Miracles on ice? No, just long shots
The 2023-24 NHL season is set to get underway in a week, which means it’s time for bettors to put the finishing touches on their futures portfolio.
We’ve been putting out our favorite future bets for the upcoming season all summer, but for those who spend their August afternoons at the beach instead of handicapping the National Hockey League, here are our favorite bets from the past few months, along with a few new ones:
Hart Trophy (MVP)
Ilya Sorokin (80/1, BetMGM): Sorokin is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy ahead of standouts like Connor Hellebuyck, Igor Shesterkin and Juuse Saros. If he makes good on that status, he’ll surely be in the mix for the Hart Trophy at the end of the season.
Elias Pettersson (50/1, BetMGM): Everybody in hockey knows that Pettersson is a terrific offensive talent, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his two-way play. The Swede, who is in a contract year with the Canucks, has a great chance to build on a 102-point season from 2022-23 and, because of his 200-foot game, is one of a few skaters not named Connor McDavid worth considering in this market.
Jack Adams Award
(Coach of the Year)
Andre Tourigny (66/1, BetMGM):
The Coyotes are as low as +480 to make the playoffs in 2023-24. If they make it, Tourigny will almost certainly be one of the favorites to win Coach of the Year by season’s end. This number has come down a bit over the summer, but there’s still plenty of value at 66/1.
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Evan Bouchard (50/1, BetMGM): There are few players better positioned for breakout season than Bouchard, who is set to quarterback a historically good power play headlined by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If Bouchard stays healthy, he’s got a great chance to put up monster numbers. Mikhail Sergachev (100/1,
BetMGM): Like Bouchard, Sergachev’s value stems from his opportunity. The Russian rearguard is going to quarterback a power play that features Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. He put up a career-high 64 points in 2022-23 and has a great chance to build on that for the upcoming campaign. He’s also a defensive force. He’s a real contender in this market despite the price.
Stanley Cup champions
Flames (40/1, Caesars): Things were a mess in Calgary in 2022-23, but the Flames should be right back in the mix in the Western Conference after moving on from Darryl Sutter. Calgary is deep, talented and has plenty of players that should rebound from disappointing performances last season. Buying low is never a bad idea in betting.
Islanders (50/1, DraftKings): For the most part long shots profile as teams with high ceilings and low floors. But the Isles are the rare sleeper that has a high floor. The goaltending duo of Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov should keep the Isles in the mix and if the team can click a little more offensively, they could turn a lot of heads. Making the playoffs may be a challenge for this group, but you’ll be quite pleased to be holding this ticket if they make it.
Senators (75/1, Caesars): The Atlantic Division is wide open and the Senators seem poised to make a real run after years of stumbling over hurdles. Ottawa’s forward group is stacked, the blue line has a high ceiling and the goaltending should be average at worst, but has the chance to be much better. I think the Senators are better than the Sabres and Buffalo is as low as 35/1 in this market.
Michael Leboff analyzes hockey for
Action Network.
Tyler Pitlick may be coming into this season under different circumstances than last year, but the 31-year-old forward is approaching it the same way.
After starting the 2022-23 campaign on a professional tryout with the Blues, Pitlick was released before the club brought him back four games into the regular season. He was in and out of the lineup through December, and then largely held onto his spot for the remainder of the season.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury signed Pitlick to a one-year, $787,000 contract right off the bat in the offseason.
That didn’t change anything for Pitlick, who said he has tried to act like he’s still on a PTO fighting for a job.
“I think I got back to myself in St. Louis,” Pitlick told The Post after practice Monday. “I had a bit of a down year the year before, but kind of got back to playing my game and consistently bringing something for the team every night. Just playing hard on the forecheck. I started to make some plays later in the season, but just kind of got back to doing what I do.”
Pitlick was always penciled in to skate on the fourth line for the Rangers this season, but after he made it through the first couple of waves of training camp cuts, the lead is starting to turn to ink.
The expectation is that he’ll play a similar role to the one he had in St. Louis, though Pitlick noted he’s hoping to earn some more penalty-kill time.
The Rangers are getting a more confident Pitlick than teams he was with in years past after he skated in more games (61) and recorded more points (16) last season than he had since 2019-20 with the Flyers.
“I’ve been really impressed with Tyler’s game, just from a work-ethic standpoint,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “He skates well, he’s big, he’s strong, can play physical. I think that his game is going to be really important to add to the mix of the players that we have. Another good pickup and signing by Chris [Drury].”
Pitlick should give the Rangers lineup a different dimension with his physical presence in the bottom-six, which is much-needed since that alignment features so much skill.
Describing himself as a pest, Pitlick said he likes to get in on the forecheck and force teams into turnovers. He added that he tries to focus on the little details that maybe don’t get noticed as much.
In practice Monday, Pitlick skated on the right wing of Jimmy Vesey and Nick Bonino, but he has also seen time next to Barclay Goodrow this preseason.
“I think it changes a little bit,” Pitlick said of how he likes his line to play depending on who he skates next to. “Bonino is a very smart, veteran player who can make plays, too. Jimmy or Goody, whoever it ends up being with us, I just think it’s going to be a good line that can score goals, too. But also, it’s going to be a pain to play against.
“We’re going to make it really difficult on teams and play really strong defensively. I just think it’s going to be a really solid line. I’m really excited.”