We’re still months away from the NHL season-opener in October, but we’re already eyeing it from a betting perspective. After taking a deep look at the futures betting market, we’ve hand-picked three NHL bets to take for the 2022-23 season. You’ll want to keep reading for expert betting advice.
2023 Presidents’ Trophy Winner
No surprise here, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Avalanche, are favorites to win the 2023 Presidents Trophy, the award given to the team with the most regular-season points. Here’s a full look at the teams pegged with the best odds at winning the Cup across top-used NHL betting sites:
| Team |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +165 | +165 |
| Florida Panthers | +700 | +700 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +700 | +700 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +900 | +900 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1100 | +1100 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1100 | +1100 |
We’re going to be contrarians and tell you to NOT bet on the Avalanche. That’s not to say we don’t think Colorado can go back-to-back with world titles. They most certainly can given their steep talent level. However, that might be an actual hindrance to winning the Presidents Trophy. This team knows it’s good — and can “flip the switch” at will — and might be in cruise-control during the season, saving up energy for a grueling postseason.
Plus, the Avs do have some big changes on the way. Most notably, Nazem Kadri could be a goner. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent and no one — not even Kadri — knows whether he’ll return to Colorado or walk. If he were to leave, that’s a huge piece of the 2022-title team missing. Moreover, the team has brought in Alexandar Georgiev to replace Darcy Kuemper at the goalkeeper. The move could very well be a downgrade at one of the most important positions on the ice.
Alright, so if not Colorado, then who? Ya know, we really like Carolina in this spot. Here’s a team coming off setting franchise records for wins and points last season, and they appear to have improved over the offseason. The franchise added Brent Burns as a defenseman, an upgrade on Tony Deangelo if you ask us. Upfront, they also landed Max Pacioretty, who’s scored at least 30 goals in a season six different times.
All signs point towards the Hurricanes being in Stanley Cup-or-bust mode going into 2022. And unlike the Avs, they have more to prove, which should key them through the regular season. Carolina is our go-to pick to win the President’s Trophy.
2023 Hart Trophy Winner
Here’s another fun futures bet being offered at the most popular online sportsbooks. Among individual players, who’s most likely to lead the league in scoring? Check out the players currently most favored to win the 2023 Hart Trophy:
| Player | | |
|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | +250 | +250 |
| Auston Matthews | +400 | +400 |
| Leon Draisaitl | +800 | +800 |
| Nathan Mackinnon | +1000 | +1000 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | +1200 | +1200 |
| Cale Makar | +1500 | +1500 |
We’re going to be completely blunt and say McDavid is the pick to make here. Hell, he’s the type of player to “bet the farm” on per se with a massive bet size. His dominance a year ago, especially in the postseason, was the stuff of legends. In 16 playoff games, the Oilers’ star tallied 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists). At one point, McDavid became the first player in league history to record nine multi-point games in the first ten games of the postseason.
We sense that McDavid can be even better this upcoming year. Amazingly, he’s only 25 years old despite winning the Hart Trophy twice already (in 2017 and 2021). And he’ll also need to be better in order for Edmonton to “get over the hump.” This team needs to compete for a title with McDavid and Draisaitl in their primes.
2023 Vezina Trophy Winner
Let’s turn our attention to the goaltenders now and the award given to the best player at the position. It’s a crowded betting field to win the 2023 Vezina Trophy, but at the moment, these goaltenders are the top contenders:
| Player | | |
|---|---|---|
| Igor Shesterkin | +250 | +250 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | +500 | +500 |
| Ilya Sorokin | +800 | +800 |
| Juuse Saros | +1000 | +1000 |
| Thatcher Demko | +1800 | +1800 |
Expertly picking sports betting winners is just as much about deciding who NOT to put money on than vice-versa. And in this case, we’re immediately disqualifying Shesterkin, the defending Vezina winner. That’s no disrespect to Shesterkin either. He’s good, but the Rangers defense is more shaky. Goalies are dependent on their back line to boost their stats, and we’re not overly confident New York can keep Shesterkin afloat again.
Instead, our money is going on Vasilevskiy. There’s no question about his talent and unlike Shesterkin, we are confident in the Lightning squad that surrounds Vasilevskiy. We expect Tampa to compete for another Stanley Cup berth — they’re going for four in a row — and that team success could vault Vasilevskiy into a Vezina win for the second time in his career.
How To Bet On 2023 NHL Futures?
NHL futures bets for the 2022-23 season are abundant. Beyond the three we covered above, you can also bet on the eventual Stanley Cup champions, conference-title winners, and other individual award like the Norris Trophy. If you want a full list of NHL futures offerings, head to one of the bookies listed in the below table.
Reference this table if you need help picking the best-rated online sportsbook. We’ve included up-to-date sportsbook review and details on current bonuses available to make the picking process easier and smoother!
About the Author
Eric is uniquely suited to be a writer for SBS. For one, he's a journalist by trade. Eric spent a large part of his career, covering sports — high school, college, and professional — for newspapers and online-based sites. However, Eric is a bettor himself too. He has first-hand experience hanging out in smoky sportsbooks and casinos, dealing with the ebbs and flows of gambling, and an understanding of how bookies operate. Both these unique qualities make him an expert bet picker for SBS. You'll also see Eric report on the sports betting industry as a whole.
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