Betting Preview: Five storylines to keep an eye out for this NHL season

There was once an argument regarding who owned what. Now there’s this one that asks who really owns what and has one less thing they have to worry about when making their move to Australia or other places around the globe. Doug Greenberg of ESPN kicked off the 2024-25 NHL season thousands of miles away Friday when New Jersey Devils defeated Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in Czechia; back home however, all eyes have been focused on whether this year would mark when one or more top players finally break through and claim their championship crowns. Following their run to Stanley Cup Final last season, Edmonton Oilers appear as betting favorites (roughly +700 to +850 odds on sportsbooks worldwide) to achieve victory this time around. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid leads all players by an enormous margin for winning this year’s Hart Memorial Trophy and leads all other odds by +150, dominating every opponent by far. Even with these short odds for championship success, many other Oiler teams are starting to have significant interest. BetMGM senior sports trader Matthew Rasp told ESPN, “People seem hopeful that McDavid may finally reach his Stanley Cup potential this season – the money has been pouring in since last season concluded!” “McDavid story may finally reach the big time!” – has become popular since last season ended – there has been increasing investment into Oilers since. “While any number of teams could win this year’s Cup competition, history suggests that many of the same contenders from last season may return as competitors for it this time around – including last season’s two final contenders who made up part of a three-team race for it last time around.” “The NHL can get the reputation for having great parity; however, that has simply not been true over the last 10 years or so,” stated Caesars Sportsbook head of hockey Karry Shreeve. Twelve out of 16 playoff-bound teams often return the following year and qualify again.” Of course, the challenge lies in picking 12 teams successfully but we should see many familiar names appear as leaders once more: Oilers and Panthers take top spots this time! Create or join a Fantasy Hockey league on ESPN today – your championship run could begin immediately! Get signed up now!
Once again, here we go – another “What If… “. Luckily enough though, our friend from Australia (aka Robyn ) came through just in time! She brought with her enough supplies of high-grade honeycomb paper (includes two bags per pack!) so the process can commence once again… Reclaiming their crown may not be simple, but one team that knows just what’s involved is the reigning Stanley Cup Champions: Florida Panthers. After sneaking into the playoffs as an 8-seed and making their way all the way through to make history as Stanley Cup victors last season with an appearance in 2023 Final, Florida dominated NHL last season by posting 46-18-2 straight up favorite record (at 5.23 units profit) overperforming preseason points totals by 11.5 points according to ESPN Research’s analysis. Florida won its inaugural Stanley Cup and will attempt to repeat since in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning did it three seasons prior in 2022 – which they did by outperforming their preseason points total by just 1.5 points! 2024-25 features the Panthers with an average regular-season point total of 102.5 points and odds to capture the Stanley Cup at +1000, drawing considerable sportsbook and betting interest from sportsbooks and bettors alike. But their rival, 2023-24’s second place Oilers have attracted much more ire due to a league-leading preseason point total (108.5) as well as their odds (+550) for winning both President’s Trophy (+55) and, of course, Stanley Cup. “Right now, customers should favor betting on the Oilers as an asset to them in terms of stake, not necessarily ticket count,” Shreeve noted. “[In the 2024 Final], Panthers may have had more complete teams; but Oilers boasted one outstanding superstar who may entice someone betting over summer to consider simply backing that player.” BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN BET and FanDuel all favor Edmonton as the favorite to take home the cup by both bettors and handle, accounting for close to one quarter of money market-wide revenue. Florida, in contrast, appears to garner far less support among bettors. ESPN BET reports that of the six favorite teams, Carolina has the lowest ticket and handle count; BetMGM estimates it has garnered only 4.2% of bets and money, ranking ninth overall for both. DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN, that winning one year doesn’t guarantee victory in subsequent ones, though it has happened before. There have been teams which managed to find success both seasons; though these tend to be highly unlikely. “Fantasy hockey is back! Here is our ultimate guide on how you can dominate your league like an expert* Which league fits best? * Projections | Goalie depth chart* Rankings | Draft kit* Best fantasy hockey team names* Sign-up now & save 50%* Sign-up free today* *We offer everything! *Everything* Projections | Goalie depth chart* Rankings | Draft kit* Sign-up now for free today* *All
At all likelihood, there won’t be another Stanley Cup Final matchup and potentially there could be an entirely different champion this time around. One team that stands out among sportsbooks and bettors prior to this new campaign is New York Rangers; always one of the premier long-term and game-to-game bets. ESPN BET currently lists them at +14400 to take home the cup, while several sportsbooks like BetMGM and Caesars report the Blueshirts among their biggest liabilities in futures markets. “The Rangers have become staples for pocketing money each year from future book investments,” according to Avello. “They always pose as liabilities in every game that they participate.” Colorado Avalanche are another top team this season and look to regain the championship they won in 2022 with odds of +1100 to do just that. BetMGM and DraftKings both report that bettors favoring the Colorado Avalanche as top five selections; other books indicate lower action on them, however.The Nashville Predators, known for making high-profile acquisitions like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei among other players are currently listed at +600 odds to win the Stanley Cup (ninth on odds board), making them popular “dark horse” picks according to ESPN BET; BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel report significant action with Rasp mentioning “they’ve naturally become favorites among everyone” given all that action they made this season. DraftKings hasn’t seen Nashville receive quite as much betting support; just 3% of bets and 6% of handle are being placed for them to claim victory this time around. “[They’re getting] action because, among all teams, Nashville probably had the strongest offseason,” Shreeve stated. “However, that does not guarantee it will make an impactful statement next July when it matters most. The 1996-97 Phoenix Coyotes had +2500 odds to win the Stanley Cup and reached the playoffs; 1993-94 Dallas Stars performed even better, reaching conference semifinals despite beginning their campaign with +6000 odds, which at that time were ninth longest odds to do so in all of NHL. Meanwhile, 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche built momentum during their previous year as Quebec Nordiques before entering that campaign with third shortest odds for winning it all at +800. Utah ultimately cashed those tickets, winning the championship that season. While their expectations won’t be nearly as lofty this time around with 100-1 title odds and bettors backing this new-comer differently – BetMGM reports that Utah has taken 17.2% of handle to win Western Conference market (third most among any team and their greatest liability there ). DraftKings notes that Hockey Club is currently its top bet team to make the playoffs, at +140 odds. Throughout the season, DraftKings will monitor how bettors continue beating them game after game; adjust power rankings as necessary so the club does not continue being bet against by bettors who continue betting against it on an ongoing and game-by-game basis. “My goal this summer was to find Vancouver 2.0. Vancouver last season was a surprising hit at first and us as books got beat up for it – customers responded faster than us”, according to Shreeve. Utah fits this description by finishing their last 25% of regular season games significantly higher than their total season score; these teams often perform significantly better the following year as a whole.” Awards seasonIt’s your league. Run it how you wish! Choose league size, scoring options and rules you wish for an immersive fantasy hockey league experience – then create it free today.
Given the immense betting expectations and popularity surrounding the Oilers, it should come as no surprise that Connor McDavid is leading in odds for winning the Hart Trophy as well. At 27-years-old is considered an overwhelming favorite to bring home four MVP awards during five seasons – two being consecutive wins! Big money bettors appear unwilling to wager against him doing just that; BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel all report him accounting for at least 60% of their handles on him winning his division title this season. Auston Matthews (+850) and Nathan MacKinnon (+500) are drawing some smaller bets market wide as well; sportsbooks don’t expect those numbers to pick up before season actually starts in earnest. Rasp commented on Matthews’ four-goal game and highlight reel goals by Hughes (+1200) last season as examples of moments which should happen throughout a season and when these begin happening they would start taking in money on those players. “Once stuff like this starts occurring we will start taking money on those players.” “One of the more intriguing preseason markets this year has been for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the coach of the year. Sportsbooks generally favor Sheldon Keefe as their frontrunner; odds range anywhere between +400 to +700 on his success with New Jersey Devils this season. Although former Maple Leafs boss Mike Babcock is garnering some solid ticket write, most eye-catching action has come on Linda Ruff – longtime Sabres head coach returned this season – who faced him in Czechia. Linda has seen odds ranging anywhere between +1450 to +2500 on his coach facing them this time round. Bettors believe Ruff could help the Sabres end the longest playoff drought ever in NHL history if he makes his comeback, which would crown him the Adams winner. With that goal in mind, BetMGM handles have awarded Ruff an astonishing 78% share. Rasp has stated that his huge money figure was due to some large wagers at a sportsbook and was comfortable accepting them, saying it is expected for his team to improve over last season. “[They are expected to] do better now!” People usually go after those with higher chances of winning than they’re being priced, according to him. Though unlikely, his bet was an educated one; after all it’s not impossible. Still, many fans in Washington D.C. area are taking a chance on him reaching this feat by betting. “We’re certainly getting action on it,” noted Avello. “That kind of bet appeals to users since you get pretty decent odds; something to root for throughout the year.”