With the NHL season under a week away from beginning it is time now to get your NHL futures bets placed for this short 48 game season. This includes betting on the regular season winner of each of the 6 divisions. Bodog.ca, which is a very good NHL sportsbook for Canadians (Bovada.lv for Americans) has division winner odds available for their bettors. You can find these odds for yourself by visiting Bodog.ca and clicking on ‘Hockey Futures’ under ‘Hockey’ in the left sidebar of the sportsbook.
This post will look at the odds for each division and offer my prediction on the best bet for each division. Let’s get started!
Atlantic Division
- New York Rangers +190
- Pittsburgh Penguins +210
- Philadelphia Flyers +250
- New Jersey Devils +600
- New York Islanders +1600
This division has three solid teams who each could conceivably win the division in this shortened season. That said the Penguins are the best bet at these odds. The Pens are completely healthy at the moment, which they weren’t for much of last season, and they only finished 1 point behind the Rangers last year. This year the Rangers have a little bit of a different look and it could take them some time to hit their stride. The Flyers have a bit of a question mark in goal and for these two reasons I like a healthy Penguins squad at +210.
Play: Pittsburgh Penguins +210
Northeast Division
- Boston Bruins +100
- Buffalo Sabres +350
- Montreal Canadiens +550
- Ottawa Senators +600
- Toronto Maple Leafs +600
The Habs and Leafs have no chance whatsoever to win this division and the Sens and Sabres only have an outside shot. The Bruins finished 10 points ahead of the Senators last year for the division win and they should still be considered by far the best team in this division. They haven’t made many moves since last year and Seguin seems to have really hit his stride. If Rask can play reasonably well in net the Bruins will win the Northeast.
Play: Boston Bruins +100
Southeast Division
- Florida Panthers +450
- Washington Capitals +225
- Tampa Bay Lightning +300
- Winnipeg Jets +900
- Carolina Hurricanes +220
This division is a bit harder to call. The ‘Canes did add Jordan Staal and Alex Semin, which should help them, but who knows how long it will take them to find their groove with a new team. The Lightning have improved their D, but it’s still unlikely they win the division. I like the Caps at +225. Last year was the first in a long time they didn’t dominate the Southeast and this year I expect a bit of a bounce back with a new coach that will move back to a more offensive system. This is more of a lean though.
Lean: Washington Capitals +225
Central Division
- St. Louis Blues +200
- Nashville Predators +500
- Detroit Red Wings +325
- Chicago Blackhawks +150
- Columbus Blue Jackets +2500
This is the hardest division to call in my opinion. The Blackhawks are the best team, but they have some questions in goal and didn’t win the division in either of the last two years. I think the loss of Lidstrom and Suter will take both the Red Wings and Preds out of the running though. At +200 I have to go with the Blues. They have strong goaltending and a strong team throughout.
Lean: St. Louis Blues +200
Northwest Division
- Vancouver Canucks -110
- Calgary Flames +1200
- Colorado Avalanche +1200
- Minnesota Wild +325
- Edmonton Oilers +325
This for me is the most straight forward division like it is every year. The Canucks at -110 have great odds and they will win this division. The Wild get better odds than they should because of their offseason acquisitions of Suter and Parise. The Oilers are expected to somehow have a great year after finishing 30th, 30th and 29th in the past 3. I just don’t buy it. The Oklahoma Barons were just struggling for a playoff spot in the AHL with Eberle, Hall, Schultz and Nugent-Hopkins on the roster. The Oilers and Wild won’t make the playoffs, let alone win the division.
Play: Vancouver Canucks -110
Pacific Division
- Phoenix Coyotes +800
- San Jose Sharks +275
- Los Angeles Kings -125
- Dallas Stars +800
- Anaheim Ducks +800
It’s weird to see the Kings as the biggest favorites to win a division this year. They did win the Cup and came within 2 points of the division lead so I guess it’s not really that surprising. That said the smart money is on the Sharks. The Pacific was the Sharks division to lose for the last several years and they will be ready to get it back in this shortened season. People forget how strong the Sharks roster is because they disappointed last year. If Niemi can play well throughout the season the Sharks should win the Pacific.
Play: San Jose Sharks +275
Check back throughout the week for some more NHL futures odds and predictions for this 2013 NHL season!
Tagged with: 2012-13 • Division Winners