With hockey season just around the corner, it is surely time to visit the hockey betting market to bet on the conference winners and Stanley Cup Champions. The nice thing about the hockey betting futures market is that you can often find hockey teams to select that present significant value. With parity in terms of the strength of hockey teams in the NHL becoming more and more apparent, there is opportunity to hop on some sure bet picks in the futures market before the teams surprise fans and bettors alike to the upside.
Here are some of the teams who present value in the 2009-2010 NHL Season’s futures market:
Paying $600 on a $100 futures bet, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins return an elite squad led by the likes of scoring threats Sydney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, as well as goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fresh off their Stanley Cup victory, the Pens look to defend their championship. The path to returning Stanley Cup glory, however, is full of potential roadblocks from within the Penguin’s own division, as the division champion New Jersey Devils, as well as the Philadelphia Flyers do not plan on simply laying down to the champs.
Speaking of the Devils and Flyers, despite finishing with the best record in the Atlantic Division, the New Jersey Devils pay an amazing $2000 per $100 bet should they capture Lord Stanley’s cup. By comparison, the Philadelphia Flyers equaled the regular season record of the Penguins in terms of total points and pay $1500 on each $100 bet towards their winning of the Stanley Cup. Rounding out last year’s elite teams from the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins return $1000 on a $100 hockey bet for Stanley Cup champions in the upcoming NHL Season, as do the Southeast Division champion Washington Capitals.
Heading over to the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks sported the best record in the 2008-2009 NHL Regular Season. The Sharks have a Hockey Odds return of $800 on $100 bets for San Jose to become Stanley Cup champions this year. The defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings, who put on an amazing post-season run, only to fall short of the Pens reward $100 bets with a return of $450. The Wings are the chalk of the upcoming NHL season.
With that in mind, the Penguins at six to one present significant value among the most logical contenders. In fairness, none of these teams are unfairly valued to the bettor, especially when considering the potential payday among the NHL’s elite teams.
