What Are NHL Futures?

NHL futures odds are hockey wagers on a team or player to win an event or award that takes place at a later time in the year or season. Once a futures bet has been made at an online sportsbook, it’s officially locked in with fixed odds at the time of that wager. 

The most common NHL futures bets are wagering on which team will win the Stanley Cup, which teams will win their respective conferences, and who will win performance awards such as the regular-season MVP, otherwise known as the Hart Memorial Trophy. Psst, all of which you can find here by the way!

NHL Stanley cup Finals Betting

Oddsmakers set and move lines during and before the NHL season, depending on the relative strength of NHL teams. The top-ranked team in the league might be listed at +400 odds to win the Cup. That means you would earn $4 for every $1 wagered if that team goes on to win Lord Stanley. However, the NHL’s last-place team may be +10000. Sure, it would pay out big time, but it’s a crazy long shot. 

stanley cup best bet: Dallas Stars

As the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Final is being played out, the Florida Panthers are -450 betting favorites to win the championship, leading the series against the Edmonton Oilers. However, oddmakers already have the oddsboard released for next season Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes budging ahead as +900 early birds.

The Stars have all the tools but can't seem to get the job done, losing back-to-back conference finals. But, I will say, Jake Oettinger .915SV% and 2.24 GAA in the postseason looks promising. The 25-year-old has already added so much experience under his belt. With young talent like Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson complimenting veterans such as Tyler Seguin, this group has all the gears clicking. 

NHL Conference Odds

The strength of each NHL conference varies year by year, which is why you’ll see a difference between NHL Western Conference odds and NHL Eastern Conference odds in your sportsbook.

For example, the Tampa Bay Lightning earned back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances (and wins) in 2020 and 2021. Each year they proved themselves by winning the Eastern Conference, their odds for the following season dropped. Because of that success, the East would have had more underdogs to win the conference while the West might have a normal spread of candidates.

When you’re wagering on the overall winner of a conference, there will usually be a small number of teams with lower odds because they stand the best chance of making it through. These change with the wind, with favorites and underdogs switching spots as the season progresses – wager early, and wager intelligently!

NHL Eastern Conference Divisions

The Eastern Conference of the NHL consists of two divisions, the Atlantic and the Metropolitan. The Atlantic has three Canadian teams and focuses on US teams close to the border and in Florida – the Metro is an assortment of teams across the eastern seaboard and New England.

NHL Atlantic Division Odds

NHL Metropolitan Division Odds

NHL Western Conference Divisions

The NHL’s Western Conference is broken into two divisions. The Central houses teams in the American South and Midwest, along with the lone Canadian Winnipeg Jets. The Pacific has the westernmost teams and ranges from California to the prairies of Canada.

NHL Central Division Odds

NHL Pacific Division Odds

NHL Player Awards

NHL player awards are a very popular NHL futures market. The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL regular season, while the Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the MVP of the NHL playoffs. Other NHL player awards include:

NHL Draft 

Like in most major sports, the NHL Draft is one of the most important events of the year, and it also makes for a hell of a good bet. You can wager on various draft props like who will be first overall, the order of the first five picks, or the over/under on when a player is going to be selected.

The NHL Draft is always unpredictable, full of thrilling moments where a highly-valued player drops down the ranks or a dark horse shocks the competition with an early pick. To learn more, check out our NHL Draft Guide which runs down all the favorites and which player our experts believe will go first overall.

How to read NHL Futures

Like most futures bet across every major sport, options for NHL futures will begin with the favorited, low-odd options before making a massive jump to the more unlikely winners. Teams will see their odds increase and decrease depending on their performance or following any relevant news like trades, injuries, and other changes.

As for payouts, the same rules apply as other bets – a +375 favorite would net you $375 on a $100 bet, whereas a major underdog could earn you $10,000 on the same bet at +10000. It’s not uncommon for pre-season odds to be relatively high, as anything can happen leading up to the first weeks of the regular season.

NHL Futures Line Movement

While games officially don’t get underway until October, NHL futures lines shift with preseason performances, injuries, and public betting trends. Because you’re locking in a bet with fixed odds, your bankroll is going to be tied up for a considerable portion of the season. Make sure you do your research and select a team that can deal with a few mid-season injuries or a cold streak – that’s a long time to wait!

Movement will fluctuate over the first few weeks of the season as oddsmakers get a sense of which teams got better in the offseason and who got worse. This volatile movement will usually settle down after a few weeks, with remaining line changes coming from a team racking up wins or losses respectively.

Just remember that long-term success in NHL futures betting odds isn’t only about which team wins the Stanley Cup – there are a lot of opportunities within futures, and if you see a line you think is a no-brainer, snag it before that bargain is gone.