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NHL 2026-27 Season Preview: Can Florida get the Cup Back?

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Wed 12 Aug 2026 14:31

Jeremy Darke 3 hours ago

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Carolina enter 2026-27 as defending Stanley Cup champions and remain one of the deepest teams in the NHL.
Florida and Colorado lead the early Stanley Cup market, while Carolina, Vegas and Edmonton sit firmly among the major contenders.
Goaltending could decide the championship race, with several of the NHL's best rosters entering the season with questions in net.
San Jose, Montreal and Utah shape as three of the most interesting emerging teams to watch.

NHL 2026–27 Season Preview:

NHL 2026-27 Season Preview, Predictions & Stanley Cup Contenders

The Carolina Hurricanes finally broke through to win the Stanley Cup in 2026. Now comes an arguably tougher challenge: doing it again.

NHL 2026-27 Season Preview, Predictions & Stanley Cup Contenders
NHL Stanley Cup Odds - Updated
The Defending Champions
Eastern Conference
The genuine contenders
Teams on the rise
Regression candidates
Western Conference
The genuine contenders
Teams on the rise
Regression candidates
What Will Define the NHL Season?

Carolina remain one of the NHL's deepest teams and there is little reason to expect the champions to suddenly disappear from contention. ESPN's first post-season power rankings placed the Hurricanes No. 1 heading towards 2026-27, highlighting how much of their championship foundation remained in place.

But they are not the Stanley Cup favourites.

Florida sit at the head of the early market at $7.00, Colorado and Carolina follow at $8.00, while Vegas and Edmonton are both $10.00. That gives the new season a familiar group of heavyweight contenders, but there are enough roster changes, goaltending questions and emerging teams to make this anything but a predictable title race.

NHL Stanley Cup Odds - Updated

Team	Odds
Florida Panthers	$7.00
Colorado Avalanche	$8.00
Carolina Hurricanes	$8.00
Vegas Golden Knights	$10.00
Edmonton Oilers	$10.00
Tampa Bay Lightning	$13.00
Minnesota Wild	$15.00
Dallas Stars	$15.00
Washington Capitals	$17.00
Montreal Canadiens	$23.00
Anaheim Ducks	$26.00
New Jersey Devils	$26.00
Utah Mammoth	$29.00
Buffalo Sabres	$31.00
Los Angeles Kings	$31.00
Ottawa Senators	$34.00
Toronto Maple Leafs	$34.00
San Jose Sharks	$41.00
Philadelphia Flyers	$51.00
Columbus Blue Jackets	$51.00
New York Rangers	$67.00
Pittsburgh Penguins	$67.00
Winnipeg Jets	$81.00
Detroit Red Wings	$81.00
New York Islanders	$101.00
Boston Bruins	$101.00
Nashville Predators	$126.00
St Louis Blues	$126.00
Chicago Blackhawks	$151.00
Seattle Kraken	$251.00
Calgary Flames	$401.00
Vancouver Canucks	$501.00

Odds from EliteBet correct from 2026-08-12

The Defending Champions

Carolina have earned the right to start in the top tier.

The Hurricanes enter the season with the system, depth and championship experience required to make another serious run. Even before the offseason was complete, the view was that Carolina had retained enough of its roster to remain the team to beat in the Metropolitan Division.

The obvious question is in net.

Frederik Andersen departed for Edmonton, leaving Carolina with a different goaltending equation behind an otherwise elite roster. That is significant because the margins become tiny once the playoffs reach their final rounds. The Hurricanes can control possession, defend and roll lines with almost anyone. They still need the saves.

At $8.00, Carolina's price reflects that balance. This is unquestionably a championship-calibre roster, but repeating will require another long postseason with a new solution in goal.

Eastern Conference

The genuine contenders

Florida may be the most interesting team in hockey.

The Panthers are $7.00 favourites despite finishing well below Carolina in ESPN's first post-season power rankings. The reason for the market confidence is straightforward: the roster has enormous upside when healthy.

Aleksander Barkov is effectively a major addition after missing the entire 2025-26 season through injury. Florida also entered the offseason with more than $15 million in cap space, although its goaltending situation needed attention with Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov reaching free agency.

That leaves Florida with perhaps the strongest collection of skaters in the East but one of the conference's biggest questions in net. The supplied preseason analysis similarly rates Florida's forwards and defence as arguably the best combination in the East while identifying goaltending as the major X-factor.

Carolina belong beside them, while Tampa Bay cannot be ignored at $13.00. The Lightning still possess championship pedigree and Nikita Kucherov enters the season after a Hart Trophy-winning campaign.

Washington are the fascinating alternative at $17.00. The Capitals have enough depth and goaltending to become a genuine problem in the East, particularly if Logan Thompson produces an elite postseason.

Teams on the rise

Montreal are no longer rebuilding quietly.

The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference finals last season and ESPN placed them fourth in its way-too-early rankings. The next step is turning that breakthrough into something sustainable rather than treating 2025-26 as an unexpected playoff run.

