The Habs let us down the other night, as the Flames continue to surprise to start the season. I still think it’s only a matter of time before they cool off and start an epic losing streak. Tonight there are quite a few games for a Friday and we have a few picks to try to get back to the black this season. So far the record is 3-5 for -1.63 units.
Phoenix Coyotes @ Philadelphia Flyers
I’m going to be at this game tonight too! It will be my second Coyotes road game in a row, with them getting destroyed in Long Island a few nights ago. The Coyotes played last night in Detroit and they should be tired as this will be their third game in four days. The Flyers were able to get in the W column with their last game and they have to take advantage of this match up tonight to turn their early season around. I expect them to do so.
Play: Flyers -145 (SportsInteraction.com)
LA Kings @ Carolina Hurricanes
The Kings travel to Raleigh for tonight’s game, which is about as far as they could possibly go. The Hurricanes have the ability to beat the Kings and at this point in the season, I think them at home is a coin flip against the Kings. I like the + odds here so take the ‘Canes to pull off a W at home.
Play: Hurricanes +122 (5Dimes.eu)
New York Islanders @ Chicago Blackhawks
I saw first hand how strong the Islanders are when they played the Coyotes the other night. This team has several players who can put the puck in the back of the net and I expect them to have another strong year. The Blackhawks haven’t really found their form yet, but the oddsmakers aren’t really considering this. The Islanders are playing well and I see them pulling off an upset on the road tonight.
Play: Islanders +154 (5Dimes.eu)
Last night our two big dogs didn’t come through for us, but the Islanders dominated their game and the Lightning pulled off a comeback victory, which allowed us to finish 2-2 for +0.02 units. That brings the season total to 3-4 for -0.48 units. We are still right around break even and hope to change that tonight with our single pick of the evening.
Montreal Canadiens @ Calgary Flames
The Habs are a strong team, while the Flames have played above their capabilities so far this season. This may have the Flames as smaller underdogs tonight than they really should be. The Canadiens are only -115 favourites at 5Dimes and this is a solid bet. Expect Calgary to start playing like the worst team in the league in the very near future.
Play: Canadiens -115 (5Dimes.eu)
It was last Thursday that I was able to get a post up, and I went 1 for 3 for -0.5 units. The Flames really blew that night for me, blowing two 3 goal leads and eventually losing in a shootout. If they pull out that game we are up +2.4 units on the night. A pretty big swing for sure!
As many of my regular readers know, I’m currently on the road doing my 60 games in 90 days road trip (read about it at thebandwagoners.com) so I can’t get as many posts up as I generally like. That said I’m still trying to get my picks up for some of the bigger nights in the NHL and this is one of those.
Carolina Hurricanes @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Hurricanes have the ability to play with the Penguins if they bring their A-game. So far this season they have played some solid defensive hockey and they will need to do the same in Pittsburgh tonight. If this is a low scoring game it could go either way. I just don’t see the Pens as this big of favourites at this point in the season.
Play: Canes +185 (SportsInteraction.com)
**If you are Canadian and you do not have a Sports Interaction account, this is a great bet candidate for the guaranteed $20 bet. Put $20 on the Canes and if you win you’re up $37 and if you lose your $20 is refunded! Claim your free bet here.
Florida Panthers @ Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers just fired Laviolette after their horrible start to the season. The Flyers have lost their first 3 games and I don’t see why this will stop with a new bench boss. The Panthers are better than they are given credit for this season and I expect them to get about 35 wins this year. This should be one of those.
Play: Panthers +144 (BetOnline.ag)
Phoenix Coyotes @ New York Islanders
I’m actually going to be at this game on my road trip! That said I do think the Islanders will win this game. They have more top end talent than the Coyotes and seem to be coming together as a team once again. I really like Tavares as a game changer and I see the Isles back in the playoffs this year. To get there they have to win these games at home against inferior opponents.
