Panthers Cup Favorites
NHL Players Name Florida Panthers as Favorites for 2026-27 Stanley Cup
Anonymous
A poll of 35 NHL players named the Florida Panthers the leading pick to win the 2026–27 Stanley Cup, with 15 votes, despite Florida missing the playoffs last season. Players pointed to captain Aleksander Barkov’s return from injury and the addition of Brady Tkachuk as reasons for optimism. The defending champion Carolina Hurricanes placed second with six votes, while Colorado and Ottawa received two each.
Key Points
1
The 35-player poll was conducted in two stages: at the NHL/NHLPA European Media Tour in Munich in August and at the North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month.
2
Florida’s goalie changes also factored into Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog’s assessment: he noted that the Panthers lost Sergei Bobrovsky but brought in Jacob Markstrom, calling the team “stacked.”
3
Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel picked Carolina, saying, “Pretty much the whole team coming back, so it has to be them.”
4
Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson and Tim Stutzle each backed the Senators, whom Carolina had eliminated in the first round the previous spring.
5
Carolina was set to open the season at home against Florida, raising its championship banner before the game.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
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Articles
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Reach
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Topics
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