At $23.00, Montreal are priced below the established favourites but are close enough to become a serious Stanley Cup factor if the young core takes another step.

Buffalo are another team worth watching. The Sabres went from owning one of professional sport's longest playoff droughts to pushing towards the Eastern Conference finals.

There is also Toronto. The Maple Leafs landed the No. 1 draft pick and were positioned to select Gavin McKenna, giving a franchise already surrounded by major Auston Matthews questions another potential cornerstone. At $34.00, Toronto sit outside the obvious championship tier, but their ceiling makes them difficult to dismiss completely.

Regression candidates

Boston and Detroit face much more difficult paths.

The Bruins have cap flexibility, but the roster still needs help around its established core as James Hagens develops. Their $101.00 Stanley Cup price shows how far expectations have fallen.

Detroit's situation is even more uncertain after Dylan Larkin's trade request became one of the major stories of the offseason. How that situation is resolved could dictate the direction of the entire campaign.

Western Conference

The genuine contenders

Colorado are the team to beat in the West.

The Avalanche are $8.00 second favourites for the Stanley Cup and retain a forward group built to contend immediately. Joe Sakic has retaken control following Chris MacFarland's departure, although the blue line entered the offseason with more uncertainty around it and Cale Makar eligible for a major extension.

If Colorado are healthy and receive reliable goaltending, there may not be a Western roster better equipped for a seven-game series.

Edmonton are facing a different type of pressure.

At $10.00, the Oilers remain firmly inside the championship group, but another disappointing postseason would create enormous questions around the franchise and its ability to maximise the Connor McDavid era. Edmonton have attempted to address one obvious weakness by adding Andersen, while Devon Levi gives them another intriguing option in goal.

Vegas share the $10.00 line but have more holes than in previous seasons. The Golden Knights remain dangerous, although their depth and goaltending are legitimate concerns. The supplied preseason analysis specifically identifies the loss of Pavel Dorofeyev and uncertainty in net as reasons to question whether Vegas are as strong as their recent versions.

Dallas and Minnesota sit at $15.00, putting both inside the next championship tier. Dallas' biggest issue entering the offseason was Jason Robertson's contract situation after a 45-goal, 96-point season.

Teams on the rise

Utah might be the most interesting value proposition in the Central.

The Mammoth made the playoffs in only their second season and entered the offseason without an obvious major hole in the roster. At $29.00, the market has noticed the improvement, but there is still a substantial gap between Utah and the Colorado-Edmonton-Vegas group.

Then there are the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose narrowly missed the playoffs last season, but the more important story is the young core. Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson remain on entry-level contracts, giving the Sharks an unusual opportunity to build around premium young talent while it remains cheap.

The bullish case goes further. The supplied preseason predictions have San Jose pushing for a playoff berth, pointing to an improved defence and expecting another major season from Celebrini alongside continued development from Misa and Smith.

At $41.00, they are not being priced as a genuine Cup favourite yet. They could, however, become one of the NHL's biggest movers.

Anaheim also deserve attention after taking a significant step forward and beating Edmonton in the 2026 playoffs. The Ducks are already $26.00 in the market, suggesting expectations have moved well beyond simply making the playoffs.

Regression candidates

Winnipeg carry one of the biggest individual questions in the league.

Connor Hellebuyck remains part of a core largely signed to long-term deals, but speculation around the three-time Vezina Trophy winner's future has the potential to change Winnipeg's outlook completely. At $81.00, the market is already cautious.

Los Angeles face a different transition following Anze Kopitar's retirement. The Kings now need to determine whether Quinton Byfield can become their top-line centre or whether another major addition is required.

At the bottom, Calgary and Vancouver remain firmly in rebuilding territory. Vancouver finished last in 2025-26 after moving Quinn Hughes and several other veterans, while Calgary have accumulated a huge collection of draft capital as part of their rebuild.

What Will Define the NHL Season?

Goaltending.

Carolina have the Cup but a new situation in net. Florida arguably have the best collection of skaters in the East but enter with their own goaltending questions. Vegas have similar concerns. Colorado's championship ceiling becomes much easier to trust if its goaltending holds up.

That creates opportunities for the teams immediately underneath them.

Washington have the depth to threaten Carolina and Florida. Montreal have already demonstrated they can make a deep playoff run. Utah are improving rapidly. San Jose's young core could arrive ahead of schedule.

But the two teams that stand out most are Florida and Colorado.

Florida at $7.00 have the roster to take control of the East if their goaltending holds together, while Colorado at $8.00 look like the most complete option in the West. The early preseason prediction supplied for this preview reaches a similar conclusion, identifying Florida and Colorado as the two teams most likely to feature in the Stanley Cup Final while keeping defending champion Carolina firmly in the conversation.

Carolina start the season with something none of those challengers have: the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes have already proved they can finish the job. The question for 2026-27 is whether they can survive an improved East, solve their goaltending equation and do it all over again.