by William Burns
Saturday, Sep 26, 2026The NHL season begins on Tuesday & I'm very excited about this upcoming year. There's a lot of new faces in different situations & tons of players with new contracts as well. Here are five NHL Future Bets that you must make prior to the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.
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1.) Macklin Celebrini To Record 105+ Points (-130)
Officially named captain of the San Jose Sharks for the upcoming season, I'm expecting Macklin Celebrini to have his best season yet. He's Canada's next biggest thing & very much could challenge for the Hart Trophy this year. I also believe that San Jose will compete for a playoff spot this season. There's lots of things going in the way of Celebrini for this year and he's already coming off a campaign where he finished with 115 points. There's no question that he can eclipse the 105 mark this time around.
2.) Nick Suzuki To Win The Frank J. Selke Award (+400)
Alexander Barkov enters this year as the favorite to win this award. Although I believe that the Panther could most definitely do so, these odds on Nick Suzuki are way too good to pass up on. Montreal's expected to be one of the best teams in the NHL this upcoming campaign & I'm anticipating the captain to play a huge part in that success. Last year, Suzuki won this award. He's going to be the main defensive forward for the Canadiens again this season. I'll take +400 easily.
3.) Florida Panthers To Win The Stanley Cup (+650)
While I'm between the Florida Panthers & the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup this season, the addition of Brady Tkachuk & the return of Alexander Barkov should definitely help Florida get back to the top of the standings. The Panthers ended up missing the playoffs last season due to all of the injuries. That being said, when Brad Marchand returns, Florida should be one of the league's best. Sergei Bobrovsky leaves. But, the Panthers add Jacob Markstrom. FLA wins the cup this season.
4.) Montreal Over 98.5 Points (-110)
After putting up 106 points a season ago, the Montreal Canadiens are going to be even better this season. There's no question that the Eastern Conference has gotten stronger with NYR improving & Florida back on Stanley Cup radar. I do believe that the Canadiens can still post the best record during the regular season though. The Canadiens are extremely well coached & add Chris Kreider to the roster. He's a veteran presence that will provide a ton of points as well. I expect more than 100 points with ease here.
5.) Ottawa Senators Under 94.5 Points (-115)
Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, the Senators lost Brady Tkachuk in the offseason to the Florida Panthers. Ottawa is pretty much the same other than that. However, the Senators are simply not going to be the same team. They managed 99 points last season & I think that Brady was a huge part in that. I will be shocked of the Sens score more than 92 points this season.
Burns' Stanley Cup Winner Prediction: Florida Panthers
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1.) Macklin Celebrini To Record 105+ Points (-130)
Officially named captain of the San Jose Sharks for the upcoming season, I'm expecting Macklin Celebrini to have his best season yet. He's Canada's next biggest thing & very much could challenge for the Hart Trophy this year. I also believe that San Jose will compete for a playoff spot this season. There's lots of things going in the way of Celebrini for this year and he's already coming off a campaign where he finished with 115 points. There's no question that he can eclipse the 105 mark this time around.
2.) Nick Suzuki To Win The Frank J. Selke Award (+400)
Alexander Barkov enters this year as the favorite to win this award. Although I believe that the Panther could most definitely do so, these odds on Nick Suzuki are way too good to pass up on. Montreal's expected to be one of the best teams in the NHL this upcoming campaign & I'm anticipating the captain to play a huge part in that success. Last year, Suzuki won this award. He's going to be the main defensive forward for the Canadiens again this season. I'll take +400 easily.
3.) Florida Panthers To Win The Stanley Cup (+650)
While I'm between the Florida Panthers & the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup this season, the addition of Brady Tkachuk & the return of Alexander Barkov should definitely help Florida get back to the top of the standings. The Panthers ended up missing the playoffs last season due to all of the injuries. That being said, when Brad Marchand returns, Florida should be one of the league's best. Sergei Bobrovsky leaves. But, the Panthers add Jacob Markstrom. FLA wins the cup this season.
4.) Montreal Over 98.5 Points (-110)
After putting up 106 points a season ago, the Montreal Canadiens are going to be even better this season. There's no question that the Eastern Conference has gotten stronger with NYR improving & Florida back on Stanley Cup radar. I do believe that the Canadiens can still post the best record during the regular season though. The Canadiens are extremely well coached & add Chris Kreider to the roster. He's a veteran presence that will provide a ton of points as well. I expect more than 100 points with ease here.
5.) Ottawa Senators Under 94.5 Points (-115)
Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, the Senators lost Brady Tkachuk in the offseason to the Florida Panthers. Ottawa is pretty much the same other than that. However, the Senators are simply not going to be the same team. They managed 99 points last season & I think that Brady was a huge part in that. I will be shocked of the Sens score more than 92 points this season.
Burns' Stanley Cup Winner Prediction: Florida Panthers
