2022-23 NHL season preview: Player futures odds, picks and best bets – Johnny Gaudreau brings a jolt to the Jackets

We’re just days away from the first puck drop, which means it’s time to lock in some futures bets. Along with team futures, we can also place wagers on individual players to win specific awards. This is a great time to find incredible value with plus-money odds before the season really starts to take shape. As soon as a skater or goalie begins to catch fire, odds will immediately plummet. In order to win you the best payout available, we’ve broken down two great spots to target heading into the year. Along with these player awards predictions, be sure to check out all of our NHL analysis for the 2022-2023 season.

Let’s take a closer look at my best bet for the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winners.

Hart Trophy award winner: Johnny Gaudreau (+4000)

*Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook*

The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the MVP of the league and there are just 3 skaters with odds less than +1000. That would be the past 3 winners – Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. First and foremost, we love Johnny Gaudreau to win the Art Ross trophy for the most points, but those odds are not yet listed.

Regardless, Johnny Hockey is an absolute stud and FanDuel is offering an incredible price. He’s listed as high as the 7th-favorite at other sportsbooks at a far worse price of +2000. That’s about where he should be given the incredible season he just had with the Calgary Flames. He was tied for the 2nd-most points in the NHL, just behind McDavid and ahead of Draisaitl. More impressively, he was the absolute best when it came to plus-minus. That means the amount of goals scored versus goals allowed while he was on the ice. Better yet, his 2 teammates were the next-highest in that regard, demonstrating how much impact Gaudreau has. 

He should have just as much, if not more, significance with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was arguably the biggest move of the offseason when he joined the Jackets, and it’s a massive boost for the team. Last year’s record may not indicate they’re a great team, but superstar Patrick Laine will be healthy to begin the season and defenseman Zach Werenski makes them a great trio. There’s still some unknown with how this team will play out but it’s clear other oddsmakers also feel Gaudreau will make an immediate impact.

Be sure to check out our Stanley Cup best bet and longshot here!

Vezina Trophy award winner: Juuse Saros (+1200)

*Odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook*

We’re going to take slightly less of a longshot when it comes to the Vezina Trophy award winner for the NHL’s best goaltender. Rangers Igor Shesterkin won it last season and he’s the betting favorite to win it again. Just behind him is Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy and after that is where the discrepancy begins. Some sportsbooks have Predators Juuse Saros listed third, and for good reason.

You can get him a little further down the list depending where you shop around, and there’s great value for both him and Nashville this season. Saros was named to the all-star team last year and he proved he was worthy of the designation. He finished the season with the 2nd-most wins, behind only Vasilevskiy and Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky, who won the President’s Trophy for the league’s best record. However, Saros actually had a better save percentage than both of them. It’s also worth noting how many more saves he had to make in the process. The Predators allowed 2,107 shots to be taken on Saros, which was the 2nd-most to only Jets Connor Hellebuyck. 

Nashville also re-signed elite goal-scorer Filip Forsberg, which means opponents will be forced to keep the pressure on and take plenty of shots. That should help Saros boost his stats on a winning team, therefore increasing his chances for his first Vezina Trophy.

*Honorable mention: Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky at +4000 odds*

Round out your futures betting card with our best bets for each division here!

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