With the NHL being on hiatus until December 28, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at some future bets that we think provide excellent value and are also likely to hit. We’re just over one third of the way through the NHL season so there are a lot of possibilities still. We’re going to take a look at some future odds for the Stanley Cup, for the Central Division and the Pacific Division, and finally, the Hart Trophy (league MVP).
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Stanley Cup: Carolina Hurricanes (+1100)
The Carolina Hurricanes have been the best team in the league so far this season, and somehow they have the sixth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. They are seriously undervalued. They started the season off with a nine game win streak and are now 21-7-1 on the season. They have the highest point per game percentage in the entire league and sit just one point back of the Tampa Bay Lightning (with one game in hand) for the top of the league standings. Through 29 games, they have the best goal differential in the entire league with a +33 difference. In terms of the overall standings, the Hurricanes have proven they are at the top, and as a team, they have some of the best individual players and as a whole have some of the strongest cores.
Defensively, Carolina is the best team in the league without question. Their top six defensemen are all extremely sought after assets and they have an incredible mix of offensive and defensive talent. They rarely give up chances and the team is ranked first in the league for goals allowed per game with just 2.14, as well as the fewest shots on goal allowed with 27.1 per game. Sebastian Aho is one of the premier centermen in the game and could be considered an MVP caliber player with 32 points in 26 games, however, where he shines brightest is as a defensive shutdown center. He plays against the other team’s top lines every single night and still has a point per game and a +12 +/-. Finally, goaltender Frederick Andersen is having the best year of his career after nine seasons. He’s posting a 1.93 GAA and .930 SVP in 21 games played. This team is built from the top down and their futures odds to win the Stanley Cup are highly undervalued. Oddsmakers have this one wrong.
Central Division: Minnesota Wild (+400)
The Minnesota Wild have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, but after 30 games there’s no denying the fact they are one of the best teams in the league. They are currently sitting at the top of their division and are still +400 to stay there for the next 50 games. This break couldn’t have come at a better time for the team. After putting together an eight game win streak, they have dropped their last four games in a row. But don’t let that steer you away as a bettor, every single team in the league hits a slump at some point and it’s better for them to do it now than in the last month of the season. This team can win and they know it, with this week-long break we should expect them to come back not only energized, but motivated.
The Wild have notoriously been one of the most boring teams to watch and have never had a great team, despite playing in the “Hockey State” of the USA, they’ve constantly disappointed fans. But not this year and not with this roster. Since calling up Kirill Kaprizov last year, they have looked like a true competitor. They’re strong, they’re fast, but most importantly, they’re skilled. Every player on this team can beat you up and put the puck in the back of the net. They’re a team nobody wants to play and are still at the top of their division despite this losing streak. The Central Division is tough, but at +400 these are incredible odds for a team that has proven they are one of the top teams in the league.
Pacific Division: Edmonton Oilers (+400)
The Oilers have two of the best players in the world, and one of them might be the best player to ever play the game. This franchise has been riddled with disappointment over the last decade, but it’s time for things to turn around. Connor McDavid has something to prove to himself, to the league, and to the rest of the world; he is a winner. He’s in his seventh season in the league and has nothing to show for it at the team level, but this year might be different. He finally has a capable roster behind him. For the first 20 games, the Oilers were at the top of the division with nobody even close to catching up, until they hit a six game losing streak. This break came just in time for the Oilers, expect them to rally for the final 50 games of the season. Admittedly, their biggest weakness is their goaltending, but with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl scoring nearly two points a game, it makes it hard for teams to catch up.
Additionally, if McDavid and Draisaitl are split up, it forces the other team to line match and play more of a defensive style of game; which rarely seems to work against this duo. The Oilers are only four points back of first place in their division and they have three games in hand, if they win their next three games they leapfrog everyone and have a two point lead. There’s still a lot of hockey to be played and it appears it will be the Oilers, the Golden Knights, and the Flames racing to the finish line come April. If it’s a race, we should all be taking the world’s fastest player at +400 to lead his team to the top.
Hart Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin (+750)
Before making a case for Ovechkin to win the Hart, we need to address the elephant in the room. Connor McDavid is the best player in the world and it’s not really close. However, this trophy isn’t about the best player, it’s about the most valuable player for their team. Where would the team be without this player? McDavid has Draisaitl, who is performing just as well as him right now, which could water down the votes for both of them. This leaves someone like Ovechkin, who is just as valuable, if not more valuable to his team than any other player in the league right now, to run away with the voting. At 36 years old, Ovechkin is defying everything we know about hockey. As the league is getting younger, Ovechkin just keeps getting better. He sits just two points back of McDavid and Draisaitl and is carrying the Washington Capitals this season, nearly by himself.
Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, Anthony Mantha, Tom Wilson, all of these players at some point have been missing from the Capitals lineup, and still, Ovechkin hasn’t taken one night off. Where would this team be right now without Ovechkin? They definitely wouldn’t be tied for first place in their division, and they definitely wouldn’t be one point away from the league lead in the overall standings. If he can maintain this pace, the best goal scorer of all time will be recognized for his efforts this season and at +750 he has the best value on the board for any future bet this season. The Hart Trophy has turned into a three-man race and two of the players play on the same team. It’s clear who the most valuable player is right now; jump on the odds before oddsmakers realize it.
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