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2025-26 Stanley Cup Futures, Top Betting Picks & More
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The 2025-26 National Hockey League is fast approaching, as preseason games begin Sept. 20. It's never too early to start taking a look at Stanley Cup Futures and best bets. After a flurry of offseason moves, particularly in free agency, we now have a pretty good idea about the upcoming season.
Last season, the Florida Panthers became the third team since 2016 to hoist the Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning in that club. In fact, extremely irritating to hockey purists, the Stanley Cup winner has come from the state of Florida in four of the past six seasons, with a Sunshine State team appearing in the Final in six consecutive years.
In this offseason, we saw a ton of moves, especially among contenders, to strengthen, retool or redo existing rosters. While the Florida Panthers have ruled the NHL in the past two seasons, an Eastern Conference rival is doing its best to make the proper corrections to try and chop down the Panthers and avoid a three-peat.
Let's get started with this season's Final and picks.
STANLEY CUP WINNER - FLORIDA PANTHERS (+700)
Well, it's chalky and not nearly as good as a 10x payday you could have received after the Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2024. However, what's not to like about Florida?
The only thing that can stop the Panthers is apathy and/or a lack of hunger after winning the past two seasons. But, it's hard to imagine a lack of responsiveness with a roster consisting of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, etc.
General manager Bill Zito has somehow managed to keep (most of) the band together in Sunrise, inking Bennett, Marchand and Aaron Ekland to long-term deals, but the team has a huge question mark looming. Sergei Bobrovsky is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season, so the clock really might be ticking down on the South Florida dynasty, much to the pleasure of those aforementioned hockey purists. But, for one more season, wheeeeee!
STANLEY CUP WINNER - CAROLINA HURRICANES (+750)
As mentioned, an Eastern Conference rival has been turning heads and making moves, and that rival of the Panthers is none other than the Carolina Hurricanes.
While the Canes had a bit of a boondoggle last season with the Mikko Rantanen deal, as he absolutely hated Raleigh, coach Rod Brind'Amour's system, or both, Tulsky was able to get Logan Stankoven in a deal from Dallas for Rantanen, and he fits the organization to a tee. They like him so much that the two sides agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension. Take that, Mikko!
Tulsky had a ton of cap space this offseason, and he retooled the roster, making waves by adding Nikolaj Ehlers to the offense and K'Andre Miller to the defense. And, the team locked up Jackson Blake with a long-term deal, providing a new, young core.
Aging defenseman Brent Burns didn't want a lesser role, so he elected to go to the Colorado Avalanche instead. Dmitry Orlov is gone, too, but with Miller and Alexander Nikishin, the defense is not only faster and quicker, but perhaps a lot more gifted offensively, too. While Miller will have the occasional hiccups defensively, they didn't lose much on the back end.
The biggest question, when it comes to the Canes, is in the net. Frederik Andersen isn't getting any younger at 36 years old Oct. 2. And, he has a propensity for injury. Pyotr Kochetkov is a solid alternative, but there isn't much else in the organization after that. This team has to hope and pray that the months-long annual injury to Andersen doesn't creep up. If he can somehow stay healthy, this team is good enough to win it all, at least one paper.
STANLEY CUP WINNER - VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (+850)
So, you're not feeling the Eastern Conference contenders, and want to look west? Well, the Golden Knights might be your play then.
The Golden Knights made a huge splash by nabbing Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal, which at least netted the Leafs forward Nicolas Roy in return. Marner is coming off his first 100-point season, going for 27 goals and a career-high 75 assists in the regular season.
Of course, nobody has ever complained about his regular-season prowess; it is when the playoffs begin that the nitpicking starts. In 70 career playoff games, Marner has just 13 goals, although he has contributed 50 assists. Maybe a change in scenery and escaping the pressure cooker known as Toronto will have him playing more free and easy? We'll see.
Marner is no longer part of the much-maligned "Core Four" in Toronto, but he is now in a "Big Three" in Vegas with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Expectations will be sky-high in Sin City, although the pressure won't be nearly as crushing.
TOTAL POINTS - TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS - UNDER 99.5 (-110)
The Maple Leafs, not the two-time defending champ Panthers, won the Atlantic Division title last season. But, while the Cats kept their roster mostly intact, the Maple Leafs lost a huge chip with Marner heading to Lost Wages.
So, what's left in Toronto? Well, things aren't as bleak as the fans might make them seem. But no one has ever accused Maple Leafs fans of thinking clearly.
The biggest concern is in the crease, as the team settled with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll last season. While Stolarz was a feel-good story, exceeding expectations by miles, he is not a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL, no matter how badly the Leafs want him to be. And Woll, while he can stand on his head occasionally, he isn't the long-term solution either.
Toronto has questions in net, it lost Marner, and the organization doesn't have a ton of tradable assets to hit a home run and quickly fill his shoes...err, skates. With the defense just OK, and the offense likely to be down a little, the Leafs look like a team headed for Under 100 points in the regular season.
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
FIRST-TIME STANLEY CUP WINNER - NO (-850)
OK, I know what you're thinking. You can't tie up $850 for just $100 worth of winnings, and you're absolutely correct. That's a moronic way to go about your betting business. Normally, I would NEVER suggest such a thing. But if you have a little more passive or supplemental income, why not?
While nothing is ever a certainty, I mean, it kinda is, right? You would be betting against the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Utah Mammoth, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets not to win it all.
OK, just three of those teams even made the playoffs last season. While the Jets did win the Presidents' Trophy for most points accrued during the regular season, as usual, the Jets crashed out in the playoffs. The biggest threat to your investment would be the Jets and Senators, with perhaps the Wild being a bit of a thorn, too. But by the end of the second round, you'll likely be cashing that ticket.
