The Carolina Hurricanes have barely finished celebrating their Stanley Cup win before attention shifted to next season, with sportsbooks already posting early odds for 2026-27.
As is always the case with markets this far out, some numbers track with expectations while others are bound to raise eyebrows around the league. This time, it’s happening with the Winnipeg Jets. After missing the playoffs for just the second time in the last nine seasons, the sportsbooks are already counting them out, drawing much of the skepticism.
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Winnipeg enters the summer with some of the least favorable odds in the entire Western Conference, listed at +15000 to win the Stanley Cup, tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the 25th-best odds in the league, a number that places them firmly outside the group of teams sportsbooks view as legitimate contenders.
The Jets find themselves just inside the top ten for odds to win the West at +5000, behind teams like the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks but ahead of the likes of the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators.
The Central Division is routinely producing Cup contenders, and next season is no different, with the Jets’ journey back to reclaiming the division title appearing to be an uphill battle. Winnipeg is listed at +3000 odds, ranking fifth in the division behind the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, and surprisingly behind the Utah Mammoth as well.
Winnipeg also sits at +17500 to win the Presidents’ Trophy, tied for the seventh-worst odds in the entire league, a surprising number given the Jets took home that very award just two seasons ago.
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There is at least one line that offers a nod to hockey’s homeland, one where Winnipeg benefits collectively rather than individually. The market pricing a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup sits at +425, making it likely the best way to back the Jets or any of the other Canadian clubs, like the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs or Edmonton Oilers, who could join Winnipeg in the chase to bring the Cup back home.
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