As the NHL drops the puck on the 2026-27 season, three teams stand above the rest in the odds to win the Stanley Cup, but sportsbooks are not in consensus over which should be the stand-alone favorite. Draft Kings has a tie atop its championship odds board with the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers at +650, while the reigning Presidents Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche are just behind at +700.

However, Bet MGM and Fan Duel have Florida as the standalone favorite at +650, while Caesars gives the top spot to Colorado at +600. The Hurricanes are the reigning champions and have many of the same pieces in place as last season. However, some books are electing to keep them third on the odds board, at as long as +800, because they are not overly popular with futures bettors.

The Avalanche have been fairly popular, attracting the second-most handle (14%) at Draft Kings and the most tickets (9.4%) at Bet MGM. Finally, there are the Panthers, a blend of pedigree, offseason improvement and betting action. Florida opened at 11-1 but rapidly shortened after news broke that the team had acquired Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.

Avello and other bookmakers are counting on bettors biting on longer shots for the title to even out the future book. One of those teams is the Washington Capitals, who moved to 17-1 after opening at 50-1. Another darling with the betting public has been the San Jose Sharks (35-1), led by young star Macklin Celebrini.