by William Burns
Friday, Sep 19, 2025The NHL season is nearly back and I'm getting extremely excited for another great campaign. That being said, it's time to start looking at "Future Bets" to make for the course of this season. Last year, I made this exact article and hit on 3/5 including Makar at +200 to win the Norris Trophy. Here are five NHL Future Bets to make prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.
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1.) Mikko Rantanen OVER 90.5 Points (-115)
In the 2024-25 season, Mikko Rantanen was all over the place. What I mean by that is he played for three different teams that didn't really know what to do with him, regardless of his skill. Having said that, he found a home in Dallas where he was instantly loved with his playoff performances. No, it didn't result in the final ending that Dallas fans would have liked. But, signing an eight-year, $96 million contract extension with the Stars definitely shows how much he means to this organization now. Let's not forget that Rantanen still had 88 points last year even despite all of the moving around. The two seasons before that, he had 104 and 105 total points. This number should be exceeded rather easily in the 2025-26 campaign.
2.) Montreal Canadiens OVER 90.5 Season Points (-115)
Even though I don't believe that Montreal is one of the best teams yet in the Eastern Conference, this team is definitely on the rise up. Coming off an electric playoff series against Washington in last year's playoffs, Montreal went out and made some big moved in the offseason. The Canadiens signed Zachary Bolduc, Joe Veleno & Noah Dobson to the team for the upcoming campaign and Ivan Demidov is expected to be a huge part in the offense for them this season. Montreal finished with 91 points last year and is even better than last season. The Canadiens should definitely go over this number.
3.) Dallas Stars To Win Central Division (+205)
I'm quite high again on the Dallas Stars this season. As the team with the best odds to win the Central Division at the moment, I believe that there's still value on them at this price. Not losing Robertson could be the key this season as I believe that he can still be a top player in the NHL when healthy. Glen Gulutzan is the new head coach of the team and I believe that he could make this team get over the hump come playoffs time. However, the regular season comes first and having a strong first season is crucial and he knows it (in his second tenure with the team.) Expect the Dallas Stars to be the top team out of the Central and surpass the Jets from last season.
4.) Jimmy Snuggerud to win Calder Trophy (+1600)
While this may seem like quite the long-shot, I don't believe that it is. Snuggerud looks outstanding in the playoffs a season ago and I believe that he's going to be a phenomenal player in the NHL this season. I'm very high on the St. Louis Blues this year as I believe that they should have beaten Winnipeg last season in the playoffs. In 2025-26, expect more of the same from this team that's becoming more and more familiar with the style that Jim Montgomery likes to play. Snuggerud is most likely going to be on the first line this year alongside captain Robert Thomas. Don't be shocked if the youngster exceeds 50 points and maybe even more.
5.) Sergei Bobrovsky OVER 31.5 Regular Season Wins (-120)
Last season, I selected this exact future bet and won by half a win. A bit closer than I anticipated. However, a win is a win. This year, his win total is down a goal and I expect Bob to have another fantastic season. He's the goalie of the defending B2B champions, the Florida Panthers and there's no doubt in my mind that Florida is going to be one of the best teams, if not the best, in hockey once again this year. Bobrovsky is expected to play around 55 games again this season and I expect him to exceed 30 wins with ease.
Burns' 2026 Stanley Cup Winner (as of right now): Florida Panthers
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1.) Mikko Rantanen OVER 90.5 Points (-115)
In the 2024-25 season, Mikko Rantanen was all over the place. What I mean by that is he played for three different teams that didn't really know what to do with him, regardless of his skill. Having said that, he found a home in Dallas where he was instantly loved with his playoff performances. No, it didn't result in the final ending that Dallas fans would have liked. But, signing an eight-year, $96 million contract extension with the Stars definitely shows how much he means to this organization now. Let's not forget that Rantanen still had 88 points last year even despite all of the moving around. The two seasons before that, he had 104 and 105 total points. This number should be exceeded rather easily in the 2025-26 campaign.
2.) Montreal Canadiens OVER 90.5 Season Points (-115)
Even though I don't believe that Montreal is one of the best teams yet in the Eastern Conference, this team is definitely on the rise up. Coming off an electric playoff series against Washington in last year's playoffs, Montreal went out and made some big moved in the offseason. The Canadiens signed Zachary Bolduc, Joe Veleno & Noah Dobson to the team for the upcoming campaign and Ivan Demidov is expected to be a huge part in the offense for them this season. Montreal finished with 91 points last year and is even better than last season. The Canadiens should definitely go over this number.
3.) Dallas Stars To Win Central Division (+205)
I'm quite high again on the Dallas Stars this season. As the team with the best odds to win the Central Division at the moment, I believe that there's still value on them at this price. Not losing Robertson could be the key this season as I believe that he can still be a top player in the NHL when healthy. Glen Gulutzan is the new head coach of the team and I believe that he could make this team get over the hump come playoffs time. However, the regular season comes first and having a strong first season is crucial and he knows it (in his second tenure with the team.) Expect the Dallas Stars to be the top team out of the Central and surpass the Jets from last season.
4.) Jimmy Snuggerud to win Calder Trophy (+1600)
While this may seem like quite the long-shot, I don't believe that it is. Snuggerud looks outstanding in the playoffs a season ago and I believe that he's going to be a phenomenal player in the NHL this season. I'm very high on the St. Louis Blues this year as I believe that they should have beaten Winnipeg last season in the playoffs. In 2025-26, expect more of the same from this team that's becoming more and more familiar with the style that Jim Montgomery likes to play. Snuggerud is most likely going to be on the first line this year alongside captain Robert Thomas. Don't be shocked if the youngster exceeds 50 points and maybe even more.
5.) Sergei Bobrovsky OVER 31.5 Regular Season Wins (-120)
Last season, I selected this exact future bet and won by half a win. A bit closer than I anticipated. However, a win is a win. This year, his win total is down a goal and I expect Bob to have another fantastic season. He's the goalie of the defending B2B champions, the Florida Panthers and there's no doubt in my mind that Florida is going to be one of the best teams, if not the best, in hockey once again this year. Bobrovsky is expected to play around 55 games again this season and I expect him to exceed 30 wins with ease.
Burns' 2026 Stanley Cup Winner (as of right now): Florida Panthers
