Updated September 24, 2026
The Western Conference enters 2026-27 without one overwhelming favorite. Colorado, Edmonton and Vegas lead the market, while Dallas and Minnesota give the conference a deep group of legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
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Colorado finished with the best record in the West last season, Vegas won the conference, and Edmonton still has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That makes the Western Conference futures market one of the most competitive in the NHL.
The top of the Western Conference market is tightly packed, with Edmonton, Vegas and Colorado all receiving significant support. Dallas is not far behind, while Minnesota represents the next major contender from the Central Division.
The regular season should create plenty of movement. Colorado and Dallas remain among the deepest teams in the conference, Edmonton has made significant changes around its superstar core, and Vegas enters the year after reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Colorado went 55-16-11 last season and finished first in the Central Division before Vegas swept the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar remain the foundation, while Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog give Colorado considerable depth around them. The Avalanche also return Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood after allowing the fewest goals in the NHL last season.
Colorado has the high-end talent and overall roster quality to remain near the top of the West.
Edmonton remains a major Western Conference threat as long as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are leading the offense.
The Oilers are trying to rebound after a disappointing first-round exit last season and enter 2026-27 with Mike Babcock behind the bench. Goaltending remains the biggest question, with Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi expected to handle the early workload while Frederik Andersen recovers from injury.
There are more unknowns than usual in Edmonton, but McDavid and Draisaitl give the Oilers a ceiling few teams can match.
Vegas enters the season as the defending Western Conference champion after reaching its third Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.
Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl still give the Golden Knights one of the strongest veteran forward groups in the conference. The biggest changes come around that core, including the departure of Pavel Dorofeyev and Ryan Craig taking over behind the bench.
Vegas may look slightly different, but the Golden Knights have repeatedly shown they can contend deep into the postseason.
Dallas has one of the deepest collections of offensive talent in the NHL.
Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen headline the forward group, while Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley lead the defense. Jake Oettinger gives the Stars an established No. 1 goalie behind them.
Dallas was eliminated in the first round last season after reaching three consecutive Western Conference Finals from 2023 through 2025. The roster remains good enough for another deep run.
Minnesota took a significant step forward last season, reaching the second round before losing to Colorado.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy provide elite scoring, while Quinn Hughes has transformed the Wild blue line since arriving from Vancouver. Minnesota now has enough high-end talent to belong in the Western Conference conversation rather than simply fighting for a playoff position.
Goaltending is one early concern, with Filip Gustavsson working his way back from offseason hip surgery.
Utah is an interesting team outside the leading group.
The Mammoth reached the playoffs last season and continued adding experience during the offseason, including Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee. Logan Cooley remains one of the most important young players on a roster that has steadily improved.
Utah still has to prove it can compete with the top teams in the West over a full playoff run, but the gap is getting smaller.
The Western Conference is deep enough that there is no comfortable pick. Edmonton has the best player in hockey, Vegas just won the conference, Dallas has tremendous depth and Minnesota continues to improve.
Colorado still stands out.
The Avalanche scored the most goals and allowed the fewest in the NHL last season, while MacKinnon and Makar remain the type of elite players capable of deciding playoff series. Colorado also has considerably more depth than a team built around only two or three stars.
Vegas ended Colorado's season emphatically last year, but over the larger sample, the Avalanche still have the roster I trust most to come out of the Western Conference.
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