Betting Expert on Why Panthers are Favorites. Will They Hit the Wall?

The Florida Panthers are +750 co-favorites to three-peat as 2026 Stanley Cup Champions according to the most current NHL odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Although they are favored to win it all, the Cats face an uphill battle during the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Star Matthew Tkachuk may not see ice time for the first three months of the season due to a torn adductor cuff and sports hernia that he had surgery on earlier this month.

Yet, I think this Panthers squad has the best chance to run it back a third time since the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. Here’s why.

The League Hasn’t Caught Up

The NHL experiences a revolution in playing style every decade or so. The mid-to-late 2010s game emphasized speed and skill, with teams like the Penguins, Capitals, and Lightning deploying a left-lane, hammer-down style that blazed opponents. 

The Panthers, however, play a style of hockey that emphasizes puck possession via brute physicality. And the rest of the league can’t match it or catch up. 

During the 2025 postseason, the Cats tallied 1,042 hits and averaged 29.83 per game. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers brutalized the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers, laying 230 hits over six games. 

The Eastern Conference is Weak

Can any team in the Eastern Conference take the Panthers out?

Is it the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that can match Florida’s physicality and style? The Canes play a similar, heavy style, but couldn’t match fire with fire in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final, losing in five games.

What about the Toronto Maple Leafs? They lost Mitch Marner via free agency, and don’t have the roster to match the Panthers’ physicality. 

The New York Rangers, the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy winners, brought on two-time Stanley Cup-winning HC Mike Sullivan. They’re hoping Sullivan sparks a Blue Shirts redemption.

Yet, Sullivan prefers the uptempo, skilled style that won him Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. New York doesn’t have those players on its roster, and Florida eats skilled teams for breakfast. 

Hitting the Wall?

These Panthers have played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Playing that much hockey has to take a toll, right?

I thought the Panthers hit a wall in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. They held a 3-1 lead over Edmonton, but allowed three unanswered Oilers goals to lose the game 4-3. 

I was wrong. 

The Panthers rebounded and dispatched the Oilers in six games. 

But there’s a reason why no team has won three in a row since the ’80s Islanders: the grind. Look at the Tampa Bay Lightning. They played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, 2021, and 2022. They haven’t advanced past the first round during the past three seasons.  

Can the Panthers Write History and Win the 2026 Stanley Cup?

Yes, they can. No team in the NHL can match their combination of physicality and skill during a seven-game series. 

But they’ve played a lot of hockey over the past three seasons, and the wear and tear is likely adding up. With an injury to Tkachuk likely keeping him out of the lineup for a few months, I think these Panthers tread water during the early half of the 2025-26 campaign. 

If and when they do, they will likely drop from their favored status, and that’s when you’ll want to buy the Panthers’ 2026 Stanley Cup odds. 

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2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025

FLORIDA PANTHERS

ON DECK

• NHL Free Agency: Opened June 1
• Panthers Rookie Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Early September
• Prospect Showcase @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Starts September 12, Wesley Chapel
• Training Camp: Mid-September
• Exhibition Games: Starts Sept. 21 @ Nashville (doubleheader)
• Championship Ring Celebration: Oct. 6; Time/Site TBA
• Opening Night: Oct 7 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 5 p.m.
• Complete Florida Panthers 2025-26 Schedule