NHL 2025-26 Division Winner Odds and Picks: Who Tops the NHL’s Four Divisions?

The Lightning and Panthers wasted no time in getting into regular-season form in the preseason.

The Panthers will be without Matthew Tkachuk for the first few months of the season, while Aleksandr Barkov might miss the entire season. The Tkachuk loss is big, but Barkov is the best two-way forward in the game, and that’s the big one for the Panthers.

The Lightning might feel as though their window is closing as much of their Nikita Kucherov-led core is getting up there in age. The Leafs have to figure out how to fill the Mitch Marner-sized hole in their lineup after he left for Vegas. But with Anthony Stolarz healthy and Joseph Woll in goal, Toronto could be excellent at the back.

Ottawa and Montreal showed promise last season and should continue to get better in 2025-26. However, I wouldn’t put too much stock in their NHL Atlantic Division odds for this season. Both teams are at least a season away from overtaking the leaders, although they won’t be easy to beat.

The Hurricanes, at least on paper, are far and away the best team in the Metropolitan Division and should be ahead in the NHL Division odds. They’re deep, and Nikolaj Ehlers joins Sebastian Aho as a formidable one-two punch.

Here’s 11 minutes of Sebastian Aho highlights. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/hY2Fu3xhri

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 21, 2025

Washington won the Metropolitan last season, and Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record. But I don’t think they’ll be nearly as good this season and will come back to earth a little. New Jersey also needs injury luck, as Jack Hughes can’t play a full slate, suiting up in 62 games each of the last two seasons. He’s scoring at over a point per game, but can Hughes stay on the ice for at least 80 games?

The Rangers are an interesting team, as Igor Shesterkin is one of the best goalies in the NHL. Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck are 33, 32, and 32 years old, respectively. The defense is shaky. They also have a new coach in Mike Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh. In my opinion, the Rangers may have one of the widest ceiling-to-floor ranges in the NHL!

Dallas and Colorado are being tipped to battle for the Central, according to the NHL Division winner odds. The Stars are strong from front to back, although depth might be an issue after losing Evgenii Dadonov and Mason Marchment, among others.

But you could argue that Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson should be in the same conversation as Colorado’s Nathan McKinnon.

Here’s 11 minutes of Sebastian Aho highlights. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/hY2Fu3xhri

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 21, 2025

The Avalanche also have, arguably, the best defenseman in the league in Cale Makar, while longtime captain Gabriel Landeskog is back to provide veteran leadership.

What about Winnipeg, who won the Central going away last season? Adam Lowry starts the season on the injured list, and Cole Perfetti will join him.

The Jets brought in Jonathan Toews, but the Winnipeg-born, former Chicago captain hasn’t played since 2023. They still have Vezina Trophy winner and league MVP Connor Hellebuyck, but he may have to be even better than last season.

The Golden Knights are the favorites in the NHL Division odds for the Pacific after landing Marner, adding him to an already-talented team that scores a ton of goals. But how will they fare at the back? Alex Pietrangelo is probably going to miss the season with a knee injury, and the 35-year-old has to be considering retirement.

Every @EdmontonOilers fan after Connor McDavid signed his new deal. 😁 pic.twitter.com/C9Cj7LrozK

— NHL (@NHL) October 6, 2025

The Oilers managed to re-sign Connor McDavid, but they appear to be on the clock with only a two-year extension. McDavid is back with Leon Draisaitl, but what about the rest of the team? They’ve been shaky in goal and defensively in back-to-back Stanley Cup losses to Florida. The Oilers also need scoring outside the top two, as they can be targeted in the playoffs.

The Kings are hanging around the NHL Division winner odds for the Pacific in case something happens to the top two. But can they bounce back after winning the first two games of their first-round series with the Oilers, and then falling apart? After being eliminated by the Oilers in the first round in four straight years, I can’t back the Kings.

I’m going to take Toronto at +285 here to win the Atlantic, although the Leafs will likely continue their Stanley Cup drought. Toronto is in excellent shape entering the regular season, unlikely other contenders.

I would take either Tampa Bay or Florida in the playoffs, but for the regular season, considering age, injuries, and return, Toronto at +285 is my pick.

Don’t overthink this here: Carolina at +110 is the play. I think the Hurricanes have enough depth to overcome injuries. If Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov can hold it down in nets, I would even consider the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup odds!

I’ll take the Avalanche at +210 here in my NHL Division winner predictions. As with many teams, much of their hope will rest in goal with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.

But the talent is there in Colorado to win the Central, so I expect a strong regular season from the Avalanche, and the odds are too good to ignore.

Finally, I’ll stick with the favorites and go with Vegas at +160. The Golden Knights have so much firepower that they can win most nights on goals alone. The Oilers have also played a lot of hockey over the last two years, and might prioritize rest on some nights.

Edmonton should go further in the playoffs, but I prefer to back the Golden Knights in the regular season.