The marathon of the NHL season is getting set to start and with that in mind, sportsbooks are starting to release lines on season-long props. One of my favorites to bet on is whether a team will make the playoffs. Below are my favorite value bets and a couple of teams to avoid completely for the time being as their situations are not yet clear.
Rangers to Not Make Playoffs +215
This is my favorite bet on the board. New York’s roster is an absolute mess and their price to make the playoffs is super inflated because of the market they play in. There are some teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference and I think this is the year the Rangers finally fall off the cliff they’ve been clinging to the last couple of years.
I believe this team gets off to a bad start and becomes a seller at the deadline. Henrik Lundqvist is still without a Stanley Cup ring so he could be dealt to a team like the Stars who are in desperate need of a legit No. 1 goalie. If that were to happen, the Rangers would be dead in the water.
Avalanche to make the playoffs +150
Colorado finished just out of the playoffs last year with 82 points under the guidance of Patrick Roy, who was a less than desirable leader. They have hired Jared Bednar to take over head coaching duties in lieu of the volatile former Vezina Trophy Sportsbook and are now in a much better spot to compete with the former NHLer in charge.
Jets to make the playoffs -115
Although they finished nine points out of the playoffs last year, the Jets should be right on the bubble this season. Future superstar Connor Hellebuyck is going to get a chance to prove his case for being the team’s No. 1 goalie and the young stars on Winnipeg like Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers are set up to have big seasons.
Stay away from the Red Wings
Detroit is one of the teams that’s on the fringe but is not offering enough value on either side of the line to make for an attractive wager. They have major salary cap issues as they are currently over $4 million over the limit, are far too weak at the back end and have too many skilled forwards for them all to get significant ice time.
This could be a rough season in Detroit unless they make some serious moves to clear up some of the issues they are facing.
Here’s the complete list of odds for teams to make the playoffs or not on Sportsbook:
- Yes -175
- No +145
- Yes +400
- No -600
- Yes -165
- No +135
- Yes +240
- No -300
- Yes +115
- No -145
- Yes +300
- No -400
- Yes -800
- No +500
- Yes +150
- No -180
- Yes +275
- No -350
- Yes -280
- No +220
- Yes +125
- No -155
- Yes +125
- No -155
- Yes -280
- No +220
- Yes -300
- No +240
- Yes -140
- No +110
- Yes -165
- No +135
- Yes -280
- No +220
- Yes +250
- No -325
- Yes -250
- No +195
- Yes -275
- No +215
- Yes +250
- No -325
- Yes -150
- No +120
- Yes -800
- No +500
- Yes -700
- No +475
- Yes -800
- No +500
- Yes -850
- No +525
- Yes +250
- No -325
- Yes +200
- No -260
- Yes -1000
- No +600
- Yes -115
- No -115