Play: Islanders -126 (BetOnline.ag)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Buffalo Sabres
The Lightning have the ability to run up the score, but they are a team where you never really know what you’re going to get. The Sabres though are struggling and with Tampa at + odds I have to take Stamkos and St. Louis.
Play: Lightning +102 (BetOnline.ag)
What’s up guys? As some of you may know I’m currently on the road with my TheBandwagoners.com road trip to 60 sports events in 90 days. I will try to still get my picks up as often as possible, but I’m sure I will be missing days on the road. Like the site on Facebook to be notified when I do post my picks.
The first two days of the NHL season have been awesome. Who would have thought the Leafs would be 2-0 right now. Can’t say I’m happy about that, but good for them nonetheless (I’m on the road so I don’t have to hear it from all my Leafs fans buddies so it’s not as draining on me :P). Anyways, let’s get right to the first big day of the season.
Calgary Flames @ Washington Capitals
The Flames are expected to be the worst team in the NHL this season. In fact, Bodog.eu has a bet about just that and I think they are -140 to finish last and +100 to not. Not a bad bet to take them to finish ahead of at least one other team. That said this team will be bad, there is no doubt about that. You can expect close to +200 odds for most of their road games, and for them to still be the dog at home. That said, I think there may be some value in these plays in certain situations.
The Capitals are generally slow starters (for the past couple years) and after blowing a lead against the Blackhawks on Wednesday there are some questions about the team defense. If the Flames can find any chemistry early in this one they have a chance. I think a better one than +190.
Play: Flames +190 (SportsInteraction.com)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins
The Lightning are a strange team and it will be interesting to see what Tampa team shows up this season. They have the high end talent with Stamkos and St. Louis who can be game changers against anyone in the league, but the team does still have some big holes. Bishop should be solid enough in goal for them this season along with Lindback, and that will give them a better chance than last year to be in games. The Bruins are still going to be a top team in the league, but I like Tampa to come out firing in this one.
Play: Tampa Bay Lightning +170 (SportsInteraction.com)
Florida Panthers @ Dallas Stars
Tim Thomas gets the nod in goal for the Panthers and he will want to show the NHL that he still has what it takes to compete in this league. The Panthers aren’t going to be a great team this season, but they have decent depth and if Thomas can play like he did a couple years back they will have a chance to win each game. Dallas added a couple big pieces in Seguin and Gonchar in the offseason as they once again shook up their team to try to make a push for the postseason. I still don’t think they did enough though and will be a 10-12 team this year. I like the Panthers odds in this one.
Play: Florida Panthers +150 (5Dimes.eu)
CANADIANS! If you don’t have a Sports Interaction account yet, now is the time to get one. I’ve negotiated an exclusive deal with Sports Interaction where players who sign up through this link receive a free $20 bet on any NHL game in October on top of the 100% bonus up to $125! Click here to learn more.
It’s the first year of the new NHL realignment so picking division winners this year will be a lot different than in years past. Last year I went 3 out of 6 in my division predictions post, which ended up netting me 2.6 units of profit. This year with only 4 divisions and 7 or 8 teams vying for the top spot in each it will be much more difficult to pick the winners, but the odds are also much more lucrative.
It’s still quite a bit before the season begins, so many bookies have yet to add the division winner odds. 5Dimes usually gives the best lines, but right now I’m looking at Bet365.com and will be using them for this post.
Let’s get to it:
Atlantic Division
This division is basically the Northeast from last year with Detroit, Tampa Bay and Florida added in.
- Boston Bruins +190
- Toronto Maple Leafs +400
- Detroit Red Wings +400
- Montreal Canadiens +425
- Ottawa Senators +650
- Tampa Bay Lightning +750
- Buffalo Sabres +3500
- Florida Panthers +6600
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at +400 is laughable in my opinion. I don’t see either of these teams having a shot at winning this division. The Atlantic is actually now one of the weaker divisions in the NHL, which is great for the three Canadian teams in it. That said Boston is still far and away the best team in this division and they should be able to crown themselves the Atlantic Division champions by a significant margin this year. I think the Senators are really the only team that could battle with them, but the Sens will no doubt have some stretches of mediocrity with their still young team over an 82 game season so the Bruins consistency should win out.
