2025-26 NHL Stanley Cup Final Odds: Avalanche a Growing Favorite
Stanley Cup Final futures odds for 2026 are getting a little makeover, with the season now well steaming toward the new year. And the preseason co-favorites – the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights – are no longer in that spot
Rather, the Colorado Avalanche are favored in 2025-26 Stanley Cup futures odds, and by a notable margin.
Below are NHL odds to win the Stanley Cup from an array of books, followed by oddsmaker insights. Check back regularly for updates and use our BetMGM bonus code to get the most out of your action on 2026 NHL championship odds.
(Feature image: David Kirouac/Imagn Images)
Stanley Cup Champion Odds
| Time | Bet365 | BetMGM | DraftKings | Caesars | FanDuel | HardRock | RiversCasino | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |  › |  › |  › |  › |  › |  › |  › | |
| +250 | +240 | +290 | +400 | +250 | +300 | +300 | ||
| +800 | +850 | +600 | +800 | +800 | +800 | +900 | ||
| +750 | +750 | +750 | +1000 | +700 | +750 | +850 | ||
| +900 | +900 | +850 | +1000 | +800 | +800 | +900 | ||
| +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +850 | +900 | +1000 | ||
| +1000 | +1000 | +1100 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1300 | ||
| +1400 | +1400 | +1100 | +1200 | +1800 | +1600 | +1500 | ||
| +1800 | +1900 | +1600 | +1200 | +1900 | +1750 | +1700 | ||
| +2500 | +2500 | +2200 | +1800 | +2200 | +2500 | +2500 | ||
| +3300 | +3500 | +3000 | +3000 | +3300 | +3000 | +3000 | ||
| +2800 | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 | +3300 | +2250 | +2000 | ||
|
| ||||||||
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2026 NHL Stanley Cup Championship Odds
Lonely at the Top
LATEST UPDATE: Through games of Dec. 17, the scorching-hot Colorado Avalanche are +325 favorites in BetMGM's NHL championship odds for 2026. A month ago, the Avalanche were +450.
One look at the standings will tell you why the Avs are at such a short price at such a relatively early point of the season. Colorado is a ridiculous 24-2-7, getting at least a point in 31 of its 33 games while leading the league with 55 points.
"Two regulation losses is quite impressive. Colorado is off to a great start to the season," BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said. "The Avalanche are the most-bet-on team in the futures book, by almost double the next-most-bet-on team.
"Each game, the Avs are usually big favorites, and usually the bettors will take them."
After Colorado, the Stanley Cup odds board gets more crowded. The Tampa Bay Lightning (18-12-3, 39 points) are the +800 second choice, followed by:
- Vegas Golden Knights +850
- Carolina Hurricanes +900
- Florida Panthers +950
- Edmonton Oilers +1000
- Dallas Stars +1200
No other team is shorter than +1800. The top five in Stanley Cup futures tickets at BetMGM:
- Avalanche
- Golden Knights
- Oilers
- Hurricanes
- Toronto Maple Leafs
And the top five in money:
- Avalanche
- Oilers
- Panthers
- Maple Leafs
- Golden Knights
Cipollini said Vegas (16-6-10) is getting bettors' attention, after getting at least a point in 26 of 32 games.
"The Knights have been a very popular team, taking more and more bets with the start they have had," Cipollini said.
When the season began, Toronto was No. 1 in tickets and money in BetMGM's NHL futures. But the Leafs are just 15-12-5 so far, sliding out to +3300.
"The Maple Leafs are still top five in action, from preseason betting, but they've dropped to the fifth-most-bet-on team. Not a ton of enthusiasm for them, with past playoff history and the start to this season," Cipollini said.
Bettors had little interest in Florida the past two seasons, but that's changed to a degree for the 2025-26 campaign.
"A little bit, as the Panthers are the third-most-bet-on team, by money," BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said.
Needs and Liabilities
LATEST UPDATE: So who is BetMGM rooting for at the moment, with the season well into December?
"The Lightning and Hurricanes would be great outcomes. The Panthers and Stars would be the next best two," Cipollini said. "The Avalanche are the most-bet-on-team, by a wide margin, and our biggest liability of realistic teams.
"The Oilers and Maple Leafs are other teams we want to avoid winning the Cup, along with Vegas."
The Avs are taking almost twice as many tickets as the Knights, who are No. 2 in bet count. And Vegas is taking almost double the dollars of Edmonton, which is No. 2 in money.
