5 NHL Future Bets to Make Before the Season Begins:

With the NHL season less than a couple of weeks away now, fans are getting very excited. That being said, it's time to start looking at "Future Bets" to make for the course of this season. Here are five NHL Future Bets to make prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Nicknamed "Bob," Florida's net-minder is one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League. Coming off a year with 36 saves, Bobrovsky is back as the top option in net for the Panthers. He'll be expected to play at least 50 games again this season (most likely closer to 60 or more,) and I believe that he can get to this number without much trouble. Florida are once again cup contenders after winning it all last year. They've got a lot of their team back from last season as well which should help tremendously. Although many teams will want to beat Florida this year considering that they are the defending champs, I expect Bob to reach 33+ wins for the sixth time in his career in the 2024-25 season.

Although there are some other very strong defensemen in this league like Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen, Evan Bouchard & even Roman Josi who could win this award, Cale Maker stands alone at the top in my opinion. As one of the quickest skaters in all of hockey, he's able to use his speed to help him create for himself and score goals, as well as create for other players around the net. Makar is coming off a solid campaign where he had 21 goals and 69 assists in 77 games (90 points.) This year, he'll look to be even better. Playing on a team with Nathan MacKinnon should help him as well as the two work tremendously off each other. Last year's winner Quinn Hughes probably has everyone's eyes on him again. But, he played every single game last year and that helped him very much. Look for Makar to improve and get the second Norris Trophy of his career this season.

After another disappointing season last year, the Blue Jackets are in full rebuild mode now. They traded Patrick Laine away this offseason and lost Johnny Gaudreau in a tragic incident that nobody could have predicted. Having said that, they don't really have much left for this year. San Jose had just 47 points last season and were dead last in the NHL overall standings. While the Blue Jackets weren't that bad (66 points,) they still went "under" this year's expected total. I expect Columbus to be closer to the Sharks total from last year here this season. They really don't have much left and are a very young team compared to most in the league. Look for another down campaign for Columbus.  

While the Dallas Stars failed to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals last season, I expect them to be back there and ready to win it this season. Last year, they still had a very young team that didn't have much postseason experience. They say you've got to experience it, before you win it. Well, Dallas has now done that. The Stars still have a stacked roster and their goaltenders are back and ready to go this season. I say goaltenders because the Stars picked up Casey DeSmith this offseason to backup young star Jake Oettinger. That should be a massive help if injuries happen or even fatigue throughout the season. Dallas is once again one of the favorites to be in contention for the cup as well as the President's Trophy. There's plenty of value here on playing them to win the WCF this season. 

Yes, I know this is quite expensive. However, you're still going to want to play on this one. The Golden Knights are back stronger than ever this season. They've got a healthy Adin Hill back who's been awesome ever since coming to the NHL. In fact, he owns a career 2.68 GAA which includes his first couple of seasons with the Coyotes & Sharks. The Golden Knight have been competitive every season they've been a team in the National Hockey League and have made the playoffs in six out of seven years so far with two Stanley Cup appearances. Considering I've got some heavy "underdog" selections in this list, consider laying the juice on the Golden Knights to make the playoffs.

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While I'm expecting to have a massive hockey season this year, it's never too early to jump on board and grab a season long subscription. Good luck this season!