Play: Bruins +190
Metropolitan Division
First of all who decided to name this the Metropolitan division. It’s just too hard to say. I get the meaning behind it, but still don’t like the name. This is basically the Atlantic from last year with Carolina, Washington and Columbus added in.
- Pittsburgh Penguins -140
- New York Islanders +700
- New York Rangers +700
- Washington Capitals +700
- Philadelphia Flyers +1200
- Columbus Blue Jackets +1300
- Carolina Hurricanes +1400
- New Jersey Devils +1700
The Penguins are the obvious favourites to win this division and rightfully so. If they can stay healthy they should have no trouble leading the division. But that’ s a big IF and they have shown in the past they can play poorly for stretches of the regular season. I’m going off the board a little bit in this division and taking the Washington Capitals. They have always been a good regular season team and now they will have a much more favourable travel schedule. Yes, they won’t be in the worst division in the NHL anymore, but if they can get off to a good start I see the Caps having a good chance at winning the division. Of course they will lose in the first or second round when they do.
Play: Washington Capitals +700
Pacific Division
This will be a tough division with a lot of quality teams. The Flames have no chance at all now.
- LA Kings +140
- Vancouver Canucks +475
- San Jose Sharks +475
- Anaheim Ducks +475
- Edmonton Oilers +650
- Phoenix Coyotes +1600
- Calgary Flames +4000
Right off the top I’m not taking the Kings. They are not a regular season team and have not yet excelled over a regular season. The Canucks have a lot of holes in their lineup and I think playing the Northwest the past few seasons inflated their regular season stats. The Ducks played well last year in the regular season and surprised me winning the Pacific. Losing Bobby Ryan will hurt them this year and I expect them to regress to a borderline playoff team. Who I like is the San Jose Sharks. They used to finish atop the Pacific Division every year and this is the last kick at the can for their core group. I expect them to be ready to go out of the gate and keep their foot on the pedal right to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Play: San Jose Sharks +475
Central Division
This is a very tough division. As good as it will be for Winnipeg to not have to travel to Florida anymore, their competition definitely improves.
- Chicago Blackhawks -150
- St. Louis Blues +290
- Minnesota Wild +650
- Dallas Stars +1250
- Nashville Predators +1800
- Colorado Avalanche +2200
- Winnipeg Jets +2500
This division will come down to the Blackhawks and Blues. I don’t expect the Blackhawks to have nearly as good of a season as last year. After they won the Cup in 2010, they just squeaked into the playoffs in the 8th position. I think they will be better this time around, but at -150 odds I’m definitely staying away. The Blues are a good team with a chip on their shoulder. I expect them to come ready to play every night and to lead this division into the playoffs. It’s then that they will truly be judged, but they are a tough team to play against and will give it everything they have every night.
Play: Blues +290
So there are my division winner picks a few weeks before the start of the season. These could change, especially with other bookies offering different odds, but at the moment these are my picks. Keep in mind that your cash is locked up for the entire season when placing these futures types of bets so only make the bet if you are extremely confident. Head over to Bet365.com to bet or see the up to date odds.
The NHL season is now less than a month away and preseason games are starting to take place in just about a weeks time. With this anticipation comes a lot of talk and some prop bets will start to show up around the internet at various online sportsbooks. Bodog has one such prop right now where you can bet on which player will win the Hart Memorial Trophy this year, as the leagues most valuable player.
Alex Ovechkin won the award last season, thanks to his incredible second half to the 48 game 2013 regular season. He has now won the award three times, with the first two times coming in ’08 and ’09.
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds
Here are the odds for some of the favourites from Bodog.eu.
