points, tied with Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference.

Rasmus Dahlin has been leading the charge on the backend, and the deadline additions of Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley shore up their blue line depth. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs in over a decade. That drought is on the verge of ending.

Edmonton Oilers (+1000)

The Oilers have dropped from preseason favorites at +790 to +1000 after an inconsistent regular season. At 68 points, they hold a Pacific Division playoff spot but sit well below the top of the conference. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are still two of the best players in the world, and that alone keeps Edmonton in the conversation.

Goaltending remains the question mark. Edmonton lost consecutive Cup Finals to Florida in 2024 and 2025, and with McDavid’s window narrowing, the pressure couldn’t be higher.

Biggest Fallers in Stanley Cup Odds

Not every team has seen their stock rise this season. A few notable clubs have watched their Cup odds plummet:

The Florida Panthers have gone from +600 favorites in the preseason to +15000 post-deadline. At 30-29-3 with just 63 points and a -11 goal differential, the back-to-back champions are second-to-last in the East. The Barkov ACL/MCL injury set the tone early, and they never recovered.

The Toronto Maple Leafs went from +1600 and the most-bet team at BetMGM to +50000 after becoming full sellers at the deadline. They dealt Nicolas Roy to Colorado, Scott Laughton to the Kings, and Bobby McMann to Seattle. At 27-25-11, the Leafs’ season is effectively over.

The Washington Capitals doubled in price after moving John Carlson to Anaheim and selling off other pieces. They still have 69 points and sit in the Metropolitan mix, but the front office clearly decided to pivot toward the future.

Five Past Stanley Cup Winners

The Panthers completed their repeat in 2025, beating Edmonton in six games for the second straight year. Sam Reinhart’s four-goal Game 6 will go down as one of the great Finals performances. Sam Bennett took home the Conn Smythe Trophy.

It was the first Finals rematch since Detroit-Pittsburgh in 2008-09. The Oilers couldn’t solve Bobrovsky, who posted a .932 save percentage in the series. Edmonton has now lost back-to-back Finals, joining a short list of teams to suffer that fate.

Florida’s dynasty hopes are real. Only four teams have won three straight Cups in NHL history. The last? The New York Islanders from 1980-83. Before that, you have to go back to the Canadiens’ run from 1976-79.

The salary cap era makes three-peating nearly impossible. Tampa Bay came closest with back-to-back titles in 2020-21. But with Florida sitting at 63 points and well out of the playoff race, the three-peat dream appears to be over.

NHL Teams Searching for Their First Stanley Cup

Vancouver and Buffalo share the longest Cup droughts at 56 years each. The Canucks came agonizingly close in 2011, losing Game 7 at home to Boston. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs in over a decade, but the Sabres are on the verge of snapping that streak this season thanks to their remarkable second-half surge.

Utah surprised everyone in their inaugural season. The ownership group has deep pockets and commitment. They’re building the right way with young stars like Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther.

The expansion teams have shown it’s possible to win quickly. Vegas captured the Cup in Year 6. Seattle made noise in Year 2. Utah could follow that blueprint with their promising young core.

Canadian Stanley Cup Winners

Canada’s Cup drought hit 33 years after Florida beat Edmonton again in 2025. The Oilers have now lost consecutive Finals, crushing the nation’s hopes twice.

Montreal’s 1993 championship feels like ancient history. Patrick Roy’s heroics delivered Canada’s last Cup. Since then, Canadian teams have reached the Finals eight times and lost them all.

Seven Canadian teams make up 22% of the league but haven’t won in three decades. Edmonton remains the best hope with McDavid and Draisaitl, but the clock is ticking on that duo. Toronto traded away Mitch Marner last summer and then became full sellers at this year’s deadline, leaving the Leafs’ 59-year Cup drought with no end in sight.

Stanley Cup Odds FAQ

Who has the best odds to win the Stanley Cup?

The Colorado Avalanche have the best odds to win the 2026 Stanley Cup at +260 after acquiring Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline, followed by Tampa Bay at +410 and Carolina at +550.

Who won the Stanley Cup last year?

The Florida Panthers won the 2025 Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games for the second consecutive year.

Which NHL team has the most Stanley Cups?

The Montreal Canadiens have won a record 24 Stanley Cups.

When is the 2026 Stanley Cup Final?

The Stanley Cup Final will likely begin in late May or early June 2026, depending on the length of the earlier playoff rounds.

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Archived Stanley Cup Odds:

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