NHL head coaches give their early prediction for 2026-27 Stanley Cup champion

The Florida Panthers are entering the 2026-27 NHL season with something they did not have a year ago: the overwhelming confidence of their peers. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, an anonymous poll of the NHL's 32 head coaches produced a remarkably lopsided result, with 20 coaches selecting the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup this season.

That means nearly two-thirds of the league's head coaches surveyed picked Florida to finish the season on top, a particularly notable development considering the Panthers failed to make the playoffs last season after winning the Stanley Cup in both 2024 and 2025.

The voting gap is what makes the poll so interesting. The Colorado Avalanche were the next-most popular choice with six votes, followed by the Edmonton Oilers with three. The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes received two votes, while Montreal, Dallas, Vegas and Washington each received a single vote.

For Florida, the optimism is largely tied to the return of captain Aleksander Barkov and the addition of Brady Tkachuk.

Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season after suffering a knee injury on the opening day of training camp. His return gives the Panthers back one of the NHL's premier two-way centers and the player who has been at the heart of their championship teams. NHL.com's own player poll also found significant support for Florida, with 15 of 35 players surveyed selecting the Panthers to win the Cup.

Then there is the blockbuster addition of Brady Tkachuk, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators during the offseason. The move reunited him with his brother Matthew and added another physical, difficult-to-play-against forward to an already bruising Panthers lineup. Tkachuk recorded 59 points in 60 games last season and gives Florida another player capable of creating offense while bringing a heavy physical presence.

Of course, there are questions that make the coaches' overwhelming support somewhat surprising. The Panthers lost Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, with Jacob Markstrom taking over in goal, while injuries played a major role in Florida's disappointing 2025-26 campaign. The Panthers also have an older roster, meaning staying healthy could be particularly important over an 84-game regular season and lengthy playoff run. Those concerns were also highlighted in reporting surrounding LeBrun's poll.

Still, the basic ingredients that produced Florida's championship success remain in place. Barkov is back, Matthew Tkachuk is expected to be healthier, Brady Tkachuk has joined the mix and the Panthers continue to boast a deep group of forwards and an experienced defense corps.

And the timing could hardly be more interesting. Florida will open its season Tuesday night against Carolina, with the Hurricanes raising their Stanley Cup banner before facing the very team that many around the NHL believe could reclaim the championship this season.

The coaches' poll obviously does not determine what happens on the ice. But with 20 of 32 head coaches choosing Florida, there is little question that the Panthers have entered the 2026-27 season with an enormous amount of respect from inside the NHL.