2026-27 NHL season preview: Best value bets for Stanley Cup, Hart, Vezina, Norris Trophy
The NHL’s landscape is changing.The salary cap has exploded.
Star players are wielding power.More teams are thinking outside the box with their front office hires.
But one thing that, thankfully, hasn’t changed is that the race for the Stanley Cup should be wide open.There are eight teams between +650 and 13/1 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, and nine under 20/1.The Florida Panthers are the favorites at +650 after a Murphy’s Law season kept them out of the playoffs in their bid to three-peat, but the Cats reloaded in the summer by acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.The Colorado Avalanche will check into the new campaign as the second favorite (+700) after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last year, while the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes are just a shade back at +800.
With so much uncertainty and chaos expected, we’ve gathered our favorite value bets for the upcoming season, starting with a great price on a serious Stanley Cup contender:The Montreal Canadiens made it to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, but they’re just getting started.This elite young core should only get better, and the stability under Martin St.
Louis, now the fourth-longest-tenured coach in the NHL, should continue to pay off.I get the concerns about playing in the juggernaut Atlantic Division, but no team in the NHL has a higher ceiling than the Habs.Sometimes a player’s price in one market can help you find value in another.
That’s the case for both Schaefer and Johnston.Schaefer, fresh off a near-unanimous Calder Trophy, is 15/1 to win the Norris Trophy in his sophomore campaign on Long Island.If he does that, which means he beats out Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Lane Hutson, there’s a strong chance he’ll be in the conversation for the Hart Trophy, especially since he’s become a face of the league.As for Johnston, he’s 16/1 to lead the NHL in goals this season and 300/1 to win the Hart.
That doesn’t make sense.He potted 45 for the Dal...