The 2026-27 season is shaping up to be a particularly exciting one for many reasons. Not least of which is an expanded 84 game schedule, which means more games and moments for fans to enjoy – as well as bigger challenges for teams managing roster depth. Another is the salary cap increase, which creates new opportunities for all teams.
In terms of those teams, the big story of the year will undoubtedly be if the much-fancied Carolina Hurricanes can repeat their Stanley Cup victory from this year. But there’s plenty of time go until the new early start of play in September, and there are plenty of other storylines to look at.
Scheduling and Salary Changes Will Shape the Offseason
One of the biggest influences on the offseason will be the salary cap increase. It will go up from $95.5 million to $104 million. The highest paid earner per team may only be paid $20.8 million – 20% of the roster payroll.
The highest paid player in the league right now is Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild. He signed an extension worth $17 million towards the cap and $136 million over the lifetime of the contract, plus bonuses.
Although it may seem like teams will gravitate towards big money signings and extensions for star players, and some already have, the new 84-game season may well convince some teams to invest in depth over star power.
Another interesting change in the cap rules means it now applies in post season. Over the past few years, teams would occasionally keep a player on a long term injury pause through the season and then bring them in Game 1 of postseason. Notably this happened with Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone in 2024, which was controversial at the time – and the league has now decided to do something about it.
Can Carolina Repeat in the Cup?
The big question for the season. Winning a back-to-back Stanley Cup is not exactly as common as newer fans of the NHL might think. After the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998, it was 19 years before another team would secure back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and then 2017 were the first in the salary cap era to do it. But recently they have become more common. Since the Penguins, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers have gone on to win it all two years in a row.
Can the Hurricanes do it again? Well, who knows better than sportsbooks about these things. The Carolina team are early favorites for the 2027 Stanley Cup at most US sportsbooks.
NHL betting is actually not as popular in Canada as it is the US, even though it the national sport, but nevertheless it’s still big business.
Sportsbooks have already started pricing next season’s Stanley Cup contenders, giving fans an early look at how the market views the league. Many bettors use comparison resources before placing wagers, especially in Canada where regulations differ between provinces. Sites such as Covers.com help users compare the best options online, including bonuses, available markets, and licensing information, while also tracking futures odds throughout the offseason.
While betting markets are far from perfect predictors, they can offer insight into public and bookmaker expectations. At most sportsbooks, the Hurricanes have opened among the favorites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, with the Colorado Avalanche close behind.
Then everyone else is +1000 or more, or less than a 9% chance. The rest of the pack is led by the currently head coach-less Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers.
The teams that the sportsbooks give no hope for this year are the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks. Both are at around +50000 or implied probability of 0.2%. On the flipside, some analysts rate the Flames as being a bit better than those odds suggest, but few have hope for them winning a cup.
Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) Candidates
The rookie trophy race could be very important this season. With salary caps going up, and some very enticing prospects in the 2027 draft potentially, rookies will want to make sure they shine this year of all – and with more games to play they’ll get more chances too.
Highly rated prospects this year are dominated by high impact centres. That includes Michael Misa, a game-smart center for the San Jose Sharks, and James Hagens of the Boston Bruins. The Sharks also have new signing Igor Chernyshov, who looks to be a promising young winger. Lastly Peter Martone of the Philadelphia Flyers has also been getting some hype from preseason analysts.
In terms of top teams new stars, the favored Caroline Hurricanes breakout rookie could be Bradly Nadeau. The winger spent most of the season in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, where he scored 32 goals and was named to AHL All-Rookie team. He will likely be recalled for this longer season, and could make an impact.
This Calder Trophy market is notoriously hard to predict, especially over a longer season, and there are no betting odds yet. Although last season’s early favorite Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders did in fact end up winning it come the end of the season.
