The 2021-22 Metropolitan Division is perhaps the NHL’s most competitive division and one that provides futures bettors plenty of plus money options in a toss-up field.
Five teams sit between +350 and +400 odds in the Metropolitan Division’s list of futures odds, indicating the fact this is a division that is up for grabs for a lengthy list of clubs. The Big 5 in the Metro are the Pittsburgh Penguins (+375), Carolina Hurricanes (+375), New York Rangers (+375), Washington Capitals (+375), and New York Islanders (+375). All five teams can make a compelling case as the squad that will take the Metro division banner come spring.
Metropolitan Division Futures Odds
Longshot Flyers Provide Value
Those looking for a longshot bet in the Metropolitan Division may be interested in the Philadelphia Flyers at +1050. Philly has the potential to make a surprise climb in the standings, but only if young prospect netminder Carter Hart takes his game to the next level.
In fact, in a division crowded with no clear favorite, it is the Flyers price that appears the most intriguing of all the betting options. At 10/1 odds, the Flyers are worth a deeper look as a potential home run longshot pick.
Last year, the Flyers were beyond disappointing compared to their expectations. Forwards Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny and Cam Atkinson simply could not get it going on a team that produced just one 20 goal scorer in the slightly abbreviated 2020-21 NHL season.
Given the talent of the names that failed to produce last season, it is safe to say the Flyers will produce multiple 20 goal scorers this year and the offense will be far more potent. If that happens and the scoring department jolts back to life, the Flyers will climb into the mix of a division that lacks a clear top team.
New Look Blueline to Help Hart
Where the Flyers turned themselves into contenders this offseason was on the blueline as their front office invested in two of the best available names on the market. Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen were brought in to shore up a blueline group that had one capable defenseman in Ivan Provorov and little else.
With a proven playoff performer in Ryan Ellis coming to Philly to mentor Provorov and Ristolainen coming in from Buffalo hungry to get his first taste of the playoffs, the Flyers look set on defense. The blueline woes that stunted the development of Hart last year should be a thing of the past and the Flyers should keep far more pucks out of their net this season.
Too Many Metropolitan Half-Favorites
Beyond the Flyers’ improvements and potential, I like them as the bet to make in the Metro due to some of the shortcomings of their division rivals. Carolina lost top blueliner Dougie Hamilton, while the Islanders said goodbye to Jordan Eberle via the expansion draft to the Seattle Kraken. The usual suspects in Pittsburgh are dealing with an early-season injury to Evgeni Malkin and their rivals in Washington appear a little too old to put forth a full 82 game season at a division-winning pace.
For each team ahead of Philadelphia on the board, a case can be made as to why they will fail to separate themselves from the pack in the division. Which makes things difficult when the majority of options to choose from all fall in the +370 range.
Picking a winner out of the Metro field is no easy task. If I am making a bet on a division that nearly every team could potentially win, I want juicy odds to go along with it. The Flyers provide that at +1050 along with a talented roster that shored up its blueline to contend. I am banking on Philly to do just that, and provide a handsome payday in April when they are crowned Metro champs.
Take the Flyers +1050 to win the 2021-22 Metropolitan Division title.