Written by Scott on Saturday, October 7th, 2023
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Note from Graeme: Welcome to the return of yet another NHL Season!
As per tradition, Scott and myself will do division futures betting analysis and tips for each division, prior to the beginning of the NHL season.
We do this less for the purpose of betting tips, and more for our own benefit to recap the off-season, and get prepared mentally for what to expect from each team going into the new season.
Futures bets should be nothing more than casual bets as you can never predict injuries, trades, or completely insane people involved such as Mike Babcock.
Quick note – I’m actually going away for a week. Scott will be handling NHL tips until I believe the 19th of October. However that works out as a lot of my betting tips rely on advanced metric data analysis, and that gives me a few games to start collating data.
Metro Division Betting Odds
All the teams in the Division are listed below and also listed are the odds for them to win the division. The odds will change but this is a list of what we find on average.
- New Jersey Devils – 3.25
- Carolina Hurricanes – 3.50
- New York Rangers – 4.00
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 8.50
- New York Islanders – 11.00
- Washington Capitals – 16.00
- Philadelphia Flyers – 51.00
- Columbus Blue Jackets – 67.00
Metro Division Winners Betting Tips
This is a tough division to call and it came down to two teams. My pick to win the divison is the Hurricanes and it was close.
They won the division last season and if not for the Bruins and their monster year they would have finished 1st overall.
They have players who know their roles. Aho, Necas and Svechnikov are the top line. The also have Kotkaniemi, Jarvis and Teravainen to help. They brought in Bunting and Lemieux to add so much needed grit to the team
They may have the best all-around group of defensemen in the league. Their top 4 of Burns, Slavin, Skjei and Pesce is solid and then they brought in Orlov and DeAngelo.
In goal it’s Andersen and Raanta who split the starts. Should one of them need to miss time they have Kochetkov as a 3rd string and is expected to become the starter within the next couple of seasons.
I just don’t see a weakness on this team. They are deep and skilled and well coached and should be at least as good as they were last year.
Best Odds for the Canes to win the Metro
Ontario: 3.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
Rest of Canada: 3.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
USA: +250 Odds at Intertops.
Everyone Else: 3.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
Metro Division Betting Analysis
New Jersey Devils
It was a toss up but I did go with the Canes. But the Devils could also win the division.
Jack Hughes just keeps getting better and the sky’s the limit for this guy. He has Meier, Bratt, Hischier, Bratt and they brought in Toffoli to round out the top 6. Scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem for them.
On defense the lost Graves and Severson but still feel confident enough in their group moving forward. Hamilton and Siegenthaler are the top pair and have Bahl and Marino on the 2nd pair. Luke Hughes, Jack’s brother, looked good in his limited time last season so he will only get better.
In goal is where things get tricky for the Devils. Vanecek is the starter but if he gets hurt or struggles they have Schmid who was decent but for how long can he play as well as he did.
This team is going to be good but it was the questions about goaltending that had me off.
Best Odds for the Devils to win the Metro
Ontario: 3.40 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 3.40 Odds at Sports Interaction
USA: +240 Odds at BetOnline.
Everyone Else: 3.40 Odds at BetOnline.
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
New York Rangers
They added some pieces in the off-season but they were more about depth than a game changer.
Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider and Trochek can do the heavy lifting offensively. They have some young players who have the potential to be stars in the league with Kakko and Lafreniere who are joined by Chytil to form the “Kid Line”. They also added Bonino and Nash who know their jobs.
On defense they continue to get better. They are led by Fox, Trouba, Miller and Lindgren to give them a good top 4.
In goal they have Shesterkin who is one of the better goalies in the league. They have Quick as the number 2 and he should still have plenty of miles left in him to help the team.
Best Odds for the Rangers to win the division
Ontario: 5.50 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 5.50 Odds at Sports Interaction
USA: +375 Odds at Intertops.
Everyone Else: 4.00 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
Pittsburgh Penguins
Well the Penguins made some moves adding about a dozen players to the team.
The still have Crosby and Malkin leading the way and they can carry a team without problems but keeping both healthy is going to be crucial. The have Guentzel, Rust, Rakell and Carter. But they brought in Nieto, Smith, Accari, Johnsson and others which could give them some headaches with so many new players.
As always Letang is their top defenseman. They went out and acquired Karlsson which makes them lethal. They also have Graves, Pettersson, Butcher and Joseph to give them a good D group.
Best Odds for the Penguins to win the Metro
Ontario: 8.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
Rest of Canada: 8.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
USA: +750 Odds at Intertops.
Everyone Else: 8.50 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
New York Islanders
The Isles didn’t make any significant moves in the off-season.
At forward they have Barzal, Lee, Horvat and Palmieri to do the heavy lifting. They have other players who can help the team but won’t be lighting up the scoreboard in Pageau, Nelson, Martin and Clutterbuck.
On defense they have Pulock, Pelech, Mayfield and Dobson give them a decent group.
In goal is where they are set. Sorokin is amazing and will be in the running for the Vezina Trophy for a while. Varlamov is the backup and he is still solid.
Best Odds for Isles to win the Metro
Ontario: 13.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 13.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
USA: +1100 Odds at BetOnline.
Everyone Else: 11.00 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
Washington Capitals
The Caps still have the familiar faces we know but they aren’t getting any younger.
As always, the are Ovechkins team. He is joined by Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, Wilson and Strome. The brought in Pacioretty which was a bit concerning considering his health of late but if healthy he will contribute. If these guys can stay healthy, then any team with Ovechkin can do damage.
Carlson is their best defenseman. But after him it gets weaker. Fehervary, Sadin and Jensen will be their top 4.
Kuemper is the starter and Lindgren the backup. Kuemper can win games but needs the Caps to score for it to happen. He went 19-3-3 when the Caps scored 3 or more and 3-23-4 when they didn’t.
Best Odds for the Caps to win the Metro
Ontario: 21.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 22.00 Odds at BetOnline.
USA: +2200 Odds at BetOnline.
Everyone Else: 22.00 Odds at BetOnline.
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
Philadelphia Flyers
I don’t have much hope for the Flyers this season.
They didn’t add any player who will make them better. Their top 6 is Couturier, Farabee, Konecny, Laughton, Atkinson and Yates. Not exactly intimidating.
On defense it’s the same. They have York, Ristolainen and Sanheim with Staal and Walker brought in as vets. In goal they have Hart. It’s hard to fault him as the team that plays in front of him has been lousy but he has potential and is only 25.
Best Odds for the Flyers to win the Metro
Ontario: 67.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 67.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
USA: +6600 Odds at Intertops.
Everyone Else: 66.00 Odds at BetOnline.
Columbus Blue Jackets
This team should be better than they were last season.
The still have Laine, Gaudreau, Jenner and Marchenko. They drafted Fantilli 3rd overall and will be in the top 6.
On defense they actually have a pretty strong group. Werenski, Provorov, Severson and Boqvist are a solid top 4 and they have Gudbranson, Peeke and Jiricek to fight for the remaining two spots.
Merzlikins and Tarasov and in goal and will need to be better to help keep the Jackets in games.
Best Odds for the Jackets to win the Division
Ontario: 81.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
Rest of Canada: 81.00 Odds at Sports Interaction
USA: +6600 Odds at Intertops.
Everyone Else: 67.00 Odds at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv
(Odds correct as of 2023/10/07 2:45:09 PM EST but are subject to change.)
