The first 2027 Stanley Cup board is in, and Colorado sits on top.
At +700, the Avalanche open as the early favorite, with the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes right behind them at +750. That puts two familiar heavyweights at the front of a market that already looks crowded, with Vegas, Edmonton, and Florida all close enough to keep the race wide open before the 2026-27 season even gets going.
Colorado’s position is no surprise given the core driving the team: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the goaltending tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Carolina, fresh off winning the 2026 Stanley Cup, brings its own established group led by Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jaccob Slavin. Vegas comes in at +1000 after reaching the 2026 Final, while Edmonton and Florida both open at +1100, still powered by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the Oilers and a title-winning foundation for the Panthers.
The next tier starts with Tampa Bay at +1200, Minnesota at +1400, and Dallas at +1500. The Lightning remain loaded with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Minnesota’s price reflects its rise as a real Western Conference threat, and Dallas has enough top-end talent to stay in the mix for another deep run.
From there, the board starts to separate contenders from teams still trying to prove they belong in the conversation. Ottawa and Buffalo are both listed at +1800, while Montreal and Anaheim open at +2200. Those numbers show real respect for young cores that have not yet put together a full season of sustained success.
The full market stretches all the way down to Vancouver at +50000, with plenty of stops in between. New Jersey and Utah are both +3000.
Los Angeles sits at +3500. Columbus, Philadelphia, and Washington are all +5000.
Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Toronto are grouped at +6000, with Detroit and the Islanders at +6600. Boston, the Rangers, and Winnipeg are each +8000.
St. Louis is +10000, Chicago and Nashville are +15000, Seattle is +20000, and Calgary checks in at +30000.
Those numbers are only the starting point. Futures odds are built on roster strength, goaltending, playoff experience, cap flexibility, and how the market views each team right now.
They can change fast. One major trade, one long injury, or one breakout run can send a club climbing or falling before November arrives.
A few teams in the middle of the board carry especially heavy questions. Toronto, listed at +6000, still has elite offensive talent, but its next playoff push will say plenty about where the franchise is headed.
The Rangers, at +8000, need their top players to bounce back after an uneven season. Pittsburgh, also at +6000, has to decide how long it can keep going with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
Buffalo and Anaheim are the kind of teams that could move quickly if things click. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin give the Sabres real high-end talent.
Anaheim’s young group includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Jackson LaCombe. Both teams still need better defensive structure and steadier goaltending to match the optimism in their prices.
At the bottom, Calgary and Vancouver are there for different reasons. The Flames are focused on their long-term direction and young talent. The Canucks are under pressure to steady things after missing the playoff standard expected in a Canadian market.
And with the NHL moving to an expanded 84-game regular season in 2026-27, there will be more chances for teams to climb. There will also be less room for error.
Colorado opens with the shortest number. Carolina opens with the Cup.
Everyone else starts chasing.
In Other News...
Panthers Built A Contender Fans Across The NHL Will Loathe
Last seasons injury pileup cost Florida a playoff berth, and it pushed the front office into a much more aggressive place over the summer. Bill Zito responded by reshaping the roster with the kind of moves that signal a team is no longer interested in just getting back into the field, but in setting itself up for a real run at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The resulting group looks deeper, tougher and a lot less fun for everyone else to deal with, which is exactly the point for a club that expects to be judged on championships now. Florida paid a steep price in futures to get there, and it also made a major change in goal to stabilize the back end, leaving the Panthers with a contender that has already started to draw the kind of attention contenders usually prefer to avoid. [Read more 🡒]