Top Five Stanley Cup Contenders Following The NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL’s 2025-26 trade deadline passed on Friday, shifting the balance and altering the rosters of several Stanley Cup contenders.

Now, this writer’s Cup pre-season pick this season was the Colorado Avalanche, and that feeling has only gotten stronger in the wake of the Avalanche’s additions in recent days. But other teams near the fourth or fifth place on this list prior to the deadline have slipped off the list in favor of other teams that improved at the deadline. 

So, let’s get down to business with our picks for the top-five teams after the trade deadline:

The Avalanche went into the trade deadline as the NHL’s best team, and they got significantly better at the deadline, adding a defenseman in former Pittsburgh Penguin Brett Kulak, a center in former Toronto Maple Leaf Nicolas Roy, and an even better center in former Calgary Flame Nazem Kadri. And Avs GM Chris MacFarland didn’t have to part with any meaningful member of the roster to get those three players.

Now, the Avalanche will likely maraude their way through the rest of the regular season. The additions of Kadri and Roy solved Colorado’s only weakness. And nobody has more depth, at all positions, than the Avs. 

MacFarland identified two needs and addressed them with three distinct moves. It was a masterclass in roster improvement, and the Avalanche have to be considered the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Cup.

The Stars had the NHL’s second-best record going into the deadline. Once again, Dallas GM Jim Nill proved to be one of the league’s best GMs, acquiring defenseman Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks, as well as winger Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators. The Stars’ defense corps now ranks up there with any team’s when it comes to skill, balance and depth, while Bunting’s snot makes Dallas harder to play against.

Nill built his Stars team with home-grown talent, but he’s augmented it this year with players likely to elevate Dallas’ overall performance. It’s tough on the Stars that they play in the same division as a group of monsters in Denver, but Dallas has more than enough talent to get out of the first round and potentially win it all. 

They’ve got to go through Colorado to emerge from the Western Conference, but expectations for the Stars remain sky-high post-deadline. And Nill’s trade additions make them all the more dangerous.

For the majority of this season, the Lightning have been the Eastern Conference’s most dominant team, rising to first place in the Atlantic Division and the conference. Although Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois didn’t make many moves at the trade deadline, he did continue drawing back on players he had experience with – specifically, in the form of winger Corey Perry, acquired from the Los Angeles Kings.

After re-acquiring Ryan McDonagh and Yanni Gourde, BriseBois landed Perry this time around. Perry’s well-earned reputation as a snarky player makes the Bolts harder to play against, and BriseBois didn’t need to spend a notable asset to get Perry. That’s a win for the Bolts, who now have the East’s best, deepest roster.

Tampa isn’t flawless. Compared to the Stars and Avalanche, the Lightning don’t have quite as much high-end depth. But the Bolts have an excellent team, and one that will be the favorite to get to the Cup final in the East. 

Wild GM Bill Guerin has had a strong 2026, winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics. While Guerin didn’t have the type of home-run trade deadline by acquiring a marquee name – the way he did when he acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes earlier this season – Guerin added many players who make Minnesota better. 

The Wild added a play-finisher in Philadelphia Flyers winger Bobby Brink; Guerin also acquired former Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno, Florida Panthers defenseman Jeff Petry, and Predators center Michael McCarron. Brink gives Minnesota some decent offense, Petry and Foligno bring veteran experience, and McCarron adds a physical edge. 

Like Dallas, the Wild must get past the Avalanche to have a clear road to the Cup. In a perfect world, Guerin would’ve traded for a veteran center like Kadri or Vincent Trocheck, but the team Minnesota will enter the post-season with still has a lot to like. If they can eliminate Colorado and/or Dallas, the Wild would be the team to beat.

The Red Wings made one of the biggest moves at the deadline in acquiring veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. The 33-year-old blueliner is just moving past his prime, but he can still be very effective. And he makes Detroit’s glaring need on defense into an above-average group of blueliners. 

The Buffalo Sabres also made some strong moves at the deadline, but we like what Wings GM Steve Yzerman did more than what Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen did. Detroit is only going to go as far as its core players carry them, but adding Faulk was precisely the move he needed to make to instill confidence in his players.

The Red Wings may not go into the playoffs with home-ice advantage. But their combination of veteran skill, hungry youngsters, and experienced help in net gives them a slight advantage over the Sabres and fifth place on this list.

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