A new NHL season is starting, which means there is lots of potential money to be put into pockets. Futures bets are a great source to find value in the market, and you can even cash out your bets throughout the year to guarantee profit while the lines change. From the Calder, Vezina, Rocket Richard, and Jack Adams awards, there is lots of value in the market right now. Let’s take a look at what bets you should explore. All numbers come from bet365.com.
Alexander Holtz – Calder Memorial Trophy (+3300)
bet365 has Alexander Holtz winning the Calder at +3300. If you bet $10, that is a $340 return. Holtz is currently skating on the New Jersey Devils’ top line with Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat. On top of that, he put up 51 points in 52 games in the AHL last year, and may start to get power play time during the year.
Even if Holtz does not end up winning the Calder, it is very likely his odds go up and you can take advantage of an early pay out. Another sleeper is Dylan Holloway. If he gets top-six minutes and power play time, Holloway could win the Calder with a high goal output. His odds however are much higher at +1600.
Auston Matthews – Maurice Richard Trophy (+225)
This is a freebie. Auston Matthews is the best goal-scorer in the league—and it isn’t really close. From 2019 to now, Matthews has recorded 148 goals. Draisaitl comes in second with 129. The difference? Matthews has played 12 fewer games than Draisaitl in that span.
This award is Matthews’ to lose and getting this bet at plus money is frankly grand larceny. A “steal,” “easy money,” or “free bet,” call it what you want really. If you want to hedge the bet and put some money on Draisaitl as well, that is an option too.
Jacob Markstrom – Vezina Trophy (+1400)
I have been saying this all offseason long, Jacob Markstrom‘s odds to win the Vezina are too low. They used to be at +2000, but they have now shifted to +1400. Despite that, goalies like Thatcher Demko and Ilya Sorokin have higher odds.
Not to say that they aren’t better goalies—they just might be—but winning the Vezina takes not only a skilled goalie but a great team. Neither Thatcher Demko nor Ilya Sorkokin have that. Markstrom is coming off a year where he was a Vezina finalist, has probably the best defensive group in the league in front of him, and arguably better overall roster in front of him as a whole. On top of that, he is going to benefit from Sutter’s defensive system. Run, don’t walk, to put money on Markstrom.
Jay Woodcroft – Jack Adams Award (+1400)
Honestly, Jay Woodcroft could have been a finalist for this award last year—he was that good. When Woodcroft was hired, the Oilers went 26–9–3. That is frankly absurd. Now, Woodcroft has a Western Conference Final appearance under his belt, a full training camp, and a better roster.
Yeah, this seems like a good bet to make. Edmonton and Calgary are the two teams in the Pacific who I think are going to run away in the division. Darryl Sutter won the award last year, and I think the trophy is moving up north for this season.
Worst Regular Season Record – Arizona (+300)
It’s no secret that Arizona is a bad team; however, they somehow managed to come up with an even worse roster than last year (by design). The only other team that I think could challenge Arizona is Chicago when they trade away all their good players. That said, I still don’t think Chicago will be able to make up for the points that they will accumulate before the trade deadline. Arizona being at plus money is great value.
Get your bets in
These are all bets that I believe everyone should consider putting down. There is no better value than at the beginning of the year. It will be very interesting to see how the 2022–23 season plays out, but it will be even more enjoyable to watch if money can be made along the way.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
