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Panthers Not the Favorites in Initial 2026 Stanley Cup Odds

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 6:04 AM ET

For the second straight year, the Florida Panthers ended the NHL season by beating the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.

Florida capped off the series with a definitive 5–1 win in Game 6 in a dominant showing at home behind Sam Reinhart’s four-goal effort and Sergei Bobrovsky’s 28 saves.

Yet, when the opening 2026 Stanley Cup odds dropped at BetMGM shortly after the final horn, the Panthers weren’t listed as the favorites to hoist the Cup next year.

That label, as surprising as it might sound, went to the team they’ve now beaten in back-to-back Finals, Connor McDavid's Oilers.

Edmonton opened at +650 to win it all next season, slightly ahead of the Panthers at +750.

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Florida will try to become the first team to three-peat since the 1980s Islanders dynasty, but oddsmakers have pegged Edmonton, which hasn’t lifted the Cup since 1990, and has lost two consecutive finals to the same team, as the early frontrunner.

The rest of the top five includes the Avalanche (+800), Stars (+850), and Hurricanes (+900)—all familiar contenders with multiple trips to the conference finals in the past few years.

Every 2025 conference finalist, in fact, ranks among the top teams again, except for Colorado. That said, the Avs' high rank comes within the context of their recent 2022 Stanley Cup title.

Florida’s upcoming free agency could have factored into the early outlook.

Both Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett and 37-year-old Brad Marchand (the runner-up for the trophy) are set to enter unrestricted free agency on July 1.

The Oilers, meanwhile, don't have any star player in the upcoming free-agent list, which bodes well for them if they want to bring back their core group to give it another run.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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