The NHL season is just around the corner, but there’s still time to dig into the futures market.
Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, I’m recommending four futures picks, including a +1,000 choice to win the Stanley Cup. I also have futures picks on Macklin Celebrini, Jack Hughes — who has tremendous value to win the Art Ross Trophy — and Nick Suzuki.
Check out my favourite NHL futures predictions below.
NHL futures predictions
Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup (+1,000): When looking for potential Stanley Cup winners, there are a few things on my checklist.
And the Stars tick off all the boxes.
- Dallas finally has a star: Mikko Rantanen unexpectedly ended the season with the Stars and signed a big extension to stay with the team. The winger showcased his true star power in the playoffs, scoring 22 points in 18 games.
- The depth is strong: Dallas can roll three lines with confidence, while Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley lead a stout defensive unit.
- Jake Oettinger is just hitting his prime: The Stars goalie is just 26 years old and has been at the top of the goaltender rankings for several seasons. He has a career .912 save percentage.
Dallas was within striking distance last year, reaching the Western Conference finals before losing out to the Edmonton Oilers.
Heiskanen played only 50 games in 2024-25, and Rantanen was acquired at the deadline.
With both all-stars likely to play more games, there’s a real shot the Stars win the Central Division, or even the West, setting up home advantage in the playoffs.
Art Ross prediction
Hughes (+3,000): Hughes is going into his seventh NHL season… at 24 years old.
This could still be a year too early, but there’s great value on the New Jersey Devils’ star forward.
Injuries have derailed Hughes’ last two seasons. But the last time he was fully healthy, he had 99 points in 78 games as a 21-year-old.
Hughes has still recorded 1.16 points per game over the past couple of years.
There’s always the safe pick of Connor McDavid (+200) or Nikita Kucherov (+350), who have combined to win the last five Art Ross trophies, but I’m putting my eggs in a new basket.
It feels like the right time for Hughes to turn from star to superstar, and that could mean leading the NHL in points.
Hughes was the fastest Devil to reach 10 points in a season, doing so in four games back in 2023-24. He won the player of the month for October before a shoulder injury in November ruined his momentum.
NHL players futures
Celebrini over 69.5 points (-112): Celebrini took the NHL by storm as a rookie, tallying 63 points. He could’ve been even more productive if he hadn’t missed 12 games.
If he can play 75-plus games this season, he would naturally see an uptick in scoring even with the same scoring pace.
But I feel like another gear is coming. Celebrini had 31 points over his final 33 games (a 77-point pace over 82 games). That’s pretty impressive for an 18-year-old.
The San Jose Sharks have the second-youngest team in the NHL and were the only club with two players ranked inside the top 10 in rookie scoring.
Celebrini was third, and teammate Will Smith was fourth with 45 points.
There are many reasons for Celebrini to grow, and he’s shown he has the talent to soon be a top player in the league.
Suzuki futures prediction
Suzuki over 80.5 points (-112): The Montreal Canadiens captain had a breakout campaign in 2024-25, scoring 89 points in 82 games.
He’s been an ironman over the past four seasons, playing in every game for the Canadiens.
And Suzuki’s consistently gotten better each year.
- 2021-22: 61 points
- 2022-23: 66 points
- 2023-24: 77 points
- 2024-25: 89 points
At 26 years old, there’s no reason for him to take a step back this season. He’s in all the right positions to succeed on Montreal’s first line and power-play unit.
Suzuki is at the skill level now where he wouldn’t even need to play 82 games to cash this wager. He did so in 76 games last season.
He also went on a tear down the stretch, tallying 37 points in the final 26 games. That’s an incredible 117-point pace over 82 games.
NHL futures predictions made on Oct. 3, 2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.