The Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] are not exactly widely expected to do what they did last season again in the upcoming season. With a late-season surge after the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Flyers carried an electric run of form into the Stanley Cup playoff spot, clinching a berth in Game 81 and then eliminating the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-trade-with-hurricanes-worked-out-perfectly] put a commanding halt to that with a sweep of the Flyers in the second round, and that was the end of it. Although those Flyers put up about as good a fight as you can in a series sweep, especially against a suffocating team like the Hurricanes, they have done little to improve their odds at a Stanley Cup of their own. Now that the Hurricanes are officially Stanley Cup champions, BetMGM [https://www.nj.betmgm.com/en/sports/events/2026-27-nhl-futures-19690918] released its early odds for the 2027 Stanley Cup winner, placing the Flyers 17th overall at +5000. Flyers Legend Rod Brind'Amour Joins Exclusive Company in NHL History [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e62d45de-2d67-4b5a-ac6e-899971da5afd.jpeg] Flyers Legend Rod Brind'Amour Joins Exclusive Company in NHL History Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Rod Brind'Amour is now a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in sports after winning another Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-legend-rod-brindamour-joins-exclusive-company-in-nhl-history] At those odds, the Flyers are tied with the likes of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals, both of whom missed the playoffs and play in the same division. Ahead of the Flyers are teams such as the New Jersey Devils (missed), the Utah Mammoth (Round 1 exit), the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings (swept by Colorado) and, somehow, the Ottawa Senators (swept by Carolina). Admittedly, it is strange that the Mammoth, (+3000), Kings (+3500), and Senators (+1800) all have significantly better odds than the Flyers, who at least won a playoff round, even if it was against the Penguins. The Senators, who lost to the same playoff opponent as the Flyers, showed nothing in their four games to justify such a massive gap between the two teams. Out West, the Mammoth are probably about equal to the Flyers, and the Kings are annual pretenders, not contenders. At least the Flyers have some upward momentum. With a strong showing at the 2026 NHL Draft [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-linked-to-top-swedish-winger-prospect-ahead-of-2026-nhl-draft] and in free agency, the Flyers can easily position themselves to make such mediocre odds look short-sighted.
