2026 Stanley Cup Futures: Oilers Slightly Favored Over Defending Champion Panthers

The 2025 Stanley Cup is now over, with the Florida Panthers breaking the Edmonton Oilers’ hearts for a second straight season. That means it’s time to look ahead to next year and although it’s early, this is a great time to put some early money down on the 2026 Stanley Cup futures. The Oilers are a slim frontrunner over the Cats, who will have some major decisions to make this offseason regarding several important free agents on their roster.

Odds provided by Sports Interaction.

2026 Stanley Cup Futures: Outright Winner

Oilers come in at +650 odds at NHL sportsbooks. The Panthers aren’t far behind them at +750. The Avalanche (+800), Stars (+850), and Hurricanes (+900) are all teams to watch as well.

Oilers (+650)

Edmonton should definitely be in contention for a Cup next year again, but what a gut-wrenching end to their season. The Oilers had revenge on their minds for a full year after losing to Florida in seven games last June, but this time around, they couldn’t make it past six games. The Oilers should have a similar roster in 2025-26, but Connor McDavid’s comments on a potential contract extension have raised some eyebrows. While there’s “unfinished business” with this group, as the three-time Hart Trophy winner put it, it’s hard to imagine him sticking around if they don’t win one next season. Edmonton’s main priority in the offseason will be finding a more reliable netminder. That was a major issue in the Cup Finals.

Panthers (+750)

One could argue that Florida had an even better team this season. I mean, they traded for Brad Marchand and Seth Jones at the deadline, two players who made a huge difference en route to the Cup Finals. Marchand scored five goals in the Oilers series, fully proving his worth. But the veteran will hit free agency this summer, and he’ll have lots of interest. The Cats will be trying to bring back more than just Marchand, though. Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett are also FAs. All three are absolutely crucial to this roster, and there’s no doubt that the Panthers need them back if they’re going to complete the three-peat.

Avalanche (+800)

The Avs fell short again in the postseason, losing to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals. In fact, they’ve exited in the second round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since lifting Lord Stanley in 2022. Colorado has minimal cap space to work with this summer, which means no major changes will be coming. But, their core remains intact, led by Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar, two of the best players in the world. Trade deadline acquisition Brock Nelson just signed a new deal as well, while Gabriel Landeskog appears to finally be healthy again. That should help the Avalanche a lot next season.

Stars (+850)

The Stars were deemed a serious Stanley Cup contender after swinging a blockbuster trade for Mikko Rantanen, who sank his ex-team in the Avalanche in the conference semifinals. However, despite Dallas having such offensive depth, their main guys failed to show up in the West Finals against the Oilers, losing to Edmonton for a second year in a row at the same stage. The Stars ultimately fired head coach Pete DeBoer as a result. Dallas has a great core with the likes of Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, and others. Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene are two key free agents the Stars will be hoping to bring back.

Hurricanes (+900)

Although the Hurricanes completely butchered the Rantanen situation, they still managed to get some pieces in return by trading him to Dallas, acquiring Logan Stankoven and draft picks. Stankoven has already shown promise and Carolina has a lot of talent already in the likes of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov, to name a few. The Canes have cap space to work with this summer and have been heavily linked to Mith Marner, who is expected to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs on the open market. He’d be a mammoth addition to Carolina and would instantly help their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

2026 Stanley Cup Futures Picks

It’s extremely early, and there will be many, many futures written between now and next June. But, the odds offer serious value right now and while free agency could change things, I’m going to take the Panthers for a three-peat, and the Avalanche to possibly make some noise.

Picks: Panthers (+750), Avalanche (+800)/Sports Interaction