NHL Futures Betting How to Bet on Hockey Futures
Betting on NHL futures or outrights adds some excitement to your hockey betting portfolio throughout the season. There are plenty of options for season-long hockey bets, from player awards to Stanley Cup futures.
We’ve rounded up the most popular hockey futures and compiled our top tips and strategies for cashing in this season in this hockey futures guide. Once you’re familiar with these hockey betting strategies, you can start betting with our top NHL futures sportsbook recommendations.
Types of NHL Futures
NHL futures odds to keep you involved during the 82-game regular season until the winning team lifts the Stanley Cup in June.
Stanley Cup Championship
Betting on NHL futures often starts with the odds of winning the Stanley Cup. This basic futures bet involves betting on the winner of the entire league. You can find this type of bet at all major NHL betting sites, such as Everygame.
Expert Tip: Follow the odds across various online sportsbooks frequently. Some sportsbooks are slower to adjust odds daily and weekly than others, and adjust based on the action they’re getting on certain teams. You may find a much better price by shopping around between different books.
NHL Player Awards
NHL awards betting allows you to bet which players will win an award across several categories at the end of the season. These awards include MVP, top scorer, the best defenceman, goaltender, and more.
Expert Tip: When betting on awards during the season, we recommend acting fast when betting on long shots. Every season sees new breakout performances and new players joining the league. Long shot NHL futures odds at the start of the season will quickly shorten if their strong performance continues.
NHL Conference Winner
Like many North American sports, the NHL has two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. When placing your NHL futures picks on NHL conference odds, you’re betting on which conference the Stanley Cup winner will come from. You can make this type of bet and many more over at MyBookie.
Expert Tip: This bet gives you all the teams from the conference you choose. So even if you think the best team in the league plays in the East, the West may have several strong teams that all have a legitimate shot. In that case, it may be more advantageous to bet on the Western Conference.
NHL Division Winner
Throughout the season, you can follow the NHL division odds and make bets on which team will win every division in the NHL. This includes the Atlantic, Central, Metropolitan, and Pacific divisions.
Expert Tip: Try to get creative with these futures. Sometimes, a team is heavily favored to win their division and offers little value. However, you can improve your odds by parlaying them to win with a second team to win their division. Not all sportsbooks allow parlay betting on NHL futures. However, Bovada does.
Regular Season Player Futures
Betting on NHL awards generally focuses on the elected winner at the end-of-season NHL Awards Ceremony. However, regular-season NHL player futures are different. These types of wagers are solely statistical and are graded on factors like most assists, shots, penalty minutes, saves, and more. Bet on these before the season at BetUS.
Expert Tip: While you can bet on some team futures once a season starts, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many player props futures open past opening night. Make sure to read our NHL betting guide and expert tips and bet early.
Regular Season Team Futures
Some popular options for regular season futures include betting on the playoffs, season point totals, and the worst regular season records. Even once the season starts, a sportsbook like BetUS still offers playoff odds and point total odds for every team.
Expert Tip: Not all team futures will remain active all season, especially when it comes to team point totals. Often, you need to make bets like these before the regular season starts, especially when using an online betting site.
NHL Draft
The NHL Draft gives teams the chance to choose the best new young players to add to their teams every June. Many NHL betting sites offer hockey futures on which player or position each team chooses. The most popular bet type is choosing who will be the first overall pick, which is readily available all season long at Bovada.
Expert Tip: We recommend following which teams perform poorly during the season and what their needs could be for the following year. Lower-ranked teams will choose sooner in the NHL Draft. Knowing their weaknesses and monitoring top players from the junior leagues, such as the OHL, will help in making these bets.
NHL Player Futures Explained
Some of the most fun and best NHL futures bets to make are NHL player futures. This category focuses on the end-of-season awards at the NHL Awards Ceremony.
Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP)
The Hart Memorial Trophy is the trophy awarded to the most valuable player of the season and is chosen by a voting committee. This could be a player who finished among the most overall points, but it can also be any player who has had a superb season.
Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie MVP)
The Calder Memorial Trophy goes out to the best new player in the league who is playing in his rookie season, as voted on by the committee.
Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (Most Goals Scored in Regular Season)
One of the most popular NHL futures bets to make is betting on the Rocket Richard Trophy. The winner is straightforward and requires no voting, as it’s awarded to the player with the most goals during the regular season.
Art Ross Trophy (Most Points in Regular Season)
The Art Ross Trophy is another NHL outright betting market where no voting is required. This trophy goes out to the player who has accumulated the most points (goals + assists) over the regular season.
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best Defenceman)
Each season, the James Norris Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player voted as the league’s top defenceman. Not based on points, it is awarded to the player who demonstrated the greatest all-around ability at the position.
Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender)
When betting on the Vezina Trophy, you’re placing a bet on who will be the top goalie for the season. Wins and losses are important, but so too are save percentage, goals allowed, and shutouts when votes are considered.
Frank J. Selke Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
NHL futures picks on the Frank J. Selke Trophy focus on the forward who has also displayed the most defensive skill during the season. Consider this an award voted for the most well-rounded forward contributing at both ends of the ice.
Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year)
NHL awards betting also offers the chance to predict the league’s best coach, with the winner claiming the Jack Adams Award. Consider betting on a coach whose team has dominated the league. Or bet on a coach who has led his team to an unexpectedly successful season.
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NHL Futures Betting Tips and Strategies
With so many NHL futures bets to enjoy, we’ve summarized a few more successful NHL betting strategies and tips to consider while making your wagers.
Track Futures Odds Movement
NHL futures odds move all throughout the season as teams continue to perform well or underperform. Track how the odds move at multiple sportsbooks to get the best price before making your bets.
Take a Chance on the Underdog
The NHL is a long season, and an injury to a top player could open the door for a long shot. It’s also a salary-cap league with a lot of parity between the top and middle-tier teams. Betting on an underdog at long odds could turn into a very profitable wager later if that team improves or more favored teams fade or suffer injuries to top players.
Look at Historical Stats
Successful betting starts with proper research. Look into the history of division winners, Stanley Cup champions, and how many points and stats it took to win in past seasons. Knowing team and player trends from past winners can help you make smarter bets for the next season.
Learn How to Hedge
Hedging your bet involves betting against your original wager to lock in a smaller but certain profit. You can use this strategy if the team you picked to win the Stanley Cup at long odds has reached the final, and you then bet on the other team.
Understand the Timing of Futures Betting
Most NHL futures open at NHL betting sites soon after the Stanley Cup is lifted and remain open up to and throughout the next season. You can bet early before public betting moves the lines, or wait until closer to or during the season. But remember that certain NHL futures will close once a new season starts.
Responsible Gambling
We encourage all players to gamble responsibly. Remember that online betting is a form of entertainment, not a source of income. Set loss limits and time limits. Budget your bankroll ahead of time to avoid losing more than you can afford to. Keeping these tips in mind will help you have fun and remain a responsible gambler.
If you are over-preoccupied with thoughts about gambling or exceed your budget regularly, you might benefit from some help. Consider the resources below if you recognize the warning signs and symptoms in yourself or a loved one:
- National Council on Problem Gambling: (202) 547-9204 or NCPGambling.org
- AGA Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct (as supported by the NBA)
- Gamble Responsibly America App (downloadable)
- Gambler’s Anonymous: gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
- Responsible Gambling Council: https://responsiblegambling.org/
Key Takeaways for NHL Futures Betting
We’ve covered all the best NHL futures bets you can bet on this season. From player futures, NHL Awards betting, and the Stanley Cup champion, you now have many ways to bet on one of the fastest team sports in the World. Use our handy NHL betting strategies for tracking line movement, hedging your bets, and more.
Once ready, head to the industry-leading BetUS and start placing NHL futures bets. You can receive a generous welcome offer of 125% for up to $2,650 on your first three deposits. Discover odds across all major markets and expert analysis to help you with your NHL futures picks.
Latest Sports Betting News from the NHL
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