Stanley Cup Odds & Prediction 2025-26: Which Stanley Cup Favorites Have the Advantage?

The 10 Stanley Cup odds favorites have remained almost unchanged, but which teams are excelling as we approach the quarter mark of the regular season?

And most importantly, who should you back to win the Stanley Cup? Come along for the ride as we rank the 10 Stanley Cup odds favorites based on current play while offering a Stanley Cup prediction.

📊 Stanley Cup odds 2025-26

Stanley Cup odds update in real time. See the NHL odds for every game.

📈 Stanley Cup odds favorites, ranked 

10. Maple Leafs (+2700) ⭐⭐

It's been a calamitous start for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who remain among the 10 favorites via the Stanley Cup odds. Their top-10 status might be fleeting based on recent proceedings.

They have the worst goals against above expected, allow the most goals per 60 minutes 5-on-5, and are currently without the injured Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, Auston Matthews, and Chris Tanev. A few nights on the treatment table might be a blessing in disguise for Stolarz after his tragically poor start to the season. 

9. Capitals (+3500) ⭐⭐⭐

Six losses in the previous eight games is a gruesome look for Spencer Carbery's team. Alex Ovechkin celebrated a milestone nobody else has after scoring his 900th NHL goal, but that, along with sporting the best goals against per 60 minutes 5-on-5 (1.58), about sums up the highlights for the Caps thus far.

While the current scenario will likely change, there is no chance of winning the Stanley Cup when your leading scorer is Tom Wilson. 

8. Oilers (+1000) ⭐⭐⭐

It's not often you witness a Stanley Cup odds front-runner getting stomped 9-1 on home ice. Sure, it came against the Stanley Cup favorite Colorado Avalanche, but that level of humiliation should be reserved for teams focused on securing the No. 1 draft pick, not back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists. 

Then again, this is nothing new for an Oilers team that consistently comes out of the starting gate like a tortoise on sedatives. And there's always hope when No. 97 suits up. 

7. Panthers (+1000) ⭐⭐⭐

If you didn't foresee this happening, you haven't been paying attention. The back-to-back defending champs were bound for a sluggish start, not only because of a Stanley Cup hangover, but also due to coping without captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. 

I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone of their ability to wake up when it matters. And with Brad Marchand playing like he's 25, it's almost a given the Panthers will be back among the elite sometime soon. 

6. Golden Knights (+900) ⭐⭐⭐

The Vegas Golden Knights will come good, I'm almost sure of it. However, their goaltending situation is currently a mess, with starter Adin Hill out for the foreseeable future.

The combination of Carl Lindbom and Akira Schmid hasn't been the ointment required to relieve the unrelenting itch. Maybe the recent signing and the much-maligned Carter Hart will be the savior?

It's not a far-fetched notion, as the Golden Knights only require average goaltending with their embarrassment of offensive riches. 

5. Stars (+1400) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Stars have a mediocre offense, the polar opposite of last season's third-best attack. Is that because of Jamie Benn and, at least for a brief stint, Roope Hintz's absences? Or is it more due to new head coach Glen Gulutzan's influence on the collective?

Time will soon tell. 

By the way, they're also a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, another slightly perplexing development out of Big D. Yet, they still own the sixth-best point percentage (.676). 

4. Lightning (+1300) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Besides their recent 3-7 howler against the New York Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been electric recently, winning seven of the previous nine.

And, if you can believe it, that run has come despite Nikita Kucherov not making his presence felt atop the league's scoring charts. The former MVP winner is scoring at only a point-per-game clip. Rest assured, that comparatively sluggish pace won't last.

Maybe, unlike last year, he's saving it for the playoffs. 

3. Hurricanes (+850) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As has become customary in Raleigh, the Hurricanes consistently play at an elite level. And that's despite sporting the second-worst power play (12.5%), while becoming used to Frederik Andersen coming in and out of the lineup like a gopher popping in and out of its burrow.

An effective score-by-committee approach overshadows those two blemishes. Despite the absence of a superstar, they have the second-most goals per 60 minutes 5-on-5 (3.21). 

2. Devils (+1300) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The New Jersey Devils lost one of the opening nine games. That defeat came against the Hurricanes, their bogey team.

The Devils have been almost flawless otherwise, boasting the best home record (7-0-1) and the second-best point percentage (.735). The challenge for the Devils is to avoid the injury bug that plagued them last season. 

🏆 Stanley Cup winner prediction

1. Avalanche (+600) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Is Nathan MacKinnon human? The NHL MVP odds favorite leads all skaters in goals (14) and is tied with the most assists (18). He's already six points up on three players tied for second in league scoring. 

Mackenzie Blackwood returned to the lineup, Gabriel Landeskog scored his first regular-season goal in three years, and the Avs have dropped just one game in regulation. 

They also score the most goals per game (4) and concede the second-fewest (2.41), so all is well in the Mile High City. They were my bet to win the Stanley Cup before the season, which remains the case now. 

Of the best sports betting sites, DraftKings' +600 Stanley Cup odds offer the best value, where a winning $10 bet will profit $60 in June.