The 2025-26 NHL season begins Tuesday when the Florida Panthers start their title defense at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. But who poses the biggest threat to the Panthers' quest for a third straight Stanley Cup?
Below, we dive into each team's Stanley Cup odds and share some of our favorite season-long prop bets to make.
Stanley Cup odds
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Aleksander Barkov's injury shook up the oddsboard. The Panthers were previously standalone Cup favorites, but that changed when their captain suffered a knee injury in practice last week that will force him to miss seven-to-nine months. That means Barkov would only be able to return in time for Round 2 of the playoffs, at the very earliest, should Florida make it that far.
That's created three new co-favorites in Carolina, Colorado, and Edmonton.
The Hurricanes are coming off their third Eastern Conference Final appearance in seven years under head coach Rod Brind'Amour. This could be the best team on paper they've had during that time after signing free-agent winger Nikolaj Ehlers and trading for defenseman K'Andre Miller. The Canes are still flush with cap space and trade assets for a potential deadline splash too.
The Avalanche may have their most complete roster since winning the 2022 Stanley Cup. They re-signed marquee trade deadline pickup Brock Nelson and made a couple of savvy, low-cost free-agent additions in Victor Olofsson and 40-year-old veteran Brent Burns, who could excel in a third-pairing role on a deep Colorado blue line.
The Oilers will aim to get back to a third straight Stanley Cup Final in what could be Connor McDavid's final year in Edmonton. The Oilers will be younger in 2025-26, with reigning Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard and 2022 No. 9 pick Matt Savoie projected to make the team. Edmonton offers Canada's best hope of winning the country's first Stanley Cup since 1993, followed by Toronto (ninth-shortest odds) and Winnipeg (11th-shortest odds). Canada is +275 to have the Stanley Cup-winning team, while the U.S. is at -400.
Best season-long prop bets
🏒 Bet: Over 38.5 goals (-125)
McDavid hasn't reached this total since his 64-goal campaign in 2022-23, but he's vowed to shoot the puck more this season.
"I want to prove that scoring 50 or 60 is not a one-off," he said. "I've had 50 goals and I've had 100 assists, and I like the goals a little bit more."
When the game's best player is adamant about improving a specific area of his game, it's best to trust him. And if McDavid commits to being more selfish (in the best way possible) with the puck on his stick this season, he should smash 38.5 goals.
🏒 Bet: Over 66.5 points (-125)
Tkachuk managed just 55 points while missing 10 games due to injury in 2024-25, but in the three seasons prior, he tallied 74, 83, and 67 points. Tkachuk is firmly in the prime of his career at 26 years old. With some further development from his 23-year-old linemate Tim Stutzle, and perhaps some better puck luck (Tkachuk's 9.8% shooting percentage last season was his lowest since 2020-21), he should be able to surpass this total.
🏒 Bet: Over 90.5 points (-120)
The Canadiens surprised everyone with 91 points and a playoff appearance last season. While regression is possible, I tend to believe Montreal is here to stay. The Habs greatly improved their blue line with the offseason acquisition of Noah Dobson, who's just 25 years old and one season removed from an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting. They'll also get a boost up front with the addition of 2024 No. 5 pick Ivan Demidov, a supremely skilled winger who enters the season as the Calder Trophy favorite (+165).
🏒 Bet: To make the playoffs (+300)
This is more of a long shot, but the Ducks are a team on the rise. They improved from 59 points in 2023-24 to 80 points last season. This offseason, they added veterans Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund to support their promising young core of Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, and Jackson LaCombe. Most importantly, they hired Joel Quenneville as head coach, who has a long track record of turning teams around in his first season on the job.
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