Colorado remains the clubhouse favorite before the 2026-27 schedule even reaches its opening faceoff. Six of 14 preseason ballots have the Avalanche finishing the job with the Stanley Cup, and Cale Makar leads the Conn Smythe voting with four selections as playoff MVP.
The defending champion Carolina Hurricanes drew two Cup picks, matching Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers support. The Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars each landed one championship forecast, leaving a crowded board behind Colorado.
After the horn
The Avalanche were the most common projected Stanley Cup winner, with Makar and Nathan MacKinnon accounting for six of the 14 Conn Smythe choices between them. MacKinnon received two votes.
The other Conn Smythe selections went to Montreal captain Nick Suzuki and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson, Florida captain Aleksander Barkov and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, Washington goaltender Logan Thompson, Carolina forwards Sebastian Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen.
| Picker | Eastern champion | Western champion | Stanley Cup pick | Conn Smythe pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amalie Benjamin | Montreal Canadiens | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Cale Makar, Colorado |
| Brian Compton | Montreal Canadiens | Minnesota Wild | Montreal Canadiens | Nick Suzuki, Montreal |
| Nicholas J. Cotsonika | Florida Panthers | Vegas Golden Knights | Florida Panthers | Aleksander Barkov, Florida |
| Tom Gulitti | Carolina Hurricanes | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado |
| Pete Jensen | Washington Capitals | Minnesota Wild | Washington Capitals | Logan Thompson, Washington |
| Adam Kimelman | Carolina Hurricanes | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Cale Makar, Colorado |
| Tracey Myers | Carolina Hurricanes | Dallas Stars | Carolina Hurricanes | Sebastian Aho, Carolina |
| Mike G. Morreale | Carolina Hurricanes | Colorado Avalanche | Carolina Hurricanes | Nikolaj Ehlers, Carolina |
| Bill Price | Florida Panthers | Colorado Avalanche | Florida Panthers | Jacob Markstrom, Florida |
| Shawn P. Roarke | Carolina Hurricanes | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Cale Makar, Colorado |
| Dan Rosen | Montreal Canadiens | Colorado Avalanche | Montreal Canadiens | Lane Hutson, Montreal |
| David Satriano | Florida Panthers | Dallas Stars | Dallas Stars | Mikko Rantanen, Dallas |
| Derek Van Diest | Florida Panthers | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado |
| Mike Zeisberger | Montreal Canadiens | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Avalanche | Cale Makar, Colorado |
Carolina was the unanimous Metropolitan Division choice, appearing first on all 14 ballots. Colorado held the same clean sweep in the Central. The Atlantic was split between Florida, which received six first-place calls, and Montreal, which received seven, with Buffalo taking the remaining vote. In the Pacific, Vegas led five ballots, Edmonton had five, Anaheim had one and San Jose had one.
Projected division races
| Picker | Atlantic | Metropolitan | East wild cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin | Florida, Montreal, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Buffalo, Boston |
| Compton | Florida, Montreal, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Buffalo, NY Islanders |
| Cotsonika | Montreal, Florida, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Pittsburgh | Buffalo, Toronto |
| Gulitti | Florida, Montreal, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Buffalo, NY Islanders |
| Jensen | Florida, Montreal, Buffalo | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Tampa Bay, Toronto |
| Kimelman | Buffalo, Montreal, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Florida, NY Islanders |
| Myers | Montreal, Tampa Bay, Buffalo | Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh | Florida, New Jersey |
| Morreale | Montreal, Buffalo, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, Pittsburgh | Florida, Boston |
| Price | Montreal, Tampa Bay, Florida | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Buffalo, NY Islanders |
| Roarke | Montreal, Florida, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, New Jersey | Boston, Pittsburgh |
| Rosen | Montreal, Florida, Buffalo | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Tampa Bay, Boston |
| Satriano | Florida, Buffalo, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, New Jersey | Montreal, Toronto |
| Van Diest | Florida, Buffalo, Montreal | Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia | Boston, Pittsburgh |
| Zeisberger | Montreal, Florida, Tampa Bay | Carolina, Washington, New Jersey | Buffalo, Toronto |
Buffalo was a frequent Eastern wild-card call, though the Sabres also appeared as the Atlantic winner on one ballot. Florida and Montreal were regularly placed in the division race or the wild-card mix, underlining how tight the Atlantic forecasts were. Washington was second in the Metropolitan on 12 ballots, while Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Jersey divided the projected third-place positions.
| Picker | Central | Pacific | West wild cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin | Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota | Vegas, Edmonton, Anaheim | San Jose, Utah |
| Compton | Colorado, Minnesota, Utah | Anaheim, San Jose, Edmonton | Dallas, Vegas |
| Cotsonika | Dallas, Colorado, Utah | Edmonton, Vegas, Anaheim | Minnesota, San Jose |
| Gulitti | Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota | Edmonton, Vegas, Anaheim | Utah, San Jose |
| Jensen | Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota | Vegas, Edmonton, San Jose | Utah, Anaheim |
| Kimelman | Colorado, Dallas, Utah | Vegas, San Jose, Edmonton | Minnesota, St. Louis |
| Myers | Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota | Vegas, Edmonton, Anaheim | Utah, Nashville |
| Morreale | Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas | San Jose, Vegas, Anaheim | Utah, Edmonton |
| Price | Colorado, Dallas, Utah | Edmonton, Vegas, San Jose | Minnesota, Anaheim |
| Roarke | Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas | Vegas, San Jose, Anaheim | Utah, Nashville |
| Rosen | Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas | Vegas, Edmonton, San Jose | Utah, St. Louis |
| Satriano | Colorado, Dallas, Utah | Edmonton, Vegas, San Jose | Minnesota, Nashville |
| Van Diest | Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas | Edmonton, Vegas, Anaheim | Utah, San Jose |
| Zeisberger | Colorado, Dallas, Utah | Edmonton, Vegas, San Jose | Minnesota, Anaheim |
Utah Mammoth appeared on 12 Western wild-card ballots and also earned five projected third-place finishes in the Central. Minnesota was the other steady Western playoff pick, whether as a Central contender or a wild card. San Jose, Anaheim, Nashville and St. Louis filled the rest of the projected Western bubble, while Dallas and Vegas were each pushed into wild-card territory once.
Next puck drop
The 2026-27 NHL season opens Sept. 29 with a five-game slate. ESPN will carry a three-game opening-night run: Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. ET, New York Rangers at Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. ET, and Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. ET.
