The 2025-26 NHL season is officially in the books as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights to win their 2nd Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Hurricanes are still in the midst of their celebration, but we are now turning our focus to the next year to see who the early contenders are to win the 2026-27 Stanley Cup. Carolina is expected to be back in the Stanley Cup hunt again next season, as they are the current favorites to repeat as champions. Will they make it happen, or will a new team de-throne the Canes? Heading into the offseason, let’s break down some of the best value picks out there and discuss our NHL best bets for next season. In addition, be sure to keep an eye out for our NHL picks for every single game throughout the entire 2026-27 campaign.
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The NHL has seen several teams repeat as Stanley Cup champions in recent seasons. Over the last 10 years, the Penguins, Lightning, and Panthers have all won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Coming off a historic postseason performance, the Hurricanes are well-positioned to join the impressive club of repeat Stanley Cup champions in 2026-27. Rod Brind'Amour is arguably the best coach in the NHL, and after finally getting over the hump this season, Brind'Amour has Carolina in a great position to go back-to-back. It's not a flashy pick, but given the NHL's recent streak of repeat champions and Carolina's returning core of stars, seeing the Hurricanes win it all again next season seems well within the realm of possibility.
The Dallas Stars have been a mainstay in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last decade, and have appeared in the Western Conference Finals in 4 of the last 8 seasons. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 before falling short in the Conference Finals in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Dallas is regularly among the most well-rounded teams in the NHL. They have plenty of scoring depth with Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen, and Jason Robertson, a rock-solid defensive core led by Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell, and a franchise goaltender in Jake Oettinger. They also have plenty of postseason experience, and after being handed a first-round exit by the Wild this season, look for the Stars to come back with vengeance in 2026-27.
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After a slow start to the season, the Minnesota Wild made a franchise-altering trade to acquire superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. The move was brilliant on many levels for Minnesota, and Hughes' impact with his new team was substantial. He racked up 53 points on 5 goals and 48 assists over the course of 48 games with the Wild, and helped lead them to their first playoff series victory in over a decade. Minnesota has plenty of star power with the likes of Hughes, Kirill Kapriov, and Matt Boldy, and young goaltender Jesper Wallstedt appears to have all the makings of becoming a franchise netminder. This Wild team is extremely dangerous heading into the new season.
There's no denying that the Montreal Canadiens are a team on the rise. Montreal has steadily improved in each season under head coach Martin St. Louis, as they've posted point totals of 68, 76, 91, and 106 over the last 4 seasons. Montreal has an intriguing young core of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Lane Hutson, and former No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky is coming off the first 30-goal season of his young career. Montreal's core is only getting better with more experience, and after making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals this year, they seem to have a very bright future in 2026-27 and beyond.
A team worth considering for a longshot Stanley Cup futures bet is the Anaheim Ducks. In Year 1 of the Joel Quenneville era, the Ducks posted 92 points in the regular season and defeated the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Quenneville is a 3-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach, so he knows what it takes to reach the NHL mountaintop. Anaheim has an exciting young core of players consisting of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, and Beckett Sennecke, as well as a strong mix of veteran leaders. Anaheim wasn't very defensively sound this past season, but their high-flying goal-scoring prowess led to a strong season. If they are a bit more buttoned up in the defensive zone and get a better season between the pipes from promising goaltender Lukas Dostal, the Ducks are capable of making some noise.
Find out the opening 2027 Stanley Cup odds as our expert breaks down all the major contenders for the next NHL season
