2026 Stanley Cup odds: Avalanche enter postseason favored ahead of Lightning, Hurricanes

Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche are favored to win the Stanley Cup in a tight playoff field. Steph Chambers / Getty Images Share articleThe Colorado Avalanche were the NHL’s best team during the regular season, going nearly wire-to-wire at the top of the standings on their way to their second Presidents’ Trophy in the past six seasons. The big question now becomes whether or not they can end the Presidents’ Trophy curse, and become the first team since the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks to win the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season. The oddsmakers seem to think they can, with Colorado entering the playoffs with the shortest Stanley Cup odds across major sportsbooks. The Avalanche have +300 odds on BetMGM and DraftKings to win it all and are +360 on FanDuel. On paper, there is every reason to like their chances. The Avs not only have an MVP-level superstar in Nathan MacKinnon, but they also have the type of center depth behind him (with Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri) that can make them a matchup problem for any opponent. Add in another 100-point scorer in Martin Nečas and a potential Norris Trophy winner in Cale Makar, and they have pretty much every major ingredient you want to see from a Stanley Cup winner. One obstacle for the Avs is their path through the Western Conference playoffs. Because of the NHL’s divisional bracket system, they would have to play the winner of the Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild series in the second round. That trio of teams had the three best records in the Western Conference. Dallas (+1000 on BetMGM) and Minnesota (+1500) are among the top eight favorites to win the Stanley Cup. But only one of Colorado, Dallas or Minnesota will make it to the Western Conference final, which could open the door for a team like Vegas (+1000) to get through. The Golden Knights have a championship-winning core, and have finally started to play up to their potential following the late-season head-coaching change that put veteran coach John Tortorella behind their bench. While the hiring of Tortorella seems to have sparked something with the roster, there is still a big question about whether their goaltending can hold up. In the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes are entering the playoffs as the two leading favorites. FanDuel has the Lightning as the top Eastern Conference favorite at +480 to win the Stanley Cup, while DraftKings favored the Hurricanes ahead of the Lightning (+475 vs. +500). The Hurricanes are no strangers to this situation and again have one of the deepest, most well-rounded rosters in the league. But do they have the difference-makers to beat the truly elite teams in the NHL? As good as the roster is, there is no top-level superstar, and that is a big hurdle they will have to clear. Carolina has won at least one playoff round in six of the past seven seasons, and each of the past five. But they have yet to break through into the Stanley Cup Final, and a lack of goal-scoring late in the playoffs tends to be the reason why. They are also getting a sneaky tough first-round draw in an Ottawa Senators team that is way better than its record indicates. Ottawa is a fierce, smothering defensive team that was hurt by poor goaltending for much of the season. If Linus Ullmark can string together some good games, the Senators will not be an easy out. If you are looking for some potential sleeper teams, keep an eye on the Utah Mammoth (+3500 on DraftKings). Utah has been a great possession-driving team all season, has some high-end young talent and is positioned in the Pacific Division bracket, where it will avoid the top three Western Conference teams until the conference finals. It is not a stretch to envision them beating Vegas, the Edmonton Oilers or the Anaheim Ducks in that bracket. Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Penguins (+2200 on FanDuel, +2500 on DraftKings) have exceeded expectations all season. While goaltending is a question mark, they have one of the deepest forward collections in the NHL and a handful of future Hall of Famers (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang) still playing at a high level. In-season trade acquisition Egor Chinakhov is also rapidly turning into a game-changing star. The Buffalo Sabres, having ended the longest playoff drought in NHL history, enter the playoffs at +1400 to lift the Stanley Cup on DraftKings and +1500 on FanDuel. Anaheim, ending an extensive playoff drought of its own, is one of the long shots of the playoffs, entering at +6600 on BetMGM and +8000 on DraftKings. While the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers missed the playoffs entirely, the team they beat in each of the past two finals (Edmonton) is in the playoffs and is one of the more difficult teams to get a grasp on. They are +1200 at FanDuel, and while it is tough to bet against Connor McDavid and a healthy Leon Draisaitl, the depth issues beyond them are as bad as they have ever been, and the goaltending situation looks especially grim. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Adam Gretz is a freelance sports writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with the Athletic, he's written for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yardbarker, and SB Nation.