Cipollini said the Minnesota Wild might be a dark horse to watch for, as well. Minnesota just landed standout defenseman Quinn Hughes in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Wild are a solid 20-9-5 (45 points) and are the +2500 co-ninth choice in BetMGM's Stanley Cup championship odds, as of Dec. 18. That's a hefty leap from just a week earlier, when Minnesota was +4500.
"The Wild just got a lot better with the addition of Quinn Hughes," Cipollini said. "I'll be interested to see how that meshes in the next few weeks."
Another sort-of dark horse: Two-time defending champion Florida (18-13-2).
"It's hard to classify the back-to-back champions as dark horses," Cipollini said. "But with injuries, they are off to a slow start, and bettors currently have the best odds on Florida to win in almost three years.
"The Panthers will likely be fully healthy come April. That will not be a team anybody wants to play."
Opening Odds To Win 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers have won two straight Stanley Cups and are going for a third. Florida opened as the +750 second choice to three-peat. The Edmonton Oilers have lost two straight Cup Finals, but opened as the +650 favorite to win next season.
Opening odds for all teams, from BetMGM:
- Edmonton Oilers: +650
- Florida Panthers: +750
- Colorado Avalanche: +800
- Dallas Stars: +850
- Carolina Hurricanes: +900
- Vegas Golden Knights: +1200
- Tampa Bay Lightning: +1500
- New Jersey Devils: +1800
- Los Angeles Kings: +2000
- Toronto Maple Leafs: +2000
- Winnipeg Jets: +2200
- Washington Capitals: +2800
- New York Rangers: +3000
- Ottawa Senators: +3300
- Minnesota Wild: +3500
- St. Louis Blues: +4000
- Utah Mammoth: +4000
- Vancouver Canucks: +5000
- New York Islanders: +6600
- Columbus Blue Jackets: +8000
- Montreal Canadiens: +8000
- Calgary Flames: +9000
- Nashville Predators: +9000
- Boston Bruins: +10000
- Detroit Red Wings: +10000
- Philadelphia Flyers: +10000
- Anaheim Ducks: +15000
- Buffalo Sabres: +15000
- Pittsburgh Penguins: +20000
- Seattle Kraken: +30000
- Chicago Blackhawks: +50000
- San Jose Sharks: +50000
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How To Bet On NHL Futures
Many pundits believe that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports and that’s not usually a good for bettors placing NHL Future wagers but at the same time, the payoff can be great.
The NHL Futures market in pro hockey is a simple bet and can be defined as an “Odds to win” wager. Bettors must correctly select a team to win an event that takes place a later time in the year or season. The money placed on the future wager will be locked in with a sportsbook and bettors will receive fixed odds at the time of the wager. NHL Futures can be bet on before and during the season, depending on when the sportsbooks post their future odds.
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Player Awards
The Hart Memorial Trophy is a popular NHL future wager for players. This award is given to the Most Valuable Player in the NHL regular season. The Conn Smythe Trophy is another top betting market and that award is for the MVP of the NHL Playoffs.
How Do I Bet On The Stanley Cup?
Players can bet on the Stanley Cup at all legal sportsbooks in the United States. Visit our list of legal sportsbooks in the United States for more information on where you can place NHL bets, or visit our pages:
bet365 | BetMGM | Caesars Sportsbook | DraftKings | FanDuel | FOX Bet | PointsBet | Unibet | Best US Sportsbooks
When betting on futures, the wager is based on simple math and very friendly to novice bettors. To figure out your Win Amount, take the odds and multiply by the amount wagered.
Ex. Boston Bruins (10/1) to win the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
The Bruins are listed as a 10/1 betting choice to win the Stanley Cup Finals. If you bet $100 on Boston to win the Stanley Cup Finals and it captures the championship, then you would win $1,000 (10 ÷ 1 x 100).
You would collect $1,100, which includes your win and stake ($100). The stake is often referred to as the wager or monies placed on your future odds wager. Players reading American Odds would see Boston as +1000 in the above example while the Decimal version on the Bruins would be 11.00.
One of the best features about betting on the Stanley Cup is that you can do it year-round and more than half (16) of the 31 teams in the league will make the playoffs. Every NHL bettor knows that if you make the postseason, then you’ve got a shot to cash your Stanley Cup future odds ticket.
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