- Sidney Crosby 3/1
- Alexander Ovechkin 6/1
- Steven Stamkos 8/1
- John Tavares 12/1
- Evgeni Malkin 12/1
- Henrik Lundqvist 12/1
- Claude Giroux 16/1
- Henrik Sedin 16/1
- Patrick Kane 25/1
- Jonathan Toews 25/1
- Eric Staal 30/1
To see the full list of odds for the Hart contenders, visit Bodog.eu, and select ‘NHL Player Props’ under the ‘Hockey’ drop down menu.
My Pick
Sidney Crosby is often considered the best player in the NHL, but he has only won 1 Hart Memorial trophy and this was way back in 2007, before Alex Ovechkin had even won his first. Crosby played 79 games that season and scored 120 points. Since then Crosby has had only 2 years where he has played enough games to be considered for the trophy, but in ’09 his 103 points were 7 behind Ovechkin’s 110 and when you factored in Ovechkin scoring 56 goals it was an obvious choice. In 2010 Crosby scored 109 points in 81 games, but Henrik Sedin scored 112, largely without his brother, which gave him the nod. Crosby is a tough bet because the chances of him staying healthy for an entire 82 game season are not great. On top of this, it’s not a guarantee that he will put up the best numbers in the league, as was shown in both of his last two almost full seasons.
Ovechkin at 6/1 is a strong bet in my opinion. He came on strong at the end of last year, finding his motivation to score 32 goals and 56 points in 48 games. That would have been another 50+ goal season over 82 games. Ovechkin has shown the ability to stay healthy as well, never playing less than 70 games in a full NHL season. He is a regular season performer, and although I don’t think he helps his team win as much as his stats dictate, the truth of the matter is that this trophy really is about individual numbers. At 6/1 Ovechkin is a solid play.
Stamkos at 8/1 could have some great numbers this year as well, but I’m not sold on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He may be a negative player who misses the playoffs once again and that would result in him having no chance of winning the award.
Malkin is another one I don’t like because he will likely only win the award if Crosby is injured for part of the season. He should bounce back and have better year than last, but I’m not going to bet on him to win this award this season.
Tavares at 12/1 is an interesting bet. He was nominated last season and he is now one year older and his team is a legitimate playoff contender. Tavares is also the captain now, which will help his case in the eyes of the voters if the Islanders can return to the playoffs. If Tavares can get the Islanders back in the playoffs and come top 3 in scoring in the league I think he has a legitimate shot at winning this award.
My other sleeper pick is Eric Staal. Carolina has some solid pieces in place and if their captain can take them to the playoffs and have a strong year stats wise he has a chance at the Hart. I don’t like his chances, but at 30/1 he is my sleeper pick.
Top Play: Alex Ovechkin 6/1 (Bodog.eu)
There’s not much happening in the NHL these August days, except maybe the Capitals Grabovski signing today, which I think was a solid signing for what its worth. With no news on the NHL front, I figured I’d write a quick post today with my thoughts on who will win the Super Bowl this year. The NFL is almost in full swing, with the regular season starting in just two weeks.
Just like how they offer the best lines for NHL games, 5Dimes.eu also gives the best odds for people looking to bet on the NFL and the Super Bowl in particular. Let’s take a look at the NFL betting lines for some of the favourites and then I’ll give my thoughts.
- San Francisco 49ers +675
- Denver Broncos +700
- Seattle Seahawks +775
- New England Patriots +850
- Green Bay Packers +1350
- Atlanta Falcons +1600
- Houston Texans +1600
There is a bunch of four teams each being given a shot of better than 10 in 1 to win the Super Bowl this season. The 49ers, who narrowly missed winning last season are the favourites, but the Broncos, Seahawks and Pats are all right there as well.
Good Bets
I like the 49ers at +675. Kaepernick will have matured another year and with such a dynamic defense behind him, the 49ers deserve to be the favourites heading into the season. They destroyed Green Bay in the Divisional game last year, and then pulled off a big win in Atlanta to qualify for the Super Bowl, before falling just short against the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl. I like this team a lot.
