Current NHL Stanley Cup Odds: Favourites & Contenders

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By Jim Tomlin
June 30, 2025 07:14pm
Fact Checked by Peter Mooney

The most exciting time of the NHL season is here. Here’s all you need to know about Stanley Cup odds this season. 

Stanley Cup Odds: Current Favourites

The odds for the Stanley Cup Playoffs are changing all the time. If you want to know what the latest odds are saying, you’re in the right place.

🏆 Panthers+600📈
🥇Oilers+750📈
🥈 Avalanche+900📈
🥉 Hurricanes+900📈
🏒 Golden Knights+950📈
🏒 Stars+1000📈
🏒 Maple Leafs+1600📈
🏑Lightning+1600📈
🏒 Devils+2000📈
🔥Kings+2000📈

Who is favoured to win the 2026 Stanley Cup?

The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions after beating the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive season. Now, there is a new crop of contenders to look at. The Oilers are still the top bet, while the two-time champions have the second-best odds. Will anyone else challenge the Oilers or Panthers for the Stanley Cup next season?

Stanley Cup News

  • 📅 The Panthers are currently the favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season with odds of +600. 
  • 📅 The Panthers eliminated Oilers in six games, clinching the Stanley Cup for the second straight season, and eliminating the Oilers again. 
  • 📅 The Oilers eliminated the Stars in five games, advancing to the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, and will face the Panthers again.
  • 📅 The Panthers eliminated the Hurricanes in five games, advancing to the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season, and will now face the Dallas Stars. 

Stanley Cup Favourites

There’s a lot that goes into picking Stanley Cup favourites. Sports betting odds, player performance, team synergy, injuries and coaching are all integral factors. Let’s  take a closer look at some of the favourites from each conference:

Western Conference Favourites

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have a famed history in the league and are in a good position to win another Stanley Cup this season. Their strong defense, paired with some serious offensive point-scorers, makes for an intimidating combination for any team they face. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Oilers have one of the strongest offenses in the league, led by three-time Hart winner Connor McDavid and star Leon Draisaitl. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins provide the secondary depth scoring that the Oilers need, and will be back next season to try and win the Stanley Cup after faltering in two straight seasons. Evan Bouchard is the defenseman with an amazing shot. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: While having one of the best goal scorers in the league, Edmonton lacks overall depth when putting the puck in the net. If McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins struggle, the rest of the offense fall apart. Stuart Skinner struggled mightily to start the playoffs and could not do much in the Stanley Cup, either. 

Colorado Avalanche 

The Avalanche is one of the best teams in the NHL in a loaded division. They have a very tight cap and will mostly bring back the same team in the 2025-26 season. 

  • ✅ Strengths:  The Avalanche has one of the best players in the world, Nathan MacKinnon, who, along with Cale Makar, leads an explosive offense that is always a threat to score. Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen share the top line with MacKinnon and benefit from his skills. Brock Nelson centers the second line and is a dynamic scorer, with the recently returned Gabriel Landeskog on his left. Charlie Coyle leads the third line, highlighting the incredible depth of this team. Mackenzie Blackwood was efficient this season, going 22-12-3 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a save percentage of .913. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: The Avs were inconsistent on the penalty kill in the regular season, ranking 12th on the man disadvantage, while also having some defensive lapses earlier this season. There are some defensive depth issues behind Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard. 

Eastern Conference Favourites

Florida Panthers

The Panthers have been a formidable force throughout the season. After winning its first Stanley Cup last year, the team ran it back and won another, handling the Oilers in six games. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Panthers did everything right in the Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Aleksander Barkov will return. Currently, the Cats are attempting to re-sign Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand, all unrestricted free agents. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: There were not many this season. However, losing Bennett and/or Ekblad could put a dent in this team, and their depth might not be as strong next season. 

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are still a top-5 Stanley Cup favourite, even after trading Mikko Rantanen away after an unsuccessful six-week stint. They will ride their special teams. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Canes have consistently been remarkable on the penalty kill, finishing the season as the best at killing penalties. Overall, this team was built on defense, and they need to keep sustaining this. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: Although the Canes have scored many goals, they have struggled on the power play, finishing the regular season just 25th on the extra-man attack. They have also struggled to convert on their shooting opportunities this season, ranking 22nd in shooting percentage. 

Stanley Cup Contenders

These teams are not the Stanley Cup favourites, but are still contenders to unseat the favorites. Sports betting odds, player performance, team synergy, injuries, and coaching are all integral factors into what give these teams a chance. Let’s  take a closer look at some of the contenders from each conference:

Western Conference Contenders

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights took home their first Stanley Cup at the end of the 2023 season. They still boast a strong lineup, and they stand a fair chance at the title as they head into the 2025-26 season. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Golden Knights boast a strong lineup down the middle, featuring talent like Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mark Stone, and Tomas Hertl, providing both offensive firepower and defensive reliability. The power play was great in 2024-25, ranking second on the power play. They recently signed Mitchell Marner to a new contract, and he will play alongside Eichel. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: The Golden Knights' defensive pairings have been inconsistent throughout the season, as evidenced by their performance during the series against the Oilers. The Knights struggled to kill penalties in 2024-25, and will need to shore up their defense. 

