The 2021-22 NHL season drops the puck on a new campaign on October 12. With that in mind, it is futures season for bettors looking to make some long-term wagers to fill their portfolios. Today we are taking a look at the Pacific Division, a division where NHL future bettors are presented with one of two options.
The first option is to bet on the overwhelming favorite in the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who are priced at -200 odds at most available sportsbooks. Las Vegas is priced as the heavy favorite to win the Pacific Division for good reason. The loaded Golden Knights have been a Stanley Cup contender in each year of their existence and are expected to continue that success again this year.
The Golden Knights should finish the season near the top of the Pacific Division. However, the exciting bet to be made in this division is on the Edmonton Oilers at +310 odds to take the Pacific.
NHL Pacific Futures Odds
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Why Bet The Oilers In The Pacific
Added Depth
Edmonton boasts the league’s best payer in Connor McDavid and a supporting superstar in Leon Draisaitl to do the heavy lifting. The new wrinkle for the Oilers is an improvement in forward depth around McDavid and Draisaitl. That added depth should make the difference in turning the Oilers from a team amongst the bottom half of playoff contenders into a division winner.
Zach Hyman comes into Edmonton from the Toronto Maple Leafs and gives the Oilers a power forward type who registered 33 points in 43 games last season. Beyond the Hyman addition, the Oilers front office added Warren Foegele from the Carolina Hurricanes and Derek Ryan from the Calgary Flames. Hyman is a big-time addition who should flourish in an increased role and Foegele and Ryan will be improvements for a supporting cast that has let down their superstar duo by not pulling its weight in recent years.
Blueline Additions
In addition to the increased supporting depth up front that should bolster the Oilers, the team made some key additions on the blueline over the summer. Gone is talented, but inconsistent Ethan Bear. In his place the Oilers will welcome former Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks and the battle-tested veteran Cody Ceci from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There are mixed reviews on the moves to add Keith and Ceci. Both are significantly less regarded entering the 21-22 season than at their previous peaks. On a positive note, the duo should make an important difference in the experience and dependability departments, which is crucial for an Oilers rearguard group that sorely lacked composure in the postseason last year.
Youngster Evan Bouchard will step into a prominent role on the blueline this year. Bouchard flashed his promise in a handful of games last year and can be the X-Factor for the Oilers defense this year. Especially if he can immediately become a capable full-season guy in his first full year in the NHL.
Goaltending Twosome
In goal, the Oilers will turn to the veteran duo of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. The goaltending department may be where the Oilers are the weakest as they lack a truly elite puck stopper. Instead, the Oilers have a capable duo that can get the job done when called upon. Both Smith and Koskinen do have some consistency issues that flare up from time to time. But the hope for the Oilers is that the combination of two proven goalies can share the workload over the course of the 82 game season to get them over the line.
Overall, this Oilers team is a considerable upgrade from last year’s version. With more depth and experience, the roster Edmonton has for this season is much better built to withstand the attrition battle in the Pacific Division. The naysayers are out there, but I personally feel the extra depth and experience in Edmonton will provide the winning formula for a team that has underperformed with the best player in the world in McDavid to date.
In a division where the favorite is so heavily favored by the oddsmakers – with the Golden Knights -200 simply too short of a price to interest me – I am putting my money on the Oilers to finally put it all together.