B/R's Early Betting Guide for the 2025-26 NHL Futures Market

If you haven't already noticed the tumbleweeds rolling around your local NHL arena, let us be the first to welcome you into the quietest few weeks of the season.

From late July to late August, insiders retreat to their cottages, players fill our Instagram feeds with weddings and vacations and the rest of us enjoy a few moments of peace knowing teams aren't likely to make major moves right now.

That means we're not going to see much movement in the land of betting odds right now. So, it's as good a time as any to head to DraftKings to see if there are any intriguing 2025-26 futures bets worth locking in before preseason begins and the lines start changing.

Best Bets

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Best bets are where we generally agree with the oddsmakers, but the odds are still intriguing enough to make the bet worthwhile.

Since this is the futures market, you see plenty of those because the odds are long enough with so many teams involved and so much time until the events happen as it is.

Panthers to win the East (+310): DraftKings has the Panthers as favorites out of the East at +310. As hard as it is to predict who is going to come out of each conference year after year, it's even harder to imagine it's anyone other than the Panthers this time. While we may not place a wager on the Panthers to win the East, we certainly aren't placing a wager on anyone else to beat them to it.

Wild to make the playoffs (-150): We're not sure what Western Conference world we're living in where this iteration of the Kings is -350 to make the playoffs while the Wild sit at -150, but it makes us want to stop wasting time asking questions and take the Wild to make the playoffs at -150. It's still more likely than not to happen, according to the oddsmakers, but we'll shut up now and take it at -150.

Penguins under 78.5 regular-season points (-120): Gavin McKenna, anybody? In all seriousness, the Penguins aren't exactly actively trying to make the playoffs this year. Although Sidney Crosby is never one to mail it in, the quicker they retool, the better for his sake. That could mean a few steps back this season.

Value Bets

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Value bets are your options where you essentially disagree with the odds of how likely the event is to happen, so you squeeze some more value out of the bet if you win.

Stars to win the Central (+225) The oddsmakers aren't particularly high on the Stars this year, and we don't really blame them given Dallas' inability to reach a Cup Final in this window. DraftKings has the Avalanche as Central Division favorites at +215, the Stars as +225 runners-up, and the Jets dropping off at +500. Again, this isn't anything totally out of line, but a full season of Mikko Rantanen, a new head coach and another year of experience under the Stars' belt, and we see them having a great shot at winning the Central.

Also consider that the Avalanche may still have to give up a crucial player or two this offseason given their cap situation. The Stars might become Central Division favorites if-and-or-when these moves happen, so if +225 intrigues, you may want to get on it sooner rather than later.

Kings to miss the playoffs (+260)

We agree that it's relatively unlikely the Kings will outright miss the playoffs with the West's floor as pathetic as it has been, but we don't think it's this unlikely. They're having a mess of an offseason after another uninspiring first-round exit. If you're a hater looking to take a risk for some value, betting on the Kings to miss the playoffs is probably the sweet spot.

Red Wings to make the playoffs (+260)

If you're the opposite of the aforementioned hater but you're still looking to take a calculated risk for some value, betting on Detroit to make the playoffs at +260 could be for you. The Red Wings are still looking for a few pieces to round out the lineup, but they acquired an important piece in goaltender John Gibson this offseason. They improved significantly after a midseason coaching change last year, and they entered the playoff conversation several times. With teams like the Blue Jackets expected to take a step back, the Red Wings have a slightly better than +260 shot at making the playoffs this year.

Lightning under 101.5 regular-season points (+100)

The oddsmakers love the Lightning, and the Panthers did say they were the hardest out of the playoffs ahead of the Cup Final. Still, 101.5 regular-season points is a lot in general, and a lot for where the Lightning are as a franchise. The value is there at +100 odds.

Golden Knights under 104.5 regular-season points (-120)

We agree the Golden Knights notch under 104.5 regular-season points, but we think it's significantly more likely than these -120 odds indicate. If there are any Vegas haters out there disappointed in how highly the market—and the general public who have already made their wagers—regards them right now, here's one we can all agree on.

Buffalo Sabres under 84.5 regular-season points (+100)

The Sabres barely lifted a finger in an attempt to improve their roster this offseason. In fact, they traded away one of their top scorers in JJ Peterka. (That's not totally on them, as he informed them he wouldn't be re-signing, but that part is on them, so here we are). The Sabres, who own the league's longest playoff drought, have only amassed more than 84.5 regular-season points twice in the last 11 seasons. They've given us no reason to believe they'll do it again this season.

Long Shots Worth a Look

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We are not going to sit here and tell you to go for a long shot. But if you must, only one is truly moving the needle ahead of the preseason...

Rangers to win the Metropolitan Division (+550): We all agree the Rangers are poised for a big bounce-back season, right? They've made some serious roster adjustments, and Igor Shesterkin is still one of the best goalies in the world. If you're going to bet heavily against the favorite, you might as well do it in a division as precarious as the Metro on a team capable of much more than we saw last year.

What to Fade

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The Vegas Golden Knights won free agency in acquiring Mitch Marner. As one of their rewards, the DraftKings oddsmakers have them as the favorite to win the Pacific Division (+155) and the Western Conference (+400).

As much as a 100-point player like Marner will improve a team like the Golden Knights in need of more high-end scoring, and as much as we anticipate this fresh start bringing out the best in the 28-year-old, he's yet to put together a truly convincing playoff run.

We know the West is also a playoff gauntlet. The value for winning the Pacific Division at +155 isn't high enough to justify the risk.

When it comes to the Western Conference as a whole? Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still exist, which is reason enough to give anyone pause even if the Oilers didn't improve this offseason.

The Stars will have a more comfortable Mikko Rantanen and a new head coach, and you'd expect their youthful core to show up a bit better for next season's playoff run.

The Avalanche, the Wild, and the Jets are still relevant, and these are all teams that remind us how close these Western Conference playoff matchups really are year after year.

It's tempting to roll with the Golden Knights after their free agency, but a seemingly great free agency doesn't always translate to a conference championship, especially in such a tough conference.

If you want to get in on the Western Conference champion market early this year, we'd recommend waiting until at least the trade deadline.