The Seahawks are the third favourites, and the second team out of the NFC West on this list. I guarantee that 3 years ago, when every team in that division was below .500 nobody would have thought they would have 2 of the top 3 favourites to win the 2014 Super Bowl. Russel Wilson will also have a year under his belt for this season and the Seahawks, who play a similar game to the 49ers will once again have one of the best defenses in the league. I like this team to do well again this year. Seattle may be waiting for an NHL team, but their NFL team is legit right now and should get them to at least January with some exciting football.
The Atlanta Falcons seem to always be knocking on the door and they took one more step last year, when they made the Conference Finals, before losing to the 49ers in a tightly contested battle. The Falcons are like the Sharks, always on the verge of big things, but this year I think could be there year. Matt Ryan signed his massive contract and will now be ready to focus completely on football and getting the Falcons to the next level. At +1600 this is a smart play.
Bad Bets
The Broncos look great on paper with Welker joining to fold to help out Peyton Manning. I expect them to lead the league in wins during the regular season, but Peyton just doesn’t seem to bring his best stuff in the playoffs. This may be because he is so good during the regular season and then come playoff time the opposition defense steps up. I’m not sure, but I don’t see the Broncos winning 3 games in the post season this year. I expect another collapse like we saw against the Ravens last year at some point in these playoffs.
The Texans are a strong team, but they aren’t ready to take that next step. Matt Schaub isn’t a strong enough quarterback and Arian Foster is already having injury issues this preseason. I think this team once again will be a regular season beauty before going out in their first or second playoff game.
That’s it for this off topic post. Check back soon for some NHL posts in the near future!
The NHL regular season is still almost two months away, but hockey is starting to get back into the swing of things. The development camps are over, free agency is done and most teams are starting to look how they will once the puck drops this October. I haven’t had a post on here in a while so I thought today was as good as any to put up my Stanley Cup winner predictions for the 2013-14 season.
2014 Stanley Cup Odds
First, let’s look at the sports betting odds from Bovada.lv (Bodog.eu for Canadians). They are a great bookie and I enjoy using their odds for certain futures. Check out our online sportsbooks page for other bookie options.
- Chicago Blackhawks +600
- Pittsburgh Penguins +650
- Boston Bruins +1000
- Los Angeles Kings +1200
- St. Louis Blues +1200
- Detroit Red Wings +1600
- Vancouver Canucks +1600
- San Jose Sharks +1800
- Edmonton Oilers +2000
- Minnesota Wild +2000
- New York Rangers +2000
- Anaheim Ducks +2200
- Montreal Canadiens +2500
- Toronto Maple Leafs +2500
- Washington Capitals +2500
- Philadelphia Flyers +2800
- New York Islanders +3300
- Ottawa Senators +3300
After these teams it becomes pretty unlikely that another team will lift the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. That said I think it’s quite unlikely that some of these teams even have a chance as well.
But let’s get right into it.
Good Bets
The four bets I like the most are here:
Chicago Blackhawks +600
The Blackhawks in my opinion have been the best team in the league for the past 5 seasons. They only won 2 Stanley Cups, and that is because winning a Cup also takes luck. I still really like their team. The core is great and they know how to win. Crawford showed that he is able to backstop a good team to a Cup win and I think they have closer to a 25% chance of repeating than 1 in 6.
Boston Bruins +1000
The Bruins at 10/1 are another great bet. They lost Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton and Jaromir Jagr up front, but added Iginla and Eriksson. I don’t particularly like the Iginla addition, but it will be interesting to see how Eriksson performs on a winning team. Chara on the backend and Rask in net also makes them a perennial contender. I also think the fact they were so close last year, but didn’t get the job done will help this time around. I’d have them more around +700 or so.
San Jose Sharks +1800
This is the Sharks last kick at the can with this group of players. Thornton, Marleau and Boyle are all UFA’s next season and they could be moved if the Sharks aren’t looking like contenders come playoff time. That said I expect the Sharks to be a very solid team this year and one with a real chance to win the Cup. They keep coming very close and this last chance might be what they need to break through. Their top 6 forwards are as good as any in the league and Niemi has won a Cup before.
