Which of the Russians is the favorite in the fight for the Stanley Cup

The new season of the National Hockey League (NHL) kicked off on the night of September 30, a match between the current Stanley Cup winner Carolina Hurricanes and the champion of the previous two years, the Florida Panthers.

Bookmakers consider Florida and Carolina the main contenders for the Stanley Cup.

In the NHL poll, which was conducted among 35 current hockey players, 15 people voted for the victory of Florida in the Stanley Cup (42.9%), in second place was Carolina (six votes).

As part of “Florida” is one Russian defender Dmitry Kulikov. In the summer, the club left long-term goalkeeper Sergey Bobrovsky. For “Hurricanes” play three Russians: goalkeeper: Peter Kochetkov, defender Alexander Nikishin and forward Andrei Svechnikov.

The opinion of players and bookmakers differs from the forecast of the NHL website. Of the 14 league experts surveyed before the 2026/27 season, six named the Colorado Avalanche as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. The club is the winner of last season's regular championship. The only Russian in the “Avalanche” is forward Fedor Svechnikov. In recent years, one of the important players of the team was forward Valery Nichushkin, who after seven seasons was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Two votes of experts also received Florida, Carolina and Montreal Canadiens, in which forward Ivan Demidov plays one of the leading roles.

Also among the leaders, bookmakers single out Edmonton Oilers, for which forward Vasily Podkolzin acts. This season, the team of Russians was replenished by defender Shakir Muhamadullin.

The Russians have been winning the Stanley Cup since 2016. At the start of the season, there are no Russians in the four clubs - Buffalo Sabres, Seattle Kraken, Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks.