The 2025/26 NHL season is currently on a break due to the Winter Olympics, and it has given us a chance to take a look at who the leading contenders are for the Stanley Cup.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes currently lead the way in the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions in the Eastern Conference respectively, while the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are ahead in the Central and Pacific Divisions in the Western Conference.
We’ll take a look ahead to the season and provide you with our best free NHL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the ice.
| NHL Stanley Cup Futures |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +300 | +300 | +350 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +450 | +450 | +400 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +650 | +475 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +900 | +900 | +800 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1000 | +1000 | +1200 |
Check out the best NHL Stanley Cup betting sites here.
Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to win the NHL Stanley Cup 2026.
So far this season, it’s evident that the Colorado Avalanche are the standout team of the campaign, and hold a 35-9-9 record during the break, leading the league by a significant margin with points as they sit top of the Western Conference.
The Avalanche have got the best defensive numbers in the entire NHL, allowing just 2.42 goals per game, while they are averaging an impressive 3.84 goals per game. They also have an 84.7% penalty kill percentage, which ranks second in the entire league.
Colorado has also got the best goal differential in the NHL so far this season, having scored 212 goals and allowed just 138 in their 55 games, which is a full +15 on the next best performing team.
While the team is performing very well both offensively and defensively on the ice, their success is coming from the fact that key individuals are performing at their optimal level too. Nathan MacKinnon is leading the team in goals (40), assists (53) and points (90).
Once the team returns from the break, if they are able to maintain their momentum and continue their level of performance, then it’s difficult to see how anyone else can catch and beat them. At +350, there is excellent value, and it’s only going to drop if they keep performing.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Tampa Bay have been a fantastic team so far this season, and after amassing a 37-14-4 record up to this point in the camaign they are right in the mix to win the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning have scored 199 goals in their 55 games so far this season, allowing just 140, to register a goal differential of +59, which ranks them just second behind the Avalanche across the entire NHL.
The team has a great blend of experience and youth, mixing leadership and talent with raw hunger and skill. They play a very attack-minded style of hockey, and that has put them in a position to succeed this season.
Star player Nikita Kucherov is the main man as usual, scoring 29 goals, registering 62 assists and earning 91 points, leading the way for the whole team from his 51 appearances. Alongside him, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been sensational with a 2.11 GAA, with just 78 goals allowed from 960 shots faced.
They have a great chance of winning the Eastern Conference, and like the Avalanche, if they can continue their form in the second half of the season, then they have every chance of winning it all.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
It was the Carolina Hurricanes who were the preseason favorites for the Stanley Cup, and they have delivered on that with an excellent 36-15-6 record so far in this campaign.
Surprisingly though, they find themselves behind the Lightning in the quest for the first seed in the East, which makes their odds to win the whole competition once again drift slightly. So far this season they have scored 197 goals and allowed 163 goals, leaving them with a differential of +34.
They are one of the most balanced sides in the entire NHL, and they have performed up to their expectations. Individually, they have shone too. Sebastian Aho has 20 goals, 37 assists, and 57 points in 57 appearances this season, while Seth Jarvis (21) and Andrei Svechnikov (20) have both managed 20+ goals themselves too.
The load has been shared out well throughout the team, and the defense has been excellent with 2.81 goals allowed per game, ranking them 7th in the NHL.
Carolina are right in the hunt for the championship this year, and with odds of +650 there is tremendous value in them to go one step further than last year to make it to the finals, and then there is no doubt that they have the quality to go all the way.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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