Dallas Stars

The Stars have had an incredible season this year, but still fell short and fired coach Pete DeBoer. Now, they will bring everyone back, as they have an incredibly tight salary cap, and not much will be different. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Stars have one of the best top lines, with Roope Hintz centering and Mikko Rantanen on the right, and Jason Robertson on the left side. Wyatt Johnston centers the second line, with Tyler Seguin on the right and Matt Duchene on the left. These two lines provide the scoring. Jake Oettinger is one of the best goalies in the NHL, having gone 36-18-4 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909 this season. Miro Heiskanen is the defenseman who can provide the secondary scoring. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: One of the Stars' biggest weaknesses is the power play. Also, their depth has not been that great, and the Edmonton Oilers exposed it in the Western Conference Finals. 

Los Angeles Kings

Though not as high as the previously mentioned teams, the LA Kings shouldn’t be overlooked. Defenseman Drew Doughty is still making plays, and this team is as capable as ever. They just need to learn how to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. 

  • ✅ Strengths: The Kings excelled defensively this season, ranking second in goals against, and have veteran leadership behind captain Anze Kopitar. Goalie Darcy Kuemper was spectacular in the 2024-25 season, going 31-11-7 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a save percentage of .921. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: The Kings have faced difficulties scoring this season, finishing the season ranked 14th in goals scored. Converting on the extra-man attack has also been an issue, as the Kings ranked just 27th on the power play. They also need to be more consistent, and avoid falling behind in games. 

Eastern Conference Contenders

Tampa Bay Lightning

With Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Brandon Hagel on the offence, the Lightning are certainly a force. This core will be back in the 2025-26 season. 

  • ✅ Strengths: Andrei Vasilevskiy remains a cornerstone in the net, finishing the regular season with a record of 38-20-5 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a save percentage of .921, providing the team with consistent and reliable performance. The Bolts also remain strong on the powerplay, ranking fourth on the extra-man attack. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: The Lightning have faced challenges in taking penalties, which have often hindered their momentum in games. It proved to be detrimental in Game 1, as they allowed a power-play goal on all three penalty kills. Though they killed them all off in Game 3, the Bolts still took four penalties and were in the box too many times. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs fans had a disappointing end to the season last year when the Boston Bruins eliminated the Leafs. Whether or not they have what it takes to make it all the way this year is to be seen.

  • ✅ Strengths: Under new head coach Craig Berube, the Maple Leafs have prioritized defense, leading to improved attention to detail in their own zone compared to previous seasons. Auston Matthews and William Nylander will return in the 2025-26 season.
  • ❌ Weaknesses: While top players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander contribute significantly, the team has faced challenges with depth scoring. They will look to address these issues in the offseason. 

New Jersey Devils

The Devils have a good young core that all starts with Jack Hughes. How well they do next season will all be determined by if he can stay healthy. 

  • ✅ Strengths: Jack Hughes is the best player on the team, and Jesper Bratt is coming off a great season where he netted 21 goals and had 67 assists. Nico Hischier added 35 goals and 34 assists. Veteran Dougie Hamilton returns, and goalie Jacob Markstrom will also be back. 
  • ❌ Weaknesses: The depth behind Hughes, Bratt, Hischier,  and Hamilton is not great. Therefore, the Devils will look to shore up on the depth.

Betting Strategies

There are a number of fun ways to bet on the Stanley Cup this year. Different bet types offer bettors ways to focus on different aspects of the game. In this section, we’ll go through all the various bet types so you know what to expect. 

Stanley Cup Futures Bets

While most bets entail betting on events right around the corner, future bets focus on events way down the line. Futures are most popular for major sporting events, like the Stanley Cup final. If you’re interested in betting futures for the Stanely Cup Playoffs, you should get to it sooner rather than later. 

Stanley Cup Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are about as simple a bet as you can get. This bet type looks at who will be the outright winner of a match. Choose correctly, and you’ll have yourself a successful bet. 

Stanley Cup Point Spread Bets

You can think of point spreads as more complicated versions of moneylines. In addition to considering which team will win, bettors must decide on the margin of victory for the winning team, which is the spread. 

Stanley Cup Totals Bets

Totals, also known as over/unders, ask bettors to decide whether the total score of the game will be more or less than a number proposed by the sportsbook. Guess correctly, and your bet wins. 

Stanley Cup Player Props

Player props are a fun way to bet on the Stanley Cup without having to think about which team will win the game. Instead, these bets are all about player performance, whether it’s goals scored or penalties. 

Stanley Cup MVP Odds

Betting on the Stanley Cup MVP allows bettors to wager on who they think will be the most valuable player for the tournament. While star players might seem like an obvious pick, long-shots could earn you more winnings if you choose correctly. 

