FanDuel NHL Futures Day is live.
Four days to go until they raise the banner in Raleigh, and FanDuel has rolled out the red carpet with a seemingly endless list of NHL futures to consider before puck drop.
My Thursday Night Football bets just went 3-0.
Somehow, my full Wednesday and Thursday night NFL cards have gone a combined 15-0 this season, which is in large part due to a lack of major injuries, ideal weather conditions, and a little luck.
We don’t have to worry about weather in the NHL, but we’ll need some luck avoiding injuries.
This is the fourth year in a row that I’ve bet the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel.
In 2024, they were a chalk pick at +700 after falling just short against the Vegas Golden Knights the year before.
In 2025, Florida avoided disaster in the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, rallying from down 2-0 to advance on their way to back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The Panthers finally ran out of gas in 2025-26, with Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov sidelined before the season even began, missing the playoffs despite somehow finishing with a winning record.
The market seemed to forget about the Cats dominance, as Florida opened +1200 to win it all at FanDuel.
I grabbed the Panthers at +1300 to win the Stanley Cup.
It wasn’t long after I recommended jumping on that number that Florida acquired Brady Tkachuk in a blockbuster trade with the Ottawa Senators.
The Panthers are down to +650 to win it all as the favourite to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel.
The public has jumped on the Cats along with the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, and the Golden Knights as the most popular bets to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel.
In terms of potential value plays, my model has pointed to the Dallas Stars at +1700 and the Montreal Canadiens at +2200 as two teams with longer odds that could surprise this season.
In case you missed it, one FanDuel bettor in Ontario has a six-figure position on Montreal to make the playoffs.
While I’m working with a much smaller bankroll, I’m also invested in the Canadiens to make the playoffs at -140.
Meanwhile, Leafs Nation is torn on Toronto’s ceiling.
That’s an objective statement based on the data provided to us by the FanDuel traders.
The Maple Leafs are the most popular bet to make the playoffs at FanDuel in Ontario.
Toronto is also the second-most popular pick to miss the playoffs in that same market.
The Maple Leafs are +102 to make and -130 to miss the playoffs at FanDuel this morning.
Did Toronto do enough this offseason to get back to the postseason?
Or will the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs for the second year in a row?
Meanwhile, Alberta FanDuel bettors have made the Oilers the most popular pick to make the playoffs and the Calgary Flames the most popular pick to miss the playoffs.
A parlay with Edmonton to make and Calgary to miss the playoffs would net you -454 odds, but the fact that you can parlay NHL futures at FanDuel has led to some creative mixing and matching ahead of Futures Day.
What’s your favourite bet for the 2025-26 NHL season?
Make sure to find me @Domenic_Padula on X and share what you’ve locked in for FanDuel NHL Futures Day.
In the meantime, let’s keep the annual tradition going and revisit some of my favourite NHL futures in this Morning Coffee column for Friday September 25th, 2026.
A Brief Guide To FanDuel NHL Futures Day
I locked in the Panthers as my FanDuel Best Bet to win the Stanley Cup at +1300 back in June.
Fortunately for anybody that missed that number, you can still find value betting on Florida to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel this morning.
The Panthers reloaded in the offseason with the addition of Brady Tkachuk, but they also welcomed back Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart to a team that finished with a winning record last season.
Jacob Markstrom replaces Sergei Bobrovsky in goal.
If Markstrom and Akira Schmid can hold down the fort in net, and the Panthers can stay healthy, they will be a tough out for any team in the postseason once again.
If Markstrom falters, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Florida give Schmid a longer look and explore the trade market for an option to solidify the position.
The Avalanche, Hurricanes, Oilers, and Golden Knights round out the five most popular Stanley Cup bets.
My model circled the Stars at +1700 and the Canadiens at +2200 as potential value plays at longer odds.
Montreal, Toronto, Florida, Carolina, and the Buffalo Sabres are the most popular bets to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference at FanDuel.
The Maple Leafs are the lone team in that group that could still be found at plus-money to get in.
The Ottawa Senators are the most popular bet to miss the playoffs in the Eastern Conference at -111.
It’s a different story in the Western Conference, where FanDuel bettors have been much more willing to take a chance on a team at longer odds to make the playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the second-most popular bet to make the playoffs at +370, behind only the San Jose Sharks at -128.
The Stars at -430, the Wild at -620, and the St. Louis Blues at +182 round out the five most popular bets.
FanDuel bettors are fading the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference at +162 to miss the playoffs.
I circled the Habs as my favourite bet to make the playoffs at -140 back in June.
https://x.com/CanadiensMTL/status/2103186070083113131
Sorry Senators fans, but I’ll add Ottawa to miss the playoffs at -111.
As for the individual awards, Connor McDavid is the obvious favourite to win the Hart Trophy at +250.
However, Macklin Celebrini has emerged as the most popular bet to win the Hart Trophy at +500.
Nathan MacKinnon (+370), Leon Draisaitl (+1100), and Nikita Kucherov (+1200) round out the top five choices among Hart Trophy contenders at FanDuel.
As for some potential long shot bets, FanDuel bettors in Ontario have circled Auston Matthews to win the Hart at +1800 odds as the third-most popular bet behind Celebrini and McDavid.
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders is also getting some love at +12500 to win the Hart, along with Nick Suzuki of the Canadiens at +5500.
Schaefer is the most popular bet to win the Norris Trophy at +2000 at FanDuel in Ontario and in the United States.
Evan Bouchard is the most popular bet to win the Norris at FanDuel in Alberta at +800.
Circling back to the Maple Leafs, it’s interesting to note that Sergei Bobrovsky has emerged as the most popular bet to win the Vezina Trophy as a long shot at +5500.
Flames netminder Dustin Wolf is another popular longshot bet at +30000.
Gavin McKenna is the most popular bet to win the Calder Trophy at +330, as the second choice in that market behind Porter Martone of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Expectations are sky-high for McKenna this year in Toronto, and my model agrees that he deserves a look at +330 to win the Calder Trophy.
I’ll also lock in Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals as my best bet to win the Vezina Trophy at +550.
Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild is an interesting longshot bet at +2200, but Thompson is a deserved favourite and I’m willing to take a chance at +550.
The 29-year-old emerged as Washington’s No. 1 option last season, leading the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected and posting a 31-21-6 record.
The Capitals were one of the big offseason winners, adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner to a roster that disappointing a year ago, but led the Eastern Conference with 111 points the previous season.
Washington is big, deep, and loaded with skill, and the fact that they play in the wide-open Metropolitan division should boost Thompson’s stock.
I’ll lock in Thompson at +550 to win the Vezina Trophy.
Is there a value bet on the NHL futures board at FanDuel that I should add to my card before puck drop?
Make sure you find me @Domenic_Padula on X and share your thoughts.
In the meantime, give us a follow @TSN_EDGE and make sure you tune in tonight for the FanDuel NHL Futures Day show on TSN to hear what Mike Johnson, Frankie Corado, Meghan Chayka, and Tekeyah Singh have their eye on.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
