2026 Stanley Cup Winner Odds: Avoid the Avalanche After President’s Trophy Win?

With the NHL regular season days from wrapping up, the picture for this season's Stanley Cup playoffs is edging closer to completion. And when the puck drops to start the postseason next weekend, many viewers and bettors will have high expectations for the Colorado Avalanche.

These expectations are merited, as well. With a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday, Colorado clinched the President's Trophy for the fourth time in franchise history. Only three teams, the Detroit Red Wings (six), Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers (both four), have earned the trophy as many or more times than Colorado, who also won it in 1996-97, 2000-01, and 2020-21.

With 114 points through 78 games, the Avalanche (52-16-10) are six points from setting a new franchise record for points in a season. If they establish a new single-season standard, it will surpass the 119 points tallied in the 2021-22 season.

That season, Colorado won its third and most recent Stanley Cup title, defeating the three-peat chasing Tampa Bay Lightning in six games for the franchise's first title since 2001.

Will the Avs add another banner this June? At Lucky Rebel and other Stanley Cup betting sites, odds favor that outcome, with Colorado firmly ahead of the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Stars, all of whom also have already hit the 100-point mark this season.

Odds to Win the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals

Odds are from Lucky Rebel as of Saturday, April 11, at 2:50 a.m. ET.

Will the President's Trophy Curse Strike Down Stanley Cup Hopes Again?

But while the Avalanche are the most probable champions this season based on both the eye test and statistical probabilities, will they actually lift the hallowed hardware?

Unfortunately, for all that Nathan MacKinnon and co. have accomplished, a crushing conclusion may loom for Colorado.

If recent history holds up, bettors would be wise to look beyond the top name on the above table when making their Stanley Cup picks.

Since its inception, the President's Trophy has been a poisoned chalice.

The accolade was first awarded in the 1985-86 season, with Wayne Gretzky's record-breaking 215-point season helping the Edmonton Oilers take the trophy with 119 points.

They entered the 1986 playoff in pursuit of a three-peat, but that quest would end in disappointment. After sweeping the Vancouver Canucks with ease in the first round, the Oilers faced the rival Calgary Flames in the second round. Calgary finished 30 points behind Edmonton in the Smythe Division but pulled a momentous upset thanks to winning three of four games in Edmonton, including Game 7 to clinch the series.

History did not repeat itself the following year, as the Oilers not only repeated as President's Trophy winners but lifted the Stanley Cup for the third time in four seasons.

However, that has not become a common occurrence. Since the inception of the President's Trophy, only eight winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. That is the same number of President's Trophy winners to fall in the first round.

Even getting to the final hurdle has been a tough ask. Only 11 President's Trophy winners have made the Stanley Cup Final, and since the Chicago Blackhawks' 2013 title, no President's Trophy winner has even reached the championship series.

How Have Recent President's Trophy Winners Fared?

The biggest stunner of all took place three years ago. After amassing an NHL-record 65 wins and 135 points, the Bruins blew a 3-1 series lead against the Panthers, who won Game 5 in Boston in overtime, overcame two third-period deficits to win Game 6 at home, and broke thousands of hearts in TD Garden by tying Game 7 with a minute left in regulation and winning it in overtime.

Last season, the Jets finished as the NHL's best in the regular season for the first time in franchise history, only to fall to the Stars in the second round.

Should You Bet Against the Avalanche to Win the Stanley Cup?

So, history is certainly not on Colorado's side, even if the Avalanche have been the NHL's best team this season.

To date, the Avs have had a hand in the curse four times. In addition to the loss to the rival Golden Knights in 2021, Colorado did the President's Trophy-Stanley Cup double in 2001 and followed its first President's Trophy with a second-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 1997.

That was a successful revenge mission for the Red Wings. In 1996, Detroit recorded a then-record 62 wins and 131 points but were upset by Colorado in the conference finals.

How will things play out for the Avalanche this season? It might behoove them to go no better than 2-1-1 in their last four games (vs. Vegas, at Edmonton, at Calgary, vs. Seattle).

Why? No team to tally 120 or more points in a full regular season has won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in the 1977-78 season.

Of course, whether you are superstitious or not, trends like these only count for so much when betting on NHL odds or anything else. But this does highlight the kind of pressure the Avalanche will face when the puck drops on the postseason. We will find out sometime in the next two and a half months if Colorado can handle that pressure and combat the curse.

Get Stanley Cup Playoff Picks and More from Betting News

The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner, and NHL bettors can look forward to a packed postseason of coverage from Betting News.

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That will continue through the postseason as 16 teams compete for the Stanley Cup, so bookmark the site and follow us on Twitch and elsewhere on social media.