Ottawa Senators +3300
I was surprised to the see the Sens with this long of odds. They made the second round last year and that was without Jason Spezza and with a far below average Erik Karlsson. With this two back in the lineup the team will be much better. Adding Bobby Ryan gives the team a much needed threat at wing with Spezza as well. Alfredsson leaving may hurt, but if the team can make the playoffs without him they will be fine. I like the upside of this team and at 33/1 it’s a good bet.
Bad Bets
The worst bets are as follows:
St. Louis Blues +1200
The Blues being the 5th highest ranked team to win the Cup is a big surprise. The team is almost the same as last year, but without David Perron. They do now have Derek Roy, but they still lack the top end talent that will put them over the edge. I see them doing ok this year, but they will only win 1 or 2 rounds in the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings +1600
The Red Wings are an old team. Adding Weiss is a good move, but they did lose Filppula so those changes may simply cancel out. Alfredsson being added for $5.5 million was an overpay for a veteran who had most of his value in his leadership for a younger team. The Red Wings already have Datsyuk and Zetterberg for leadership, and with Alfredsson not where he used to be this was somewhat of a strange pick up. The Eastern Conference isn’t weaker than the West like some would have you believe so that move won’t help the Red Wings. In fact being in the Conference with 16 teams instead of 14 just means this team very well might not make the playoffs.
Edmonton Oilers +2000
The Oilers are still the Oilers. Every year it’s the same thing. This is the year they make the jump with all of their talent. Until I see it I won’t believe it. The Oilers may make the playoffs this year, but they aren’t going to win the Cup on their first trip to the postseason with their core. This is a suckers bet.
Those are the four bets I like the most and the three I like the least from the odds given. Visit Bovada.lv to place your bets.
With the NHL schedule coming out last week it was confirmed that NHL players will be participating at the Sochi Olympics in Russia this year. Following that announcement many countries named the players they would be inviting to their development camp, which gave an idea of the front runners as to who would be selected for each team. Without missing a beat online sportsbook Bodog.eu (Bovada.lv for Americans) has already posted odds to allow bettors to wager on the 2014 Olympic Champion.
Early 2014 Sochi Olympics Men’s Hockey Odds
Here are the odds:
- Russia 11/5
- Canada 9/4
- Sweden 4/1
- USA 6/1
- Czech Republic 17/2
- Finland 10/1
- Switzerland 20/1
- Slovakia 25/1
- Norway 200/1
- Latvia 400/1
- Austria 900/1
- Slovenia 900/1
It may come as a bit of a surprise that Canada is not the favourites to win the tournament, but when you consider the fact that Russia will be at home and the tournament will be played on a larger ice surface this time around then you can begin to understand why Russia may be the team to beat.
Prediction
Russia has a team filled with star power up front and they may be riding Bobrovsky in net. That said their defense doesn’t have the big names of the other clubs and they haven’t performed that well internationally of late. They failed to medal at the last World Championships and have not won the gold since NHL players have been allowed in the Olympics. I don’t like Russia at close to 2/1 odds here even though they have the home ice advantage.
Canada at 9/4 is almost identical to Russia’s odds. They did pull out the win at home on a small ice surface in Vancouver in 2010, but failed to medal in 2006 in Italy. Canada hasn’t medaled in the past four World Championships and the large ice surface will affect a team full of NHL stars who have less experience on the big ice surface. Goaltending is another big question mark for Canada and these two problems combined will likely affect the team. I don’t like Canada at 9/4 either.
I do like the United States at 6/1. The States came very close to winning gold in Vancouver and they invited 16 of the players from that team back to their orientation camp this year. I expect they will go with a different type of lineup that can skate more effectively, but their star players are all in their primes and should be able to come together for this tournament. They also have some of the best goaltenders to choose from with Quick, Howard, Anderson and Schneider likely to battle it out for the starting job. At 6/1 I don’t think you can go wrong placing a wager on the Americans in this one.
