Updated on: October 3rd, 2024
National Hockey League futures betting (known as NHL futures for short) is one of the most popular forms of wagering at online sportsbooks in the United States. It is not all that surprising when one takes into account that the Stanley Cup final draws millions of concurrent viewers each and every year. The only way to make the glorious championship game even more exciting is to have a good bet riding on it. With futures odds offering absolutely massive payouts, there are loads of US bettors looking to bet on the biggest game in ice hockey.
If you would like to learn more about NHL futures bets, you have come to the right place. On this page, we have a look at NHL futures and how you can ensure that you make the perfect bet. This includes having a look at what future bets are and tips to keep in mind when making your wager. So, read on down below to find out all you need to know about NHL future betting at online gambling sites.
Find the Best NHL Futures Odds Here
What is NHL Futures Betting?
NHL futures refer to a group of bets made on matches or happenings that will occur at a future date. The most common type of future bet at sports betting sites is wagering on who will win the Stanley Cup sometime before the final match is played.
Teams that have recently won the championship in a dominant fashion are given the highest NHL odds to win Stanley Cup, along with teams that display strong showings throughout the season. Teams that bookies feel are unlikely to win are given worse odds. (Obviously, if you bet on teams with worse odds and they win, the payout will be much greater.) It is important to note that odds shift throughout the season.
Other than on the Stanley Cup, NHL bettors can also place the following types of future wagers (among many others):
- Conference Winners – these are bets on which team will win either the Eastern or Western Conference Championship.
- Division Winners – similar to conference winners, these are bets made on which team will win specific divisions.
- Playoff Series Winners – betting on a team to win a seven-game series to progress to the next round of the playoffs.
- MVP – betting on which player will be declared the season’s most valuable player.
- Draft Pick Betting – these are bets made on which draft prospects will be picked at a particular time.
Stanley Cup Future Bets
As previously mentioned, future bets based on the Stanley Cup are available at most sportsbooks. Odds on who may win the coveted championship trophy shift throughout the season as each match is played and the form of each team become clear. It is important to keep an eye on both teams and odds to make the best bet possible.
NHL Hockey Futures Odds Explained
Although needing to understand how odds work puts many potential US bettors off of making wagers online, it really shouldn’t. Reading them is really rather simple. Before we get into explaining how to read odds, it is important that gamblers know that there are three different formats used to display them: American (or moneyline), Fractional and Decimal.
Naturally, US sportsbooks tend to gravitate towards using the American format, which is why we will be explaining this format down below. However, if you would like to learn about the others, be sure to visit our odds page, which explains each format in depth.
So, when you visit an online sportsbook, you will see that hockey futures betting lines will be displayed somewhat like this:
Team Name | Odds |
Tampa Bay Lightning | -195 |
Vegas Golden Knights | +300 |
Colorado Avalanche | +700 |
New York Rangers | +1200 |
With the example above, it is possible to see the mathematical sign located next to the odds of each team. A plus symbol indicates the underdog or an outcome that is unlikely to happen, while a minus symbol indicates a favorite or an outcome that is likely to happen. In general, most future bets will only feature a plus symbol due to the fact that the overall bet is hard to get right.
With moneyline odds, we tend to use $100 bets to calculate how much we could win on a wager. For example, a $100 bet on the Vegas Golden Knights will payout $300. However, if a team is favored to win, we will need to bet more to win at least $100. For example, a bettor would need to bet $195 on Tampa Bay Lightning to win $100. We are able to calculate this based on the symbol located next to the team name.
Best NHL Futures Tips
There are a few tips every US bettor should keep in mind when making future bets. We have listed some of the most important down below:
- Don’t make too many future bets. We know that it can be fun to make high-risk, high-reward bets, but at the end of the day, most future bets are unlikely to pan out – especially those placed on the Stanley Cup. Thus, you should not spend the bulk of your bankroll making future bets.
- Always make sure to look for the best odds. Remember that not all sportsbooks offer the same NHL futures Stanley Cup odds. You’ll want to kick yourself if you find out that you could’ve made more money at another sportsbook due to the odds they were offering on the same game.
While hedging isn’t always the best thing to do, sometimes placing bets on both teams within a matchup will ensure that you at least walk away with some winnings or at the very least lessen losses.
NHL Future Bets Conclusion
Future bets are some of the hardest to get right, especially if you place them at the beginning of a season. We recommend limiting the number of futures you make. Also, try to make the most informed decision you can when you place these bets by doing as much research as possible.