Live Betting Odds For The Stanley Cup

Live betting is an exciting way to wager in real-time. Most bets must be placed before the start of a match, and are finalized once the game is finished. Live betting gives bettors the flexibility to bet at any time while taking into account dynamic odds that change throughout the game. 

NHL Futures Betting

The Stanley Cup are a key focus of NHL futures betting. There are a few particular NHL futures that are particularly popular: 

Outright Winner

If you’re confident in which team will take home the Stanley Cup this season, you can check out betting on the outright winner.  Keep in mind, this bet requires a lot of long-term foresight, as team performance, injuries, and trades can all impact the outcome.

Winner of Each Conference

Betting on conference winners is a fun way to diversify your betting and focus on which teams will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. It allows you to back a strong contender without needing them to win it all, making it a less risky but still rewarding futures bet.

Winner of Each Division

At an even smaller scale, NHL bettors can wager on which teams will finish on top of their divisions by the end of the regular season. While this is not directly a Stanley Cup Playoffs bet, it could inform your other Stanley Cup bets if you believe certain teams will perform particularly well. 

Which teams will meet in the Stanley Cup

Which two teams will make the Stanley Cup Final is the question one of the main questions on everyone’s minds throughout the NHL season. If you have a dream matchup that you think has a good chance of making it, you can use this kind of future bet to put your instincts to the test. 

Stanley Cup Trends

  • There has not been a dominant conference this century. Since 2000, Western Conference teams have won the Cup 13 times, and Eastern Conference teams have won 13 times.
  • Since 2000, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Chicago Blackhawks have each won three Cups. The Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, and Florida Panthers have won two Cups, and the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, and Las Vegas Golden Knights have won one Cup apiece this century.
  • Over the past 12 seasons, four teams were first-time Cup winners. The Los Angeles Kings (2012), Washington Capitals (2018), St. Louis Blues (2019), Vegas Golden Knights (2023), and Florida Panthers (2024) all won their first Cup.
  • The best team during the regular season rarely wins the Cup. The previous time the best team during the regular season won the Cup was 2012-13, when the Blackhawks did it.
  • Lower seeds pull upsets in the postseason. The Kings are the only No. 8 seed to win the Cup (in 2012), but plenty of other low seeds advance to the Cup Final. Just two seasons ago, the Florida Panthers advanced to the Cup Final after earning the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. In 2017, the Nashville Predators advanced to the Stanley Cup Final as the Western Conference's final wild card.

Stanley Cup Odds History

Its important to look at how betting odds have changed in history and what trends might be similar to this year,

Stanley Cup: Line Moves

The end of the 2024-2025 season saw over 50 line movements leading up to the Stanley Cup. This is a good example of how dynamic and volatile betting lines for the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be. Many things impact lines, including injuries, team performance, trades, coaching style, and more. 

How have odds for previous Stanley Cup winners matched up with their performance?

Hockey is an incredibly dynamic sport, and numerous complex interactions can occur to alter a team’s performance trajectory.  The odds for Stanley Cup winners generally perform well for the top favourites, but keep in mind this is not always the case. For example, the Vegas Knights had +1800 preseason odds of taking the cup in 2023, and went on to win their first championship. Generally, the odds are more reflective closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

From OntarioBets.com

Stanley Cup Odds for Local Teams

Stanley Cup FAQ

The Panthers have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +600. The team with the next-best odds is the Oilers, who are currently at +700, even after losing in the Stanley Cup to the Panthers for the second straight season. 

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2025 in a 4-2 series win over the Edmonton Oilers. The series shifted in Game 5, when the Panthers dominated the Oilers in Edmonton before finishing them off in Game 6 at home.  

There are four rounds, each consisting of best-of-seven games. What does that mean? To win a series, a team has to win four games. The Stanley Cup Final starts in early June. While it is only a Best-of-7 series, with the off days, the Final can last as long as two full weeks.

The Montreal Canadiens are the team that has been crowned Stanley Cup champions the most. The franchise has won the Cup 24 times. The Toronto Maple Leafs are second, with 13, but have not won the trophy since 1967, marking one of the longest droughts in sports. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone 58 years without winning the Stanley Cup. They last won it in 1967. They fell again in the Second Round, and will look to try and bounce back to snap one of the longest droughts in professional sports. 

The Stanley Cup is named after the former Canadian governor-general, Frederick Arthur Stanley. From 1884-86, he had the moniker of "Lord Stanley of Preston" in the Canadian-British colonies, and in 1892, he bequeathed a trophy to the country's best amateur hockey club. In 1909, it was awarded to professional teams in Canada, and, in 1909, as part of the new National Hockey League, it was formally named the Stanley Cup.

The best sites to bet on the Stanley Cup Finals are ultimately up to you, and all of the regulated sportsbooks have well-run sites to bet on the Stanley Cup Futures. OntarioBets.com likes BetVictor and BetMGM for betting on the Stanley Cup.

Author

Jim Tomlin
Jim Tomlin
Ontario iGaming Editor

Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer specializing in sports, gambling and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.

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