Canada’s long, long wait for an NHL Championship is arguably the most famous drought in team sports right now. With every passing season, 1993 and the Montreal Canadiens’ victory over the Los Angeles Kings seems more remote. On today’s Canadiens’ active roster, only Alex Belzile and Brendan Gallagher were born before that time. It’s a source of national consternation for a country that lives and breathes hockey.
Of course, plenty of teams have close, not least the Oilers in the two most recent Stanley Cup Finals. But who might break the curse in the 2025/26 season? Below, we look at the chances of all seven teams with respect to their Stanley Cup odds for the new season, which gets underway in October.
Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Odds = +750
What are the chances of a three-peat Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers and Oilers? Both teams lead the betting markets in the preseason betting odds, and it’s difficult to pick two better-equipped teams (Hurricanes, perhaps? Avalanche?). Right now, much of the speculation centers on Connor McDavid’s contract talks, an unwelcome distraction for a team looking to go one better. Yet, even if McDavid doesn’t sign, the Oilers will be viewed as contenders again.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Stanley Cup Odds = +1800
Changes are afoot throughout the organization, with key departures such as Mitch Marner and a shift in the C-suite following Brendan Shanahan’s exit. The Leafs look to have more depth with Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua, but will they miss Marner’s finishing strength? Regardless, this is a Playoff-caliber team.
Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup Odds = +2000
Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners look fairly decent value at the odds above. They lost Nikolaj Ehlers, but brought in some veteran talent, including hometown boy Jonathan Toews. Toews sat out last season, and he is arguably past his prime, but he knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. His experience will be invaluable to the roster, even if his playing time ends up limited.
Ottawa Senators
Stanley Cup Odds = +3000
Last season, the Senators broke a seven-year streak of missing the Playoffs, exiting in the first round to the Leafs. The question on fans’ lips will be, can they improve on that? There is ambition in Ottawa, although a lot will depend on the Dylan Cozens-Tim Stutzle partnership. Fans should be quietly confident there is more to come from this team.
Vancouver Canucks
Stanley Cup Odds = +5000
Adam Foote was promoted to the head coaching job, but it remains to be seen whether his tweaks can make a difference. Last season was the Canucks’ lowest scoring season of the 2020s (the pandemic-shortened season aside), so the offense will have to improve if the Canucks are to return to the Playoffs. It feels like a 40-60 shot.
Montreal Canadiens
Stanley Cup Odds = +5000
The last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup, the Canadiens have been rather muted this past few years, although they did make the first round of the Playoffs last season. Could Noah Dobson be the catalyst that turns around the fortunes of the 2021 Stanley Cup runners-up? Not on his own, despite being an assist-machine from defense, but the Canadiens could be in the NHL Wild Card mix.
Calgary Flames
Stanley Cup Odds = +6600
One of the more interesting teams to watch this season, if not for their Playoff hopes, then to witness the promise of youth. The Flames have some great young talent, including Dustin Wolf and the hugely exciting Zayne Parekh. They have also strengthened elsewhere. Fans aren’t expecting the Flames to be contenders next spring, but they will demand evidence that something is being built in Calgary for the seasons ahead.
