After completing one of the most dominant runs in Stanley Cup playoff history in Las Vegas on Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves atop another list synonymous with Sin City.
The betting odds.
Shortly after the Hurricanes defeated the host Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup Final in six games, the oddsmakers placed Carolina as the early favorite to win the Cup next season.
DraftKings put the Hurricanes at +700 (a winning bet would return $7 for every $1 wagered), slightly ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (+800) and then the Golden Knights (+850). They are the only teams with odds better than +1000.
If the Hurricanes were to repeat, they would do so on the heels of the Florida Panthers, who won the Cup in each of the previous two seasons. Another team in the Southeast — the Tampa Bay Lightning — won back-to-back Cups in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
A repeat would also make the Hurricanes the fourth team in the last 12 years to go back-to-back, as the Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.
The Hurricanes need just 19 games to run through the playoffs, sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the first round and the Philadelphia Flyers in the second before dropping the first game of the Eastern Conference finals to the Montreal Canadiens. They responded with four straight wins, then split the first four games with Vegas before winning the final two.
The Edmonton Oilers hold the record for fewest playoff games needed to win the Cup, going 16-2 in the 1988 postseason.
DraftKings places the Panthers and Oilers at +1100 to win it all next season, followed by Tampa Bay at +1200.
DraftKings odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2027
Carolina Hurricanes (+700)
Colorado Avalanche (+800)
Vegas Golden Knights (+850)
Florida Panthers (+1100)
Edmonton Oilers (+1100)
Tampa Bay Lightning (+1200)
Minnesota Wild (+1400)
Dallas Stars (+1500)
Ottawa Senators (+1600)
Montreal Canadiens (+2200)
Buffalo Sabres (+2500)
Anaheim Ducks (+2500)
Utah Mammoth (+3000)
New Jersey Devils (+3000)
Los Angeles Kings (+3000)
Columbus Blue Jackets (+3500)
Toronto Maple Leafs (+4000)
Washington Capitals (+5000)
Philadelphia Flyers (+5000)
Pittsburgh Penguins (+5500)
Boston Bruins (+6000)
San Jose Sharks (+6500)
New York Islanders (+6500)
Winnipeg Jets (+7000)
St. Louis Blues (+7500)
New York Rangers (+8000)
Detroit Red Wings (+8000)
Nashville Predators (+10000)
Seattle Kraken (+20000)
Chicago Blackhawks (+25000)
Vancouver Canucks (+50000)
Calgary Flames (+50000)
