The 2025-26 NHL season is underway. The 1,312-game slate includes a much anticipated break in February where the best players will compete in the Winter Olympics.
Hope and optimism spring eternal this time of year for NHL fans. And some pertinent questions stand out. Let’s get into them!
Will the Florida Panthers win a third straight Stanley Cup? The three-peat hasn’t been pulled off since the New York Islanders of the early 80’s.
How will the new-look Toronto Maple Leafs perform after losing superstar LW Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights?
For the Montreal Canadiens, the future looks bright. Back-to-back Rookie of the Year wins are possible. Highly hyped Ivan Demidov looks to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Lane Huston.
Let’s take a look at the Eastern Conference, division by division.
ATLANTIC DIVISION ODDS:
- Tampa Bay Lightning - 2/1
- Florida Panthers - 11/4
- Toronto Maple Leafs - 11/4
- Ottawa Senators - 15/2
- Montreal Canadiens - 12/1
- Buffalo Sabres - 25/1
- Detroit Red Wings - 33/1
- Boston Bruins - 50/1
The Atlantic division has been a juggernaut in recent years, with four of the last six Stanley Cup Champions (Lightning two times, Panthers two times). It will be competitive again this year, though you could argue the two top Atlantic division teams from last year, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers are weaker this season.
Toronto lost superstar LW to the Vegas Golden Knights, while Florida lost superstar C Aleksander Barkov to a season ending injury.
The other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning will remain a Cup contender, as they seemingly are every year.
Given the changes in for the Panthers and the Leafs, Lightning to win the Eastern Conference offers a nice payout.
The other two Canadian teams in the division, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, are both teams on the rise after languishing the past few years in mediocrity. Both have the same blueprint too – young defensemen and forwards with game-breaking talent.
Seeing as the balance of power in the division will likely shift this year, a bet on either or both the Senators or Canadiens to make the playoffs is a solid wager.
The other three teams – the once mighty Boston Bruins, the can’t figure it out Buffalo Sabres and the consistently disappointing Detroit Red Wings will all be in tough this season.
METROPOLITAN DIVISION ODDS:
- Carolina Hurricanes - 11/10
- New Jersey Devils - 3/1
- Washington Capitals - 11/2
- New York Rangers - 11/2
- New York Islanders - 18/1
- Columbus Blue Jackets - 25/1
- Philadelphia Flyers - 30/1
- Pittsburgh Penguins - 100/1
The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are projected to be the class of this division. Each is a legitimate candidate to win the Stanley Cup.
Of the two, I like the Devils better from a gambling perspective. The collection of young talent in New Jersey offers a higher ceiling for success than the more consistent Carolina team.
The Washington Capitals had a magical season last year – wildly surpassing expectations while RW Alex Ovechkin became the all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing Wayne Gretzky.
Will the Capitals repeat their success of last season and how much does a 40-year old Ovechkin have left in the tank? Both interesting questions, and obviously correlated.
The New York Rangers were a team in chaos last year, both on the ice and off. Off ice, new GM Chris Drury dealt veterans in a culture shakeup and former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is the new bench boss.
On the ice the Rangers were a sloppy team last season. If Sullivan can get the best out of his top players, the Rangers could be a darkhorse in the East. Especially with all-world goalie Igor Shesterkin.
In Pittsburgh, the Penguins are a shadow of the Cup winning teams of year’s past. But the Pens still have Sidney Crosby, and for that reason alone are still worth paying attention to.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders are all teams still in the rebuilding process. If you are bullish on any of the three, a wager to make the playoffs would offer a tidy payout.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