Slovakia at 25/1 is a decent long shot selection. I’m surprised that the Slovaks odds are longer than that of Switzerland when you take into account that Hossa, Chara and Gaborik will don the jerseys of their country possibly for the last time. The team will be composed of mostly NHL players who have experience on larger ice and once you have the talent to make the NHL anything can happen in a tournament like this. In Vancouver the Slovaks reached the semi-finals and gave Canada a scare their so I wouldn’t underestimate this team. If Halak can get hot this is not a team to take lightly.
Sweden, The Czech Republic and Finland all also have a shot and I think the oddsmakers are fairly correct with each of their odds. Sweden will have a very strong team and has just as good a chance at winning gold as either Russia or Canada in my opinion. For the Czechs or Finland to win they will have to get lucky and have strong goaltending, but this is very possible, especially for Finland with likely Rask or Rinne backstopping the Finns in Sochi.
Favourite Bets: USA 6/1 and Slovakia 25/1
If you want to bet on this tournament this early, head over to Bodog.eu. You will find the odds under the ‘Hockey Futures’ tab.
The Stanley Cup has been awarded, but that just means the off season has begun and there is still plenty to bet on. Bodog, one of the top bookies for Canadians, just came out with some very interesting free agency props for the summer today. Some of these props have some good value in my opinion and I know I will be placing some coin on them. The good thing about these futures bets is that there is only a few month time span where you money will be locked up, rather than the 9 or so months of predicting the Stanley Cup Champion in the summer time.
Let’s look at some of these props. For the full list head over to Bodog.eu.
Will The Vancouver Canucks trade Roberto Luongo before the 13-14 season begins?
Yes -200
No +150
I thing the time is now for the Canucks to unload Luongo. Even if they don’t get a great deal for him they need to shake up their team and they also need some room to add a few more pieces if they hope to stay a Cup Contender for the next few years. I expect Luongo to be moved and for the Canucks to agree to a deal for less in return than they would have liked. There are a lot of quality goaltenders in the league right now so his price tag has to be low.
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs trade Dion Phaneuf prior to the start of the 2014 season?
Yes +150
No -200
There have been rumblings that Nonis is willing to trade Phaneuf if the deal is right, but there haven’t been any callers yet. This has led to speculation that the Maple Leafs will be looking to trade their Captain in the off season. Everything gets blown out of proportion in Toronto and I think the Leafs would have to get a pretty sweet deal to move their top blueliner. They aren’t strong on the point as is and Phaneuf did have a solid playoffs. I just don’t see anyone giving Nonis what he surely feels Phaneuf is worth. There is a much better chance he remains a Leaf.
Will Ilya Bryzgalov be a starting goaltender for an NHL team the first game of the season?
Yes +200
No -300
I lean towards giving Bryzgalov the benefit of the doubt for his time in Philly. The Flyers have always been a place where goaltenders go to die and at some point you have to look at the teams defense/philosophy instead of always pointing the finger at the goaltender. I think there is a good chance Bryzgalov comes back next season and is a top goaltender in this league again. The worry is if someone will give him a chance to be there #1 out of the gate. I could definitely see him in a time share somewhere though and then it’s basically a 50/50 if he plays the first game.
Where will Daniel Briere be playing at the start of the 2013-14 season?
New Jersey Devils 3/2
Ottawa Senators 5/2
Montreal Canadiens 9/2
Phoenix Coyotes 5/1
Buffalo Sabres 5/1
The odds just make no sense to bet on these wagers at Bodog because the player could easily go to one of the other 25 teams and by the looks of it then your wager would lose. The odds aren’t even good if it was just between these 5 teams so I’d stay away from a betting perspective. That said as a Senators fan I think Briere could fit into our top 6 quite well.
There is also a Cammalleri trade prop, as well as where Bickell and where Iginla will start the season props available.
