The seven top contenders for the Stanley Cup in the 2026–27 season

With training camps opening and the shared expectation of “why not us?”, the start of the season expected on September 29 brings optimism back to all teams. In this open situation, a summarized assessment of the top contenders helps distinguish the teams that have the most realistic chances to go far in the playoffs and aim for the Stanley Cup title.

As NHL reports, journalist Dan Rosen ranks the seven teams he sees as most likely to win the Cup this season, placing the Montreal Canadiens as the main favorite.

The Montreal Canadiens show a combination of playoff experience, young talent and a strong bench of players. Two-way center Nick Suzuki is a Selke winner, Cole Caufield offers powerful shooting on offense, and Lane Hutson emerges as a Norris-caliber defenseman. Young forwards like Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky are meeting expectations, while Jakub Dobes has consolidated himself as a top-level goaltender. With the ability to rotate four attacks and three defensive pairs, and with Martin St. Louis at the helm of the bench, Montreal looks ready to make the final push toward the Cup finals.

The Colorado Avalanche remains one of the dominant forces in the West thanks to stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and considerable depth in the attack and defense departments. Even though last season’s finish may have left shadows, the team’s composition and experience give them the status of a favorite to emerge from their conference.

The Florida Panthers, the champions of two years ago, return as a strong contender due to the return of Aleksander Barkov and reinforcements in attack, while at the goal comes Jacob Markstrom to take the place of Sergei Bobrovsky. The Carolina Hurricanes aim to repeat the success by preserving the continuity of the group and their style of play, although the departure of Frederik Andersen has created greater pressure on Brandon Bussi as the main goaltender.

The Minnesota Wild appears with strong foundations of defense and goal, with the defensive duo Quinn Hughes–Brock Faber and goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, while Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin are expected to be key parts. The Washington Capitals have made moves to add power to the attack with Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner and, if they find rhythm, could be in the race. The Vegas Golden Knights remains a strong rival; changes on the technical bench with Ryan Craig should be peaceful, but goaltender play and the ages of the team’s core are factors to follow.

According to NHL, Dan Rosen’s assessment underlines that, although Montreal is seen as the favorite, the season is long and competition remains open; each of these seven teams could make the journey to the final if they match form, health and performance during the playoffs.