The Washington Capitals finished atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference at the end of the 2024-25 season, winning 50 games for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. Despite that success, sportsbooks aren’t giving them much credit when it comes to betting odds for the future winner of the 2026 Stanley Cup.
BetMGM and FanDuel, two of the leading sportsbooks, do not have the Capitals listed among the top 10 teams favored to be crowned champions next season. The Capitals have identical 12th-best odds (+2800) on both sites.
Among the teams favored ahead of the Capitals are Eastern Conference competitors like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey Devils, whom the Caps finished ahead of in the regular season and, in the case of the Lightning and Devils, went further than in the playoffs.
While the two sportsbooks agree on where the Capitals sit, BetMGM gives the Edmonton Oilers the best odds (+650) at winning the 2026 Cup Final, while FanDuel gives that spot to the Carolina Hurricanes (+700). Per BetMGM, the only 2025 playoff teams with worse Cup odds than the Capitals are the Ottawa Senators (+3300), Minnesota Wild (+3500), St. Louis Blues (+4000), and Montreal Canadiens (+8000).
On the other end of the spectrum, BetMGM lists the San Jose Sharks (+50000) and Chicago Blackhawks (+50000) tied for the worst odds, followed by the Seattle Kraken (+30000), Pittsburgh Penguins (+20000), Buffalo Sabres (+15000), and Anaheim Ducks (+15000).
Additionally, BetMGM lists the Capitals as the third favorite (+350) to win the Metropolitan Division, behind the Devils (+320) and the Hurricanes (+200). The Caps finished 12 points ahead of the Hurricanes and 20 points ahead of the Devils this past season.
BetMGM also has live futures on some individual accolades, giving Alex Ovechkin +50000 odds to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP and +3000 odds to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. They also give Logan Thompson the fifth-best odds (+1600) to win the Vezina Trophy and Ryan Leonard the fourth-best odds (+1200) to win the Calder Trophy.
