NHL Futures: Three Regular Season Team Point Totals To Bet
The 2023-24 NHL season may seem far away, but we’re just seven short weeks from the first puck drop of the regular season.
Sportsbooks have been opening up the 2023-24 NHL season markets slowly but surely in recent weeks. Our good friends over at DraftKings are no different. We’ll keep it simple with three teams regular-season point total over/unders that you need to bet right now ahead of the ’23-24 season.
NHL Futures: Three Regular Season Team Point Totals To Bet Right Now
NHL Point Totals: Anaheim Ducks under 69.5 points
The Anaheim Ducks are entering another rebuilding season after finishing dead last with just 56 points last year. That’s right. The Ducks’ line is set 13.5 points higher than they earned last season. Let’s dig into that a bit.
The Ducks lost the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. But they still got a solid consolation prize in Leo Carlsson — who they drafted over the favored Adam Fantilli. They’re also bringing back some key young pieces in Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, and Mason McTavish, among others.
Regarding free-agent additions, Anaheim has a few new veterans in Alex Killorn up front and former Flyers Radko Gudas and Robert Hagg on defense. It’s still going to be John Gibson in net — if the Ducks don’t trade him, that is.
Even if the Ducks did get a tad better, so did the division around them. The Golden Knights are coming off a Stanley Cup win. The Oilers are loaded up for another go at it. The Kings and Kraken made noise in the playoffs last year, and the Flames and Canucks are just talented enough to surprise people. The Ducks might do well against the Sharks in the division, but that’s about it.
It’s not a sexy bet by any means, but under 69.5 points has to be the play here for the Ducks.
NHL Point Totals: Buffalo Sabres over 92.5 points
The Buffalo Sabres just barely missed the playoffs last season. Tage Thompson’s breakout season led the team to 91 points, just one point shy of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo surprised people thanks to its loaded blue line, with youngsters Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power leading the way. They added veteran defensemen Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson to shore things up there and give the squad three solid pairs on the backend.
Perhaps most importantly, the Sabres may have found their goalie of the future last season in Devon Levi. The 2020 seventh-round pick finished his collegiate career with a stellar season at Northeastern (2.24 GAA, .933 SV%) and got his feet wet in the NHL with seven starts. Levi allowed two or fewer goals in four of those starts. Three goals in one and then got lit up for four by the Devils and six by the Red Wings. A game he actually won.
It may be a tough Atlantic Division overall, but the Sabres should be able to go over 92.5 points after finishing last season with 91.
NHL Point Totals: New Jersey Devils over 104.5 points
The New Jersey Devils are poised to become one of the best teams in the league. Hell, they’re already up there. The Devils had the third-most points in the league last year with 112 as Jack Hughes became a true superstar. The rest of his supporting cast also stepped up.
New Jersey had three 30-goal scorers (Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier) last season, with Dawson Mercer — who most casual fans probably haven’t even heard of — finishing with 27 as well. Even defenseman Dougie Hamilton netted 22 goals.
Speaking of defensemen, the Devils are now loaded with the third Hughes brother. Luke Hughes gives them another option on the backend. Luke could end up being even better than Quinn Hughes.
Goaltending is something to be wary of. The Devils made the most of the three-headed monster that was Vitek Vanecek (.911 SV%), Mackenzie Blackwood (.893 SV%), and Akira Schmid (.922 SV%) last season. Vanecek and Schmid should be able to hold it down in the crease. If they can’t, the Devils have been rumored to be in on goalies in the trade market.
The Devils are only going to get better this season. Over 104.5 points is a steal.
