Stanley Cup Odds: Who Will Hoist the NHL Championship Trophy in 2026?

We’re more than a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 NHL season now, which means we have a pretty good idea of what teams could be contending for the Stanley Cup come springtime. 

We have one team that remains an absolute juggernaut, but beyond that, there’s some decent parity in the rest of the league.

Here’s a look at the odds for who could win the Stanley Cup in 2026 as of December 10. 

Stanley Cup Odds

Who’s Favored to Win the Stanley Cup?

Colorado Avalanche (+320)

After another week, the Avalanche still have the best record in the league and the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup.

But a stat I’ve been using for weeks now has been rendered null and void, Colorado finally dropped a second game in regulation. It only took them 27 games to do so. 

But it’s not just that they lost…it’s who they lost to. Yes, in one of the most shocking results of the season so far, the Avalanche fell 6-3 to the Islanders on December 4. Colorado gave up two goals in the first period and another pair of goals early in the second period. 

It was one of the worst outings of the season for backup goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who now has a 2.21 GAA and a .920 save percentage on the season. 

Yes, it was a backup goaltender for the Avalanche, starting against one of the league’s best goaltenders, in New York’s Ilya Sorokin. Still, the loss felt more Presidents-Trophy-curse-ish than any before for Colorado. 

Now, the only two losses for Colorado this season have come against the Bruins and the Islanders, not really two of the most elite opponents on their schedule. 

Maybe that should give bettors and fans some pause about the Avalanche’s championship medal, but there’s nobody close to them in the standings or most statistical categories. For now, they’ll remain the top team in the odds leaderboard.