Future Odds: Regular Season Points Predictions

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been looking at Future Odds for the upcoming NHL season over at Betway and documenting them in a little series for bettors. This time around, I’m looking at regular season points predictions for the Pacific Division, and I have to say that I truly believe there’s some money to be made this season.

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys tossing a few dollars on the NHL to make the season more exciting, I think this look at the Pacific Division’s team points totals could be of interest to you. Not only do I think that there are a couple of opportunities to make some cash, but I also find it endlessly interesting to see where other people are putting their money. As much as everybody reading this would probably suggest that the Oilers should be the favourites to win the division this year, it always makes me happy to see that we’re not the only ones buying what the team is selling. Even though we all know the odds over at Betway don’t mean anything in terms of how the season will actually play out, it is interesting to see where the lines have been set and that’s what we’ll be breaking down this morning.

Let’s check out the odds.

Listen, I know I’m a homer in every possible way but I have to admit that it brings me joy to see that the Oilers are favoured to win the Pacific Division. Again, I know that the odds listed above don’t actually mean anything regarding what happens on the ice, but it doesn’t hurt to know that sportsbooks are feeling the same way that I do. After watching so many years of horrible Oilers hockey, it’s still a new feeling for me to have lofty expectations for this hockey team and when you mix in the fact that Edmonton’s line is set below where they finished last season then I see nothing but opportunity. Over the last two seasons, the Oilers have hit 104 and 109 points respectively, and they were able to do that even with extended stretches of mediocre play. If the boys can eliminate some of the inconsistencies that have hurt them early in seasons then I think they’ll be an easy bet to clear the 106.5 point plateau once again.

As for the rest of the division, it’s pretty hilarious to see that the Canucks are getting very little respect after another mediocre season. I know that their fanbase is expecting a better campaign out of them, but clearly, the sports bettors aren’t quite so sure. The other funny ones to me are the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken, both of which would miss the playoffs if they’re unable to clear that 94.5 points total. In 2022-23, it took 95 points to make the playoffs in the Western Conference and it cracks me up to see that sports bettors don’t have much faith in either of those teams. I mean, from my side of the computer screen, I can certainly understand why some folks would think the Kraken are frauds despite making the postseason a year ago, and I can also see why no one thinks Calgary will be any better given that they basically have the same lineup. Then again, we’ve seen much stranger things in this league than having a team catch fire and make their way to the playoffs despite no one believing they deserve to be there, and that’s what makes hockey so exciting.