We officially kicked off hockey season yesterday with my two favorite NHL teams to win the Stanley Cup and their conferences! With puck drop just around the corner it is time to lock in some NHL future bets to give you something to root for all season. And don’t forget, Betting News will be dropping sharp NHL player props, game scripts and bets to keep your bankroll rolling for the entire NHL season. But first, let’s dissect the upcoming 2025-2026 NHL season, and see how much of the script we can get right.
Today we will highlight my second two favorites to hoist Lord Stanley.
We are kicking off our NHL future bets series with two pieces on the Stanley Cup contenders. Let’s highlight two teams from each conference and why their futures to hoist glory are solid looks before the season begins. In the next couple weeks we will highlight everything from NHL awards, team point totals and player props in the Betting News NHL future bet series.
Betting Odds
Odds via BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
1. The Dallas Stars: +850 to win the Cup/+450 to win the West on BetOnline:
Dallas Stars are one of the deepest teams in the league and could be a Stanley Cup contender!
What makes them a strong bet
-
Star Power and Recent Acquisition of Mikko Rantanen: Rantanen joined Dallas via a blockbuster trade and extension around last trade deadline. He’s a perennial 80-point + offensive driver, and having him on the top line vastly improves their scoring ceiling. He will now have a chance to make his impact on the Stars for a full season. This is just another elite player to add to an absolutely offense that has Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene. Last season Dallas was third in goals for per game played, averaging 3.38 GF/GP.
-
Depth Moves & Cost Control: Players like Matt Duchene re-signed, plus retaining or obtaining depth forwards, re-signing Nils Lundkvist on defense. Also, Jamie Benn returning at a low cap hit makes the leadership bench strong without hamstringing budget. From top to bottom, this is one of the deepest teams in the league.
-
Goaltending and Defense: Jake Oettinger is established and capable starting goaltender and one of the NHL’s rising stars. Oettinger also has a rock solid blueline in front of him. Last year Dallas 7th least amount of goals against per game.
-
Near misses suggest close: Dallas has come close in recent seasons, especially in the Western Conference. That usually means they have the pieces, just perhaps refining structure (coaching, defensive systems) will put them over. Add this all up and you can see why the Dallas Stars are one of the best NHL future bets for winning the Stanley Cup.
Challenges / Risks
-
Western Conference is stacked: Multiple strong rivals (Vegas, Edmonton, and Colorado) will challenge. The road to Lord Stanley is much more brutal in the West than the East. Even placing at the top of the division or conference does not make playoff seeding any easier by round two.
-
Coaching change: Dallas fired Pete DeBoer and now have Glen Gulutzan; adjustment periods sometimes cost drops in play. Gulutzan is much less experienced than DeBoer, which could hurt this team in it’s ability to make a deep playoff run.
Path to Success
For Dallas to win the West & make a deep run, they need Rantanen to synergize fully with Robertson and Hintz; depth players must step up; defense and goaltending need to be steady. If Oettinger is strong and the matchups favor them, they can make Conference Finals and beyond. Good value on their odds if you believe in the new top line and depth showing up.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
2. The New Jersey Devils: +1,400 to win the Cup/+650 to win the East on BetOnline:
The captain Hischier will look to push his Devils further than they have been in years
What makes them interesting & sleeper potential
-
Core young stars: Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt have shown top-6 / high output. For instance in 2024-25, Bratt had 88 points; Hischier’s goal scoring was strong. Follow these three stars with complimentary pieces like Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer and this team has the fundamentals of a very strong offense.
-
Young Defensive Core: The Devils have two players who could become emerging stars on their blueline. Both Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec were high draft picks. And while Nemec has not quite lived up to being selected as the 2nd overall pick in 2022, Luke Hughes has begun to show why he could be a top defenseman in the league. If both players take another step in their development the Devils will have one of the strongest defensive core in the league.
-
Cap flexibility & room to grow: The Devils have over 5.2 million in cap space. This will allow them to add a significant piece to make a big playoff push. This sort of cap flexibility is not something other contenders on this list have. The Devils have all the pieces to make a big playoff push, making them a great NHL futures bet. But can they overcome their challenges.
Weaknesses / What Needs to Improve
- Health and Injury History: The New Jersey Devils ranked 20th in goals for per game played. That doesn’t exactly scream “Cup winner”. But this was largely due to the mass of injuries they endured. The Devils will need their top players like Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton to play the majority the season in order to be a true contender, something that has not happened in the past two seasons.
-
Lack of depth beyond the top guys: Their secondary scoring and 3rd/4th lines are weaker than the elite teams. They’ll need more production and consistency there. This is no better illustrated than by the teams power play success. The team had the 2nd most productive power play, converting 28.5% of the time last season. However, they were ranked 20th in GF/GP, meaning they struggled to score at even strength. The Devils will need more production outside of their top six this season.
Path to Conference & Cup
If New Jersey can improve their depth scoring, survive regular season without too many injuries, get favorable playoff seeding, and tighten up defensively, they might upset in the East. Their odds make a decent value bet — less likely than Panthers, but the upside is solid. If they win the Atlantic or get high seed, then conference finals becomes realistic, and Cup not impossible.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick