The NHL season starts tomorrow, but I wanted to get my division winners picks up quickly today. I think there’s a ton of value with some of these picks and even though your bet is locked up for the season, if you find great value it can be worth it.
I’m using the odds from William Hill, our featured sportsbook for the season for the season for my division winner picks.
Let’s get to them….
Pacific Division Winner
Anaheim Ducks 3.40- LA Kings 3.40
- San Jose Sharks 3.60
- Edmonton Oilers 11.00
- Calgary Flames 12.00
- Vancouver Canucks 19.00
- Arizona Coyotes 21.00
This is a three horse race in a very weak division, but I have to give the nod to the Ducks here. Anaheim really stumbled out of the gate for the first couple months of the season last year, but they were able to put it all together in the second half and ended up still finishing atop the division. If they don’t stumble out of the gate this year I expect the Ducks to lead the division throughout the season. Getzlaf and Perry are still in their prime and adding Antoine Vermette gives the Ducks a ton of depth up the middle.
The Kings simply aren’t as good as everyone gives them credit for and I expect the Sharks to have a bit of a let down start after making it to the Cup Finals last season.
Play: Anaheim Ducks 3.40
Central Division Winner
Chicago Blackhawks 4.20- Dallas Stars 4.50
- Nashville Predators 4.50
- St. Louis Blues 4.50
- Minnesota Wild 10.00
- Winnipeg Jets 13.00
- Colorado Avalanche 15.00
This is a very tough division to call with the Blackhawks, Stars, Blues and even the Predators having strong teams capable of winning the division. That said, when I look at the depth of each lineup and the quality of a top 4 on defense I keep coming back to the St. Louis Blues. Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester are still underrated defensemen that are two of the best in the game. They have the ability to shut down the oppositions top players on any given night and give their team a great chance to win. Up front the Blues have some of the best depth in the league, which is crucial in a long regular season where injuries can derail a team for large portions of the season.
Play: St. Louis Blues 4.50
Metropolitan Division Winner
Pittsburgh Penguins 2.87- Washington Capitals 3.00
- New York Rangers 8.00
- New York Islanders 9.00
- Philadelphia Flyers 12.00
- Carolina Hurricanes 17.00
- New Jersey Devils 17.00
- Columbus Blue Jackets 21.00
The Capitals ran away with the division last year putting up 120 points for tops in the league. This year they still have pretty much the exact same team, Kuznetsov will likely be even better than last year and Barry Trotz knows how to get wins throughout the season. This is an easy pick for me given the Penguins struggles of having their star players stay healthy for an entire season. With Crosby already out with a concussion to start the year this is definitely the Capitals division to lose.
Play: Washington Capitals 3.00
Atlantic Division Winner
Tampa Bay Lightning 2.40- Florida Panthers 5.00
- Boston Bruins 8.00
- Detroit Red Wings 8.50
- Montreal Canadiens 8.50
- Ottawa Senators 17.00
- Toronto Maple Leafs 17.00
The Lightning are the best team in this division on paper and in reality, but at odds of 2.40 I don’t think they are the best bet on the board here. I’m looking at the Florida Panthers to repeat as division champs. They have a young core with Ekblad, Barkov, Trocheck, Huberdeau and Smith only getting better. Add in a couple of great additions on the back end in Yandle and Demers, and a solid goaltender in Roberto Luongo and I don’t see any reason why the Panthers don’t have close to as good a chance as the Lightning to win this division.
Play: Florida Panthers 5.00
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