Written by Graeme & Scott on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013
Follow @BetNHL
Central Division Winner Betting Tips
Who will win the Central Division during the 2014 NHL Season? Well if you are wondering that yourself then you have come to the right place. Bovada has released their division winners betting option. To find this great bet first sign up then under the hockey betting category select Hockey Futures.
Below we will go over 3 teams who we think each have a shot to win the division ranging from the team with the best chance to a team with an outside shot.
Central Division
The Central Division is arguably one of the strongest divisions in the league. And the the relocation of the Detroit Red Wing to the Eastern Conference a door has opened for teams who were always there but just not strong enough to jump past them. Colorado is a great team with tons of potential I just think they are a few years away from being considered a contender. The Nashville Predators are a defensive team who will need to grab some offensive minded players to make a push and the Jets are there and are only a piece or two away from contending.
Here are the betting odds for each team to win the Central Division available at Bovada
- Chicago Blackhawks 1.63
- St. Louis Blues 4.25
- Minnesota Wild 7.00
- Dallas Stars 13.00
- Nashville Predators 19.00
- Colorado Avalanche 21.00
- Winnipeg Jets 23.00
Best Bet To Win The Central Division
If you live in a cave or just choose to not pay any attention to the NHL last year at all then you missed out on a year dominated by the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only did they win the Stanley Cup the also set a record to start a season without a regulation loss.
Unlike the last time they won the cup, when they were forced to trade away a bunch of their key contributors due to the salary cap, this time the turnover was much less significant. Gone are penalty killer Michael Frolik, third line center and pest David Bolland and the 3/4 line winger with crazy speed Viktor Stalberg. Yes these are good players and the Hawks will surely miss them but the Hawks think that with all the young talent they have in the AHL that those players will be easily replaceable. Also gone is backup goalie Ray Emery who signed on with the Philadelphia Flyers but the Blackhawks brought in a familiar face to back up Cory Crawford when they signed Nikolai Khabibulin.
The Blackhawks have all the pieces they need to contend for not only the Central Division but for the Cup. All of their young stars are just entering their prime and are all comfortable with on another and as long as they can stay healthy they should have no problem with this.
Good Bet At Winning The Central Division
The St. Louis Blues are another team that has a legitimate shot at not only home ice advantage but also at making a run at the Stanley Cup. The are strong at all positions and are a real pain in the ass to play against. They will defiantly challenge the Hawks for first place in the Central and it will be a close race.
First in goal they are led by a two-headed monster in Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak both of whom could be the number one goalie on over half of the leagues rosters.
Then on defense they feature some of the best young players in the game. First they have Alex Pietrangelo who many consider will be challenging for the James Norris Trophy for many years to come. They also have Kevin Shattenkirk, Jay Bouwmeester, Barret Jackman the list just keeps going.
Then for forwards the are led by the always competitive David Backes who is also joined by the newly acquired Derek Roy to form a very solid one two punch down the middle. Throw in the talented second year player Tarasenko, power forward Chris Stewart, Alex Steen, T.J Oshie this team really is incredible. Then you throw in Maxim Lapierre and this team will be able to get under the skin of the other team on a nightly basis.
Long Shot To Win The Central Division
There are not many teams in the NHL this year with as many new faces as the Dallas Stars are going to have this year but are the new pieces enough to help them leapfrog some teams and land in first?
Well it would appear so and on paper this is one of the stronger teams in the Western Conference but with all the new faces will they be able to have success right away. They were able to pluck away Tyler Seguin from the Bruins and he will immediately be given the role of the teams number one center with the Stars superstar moving to left wing. Then they also added Rich Peverley from the Bruins and Shawn Horcoff from the Oilers and suddenly the Stars are deep down the middle.
But there are also some question surrounding this team. Can the newly signed Sergei Gonchar stay healthy for the entire season at the age of 39. Can first round draft pick Nichushkin enjoy success in his first year.
There is a lot of questions but this team has talent and also some players who are out to prove themselves so this could be there year.
Once you have figured out your pick to win the Central Division be sure to head to Bovada to place your bets.
