This division futures odds guide has the latest odds to win the NHL Central Division. Building on our NHL Futures Odds and Western Conference futures tutorials, you’ll learn how to place a Central division futures bet. This guide also features the best sports betting sites where you can legally place NHL bets in your jurisdiction.
Futures odds will update throughout the season, so be sure to bookmark this page and come back as the season progresses towards the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in the spring.
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Table of Contents
- Central Division Futures Odds
- Central Division Contenders
- What are NHL Futures?
- How to Bet
- Other NHL Futures Bets
- When to Bet
- Central Division Teams
- Central Division Standings
- Central Division Futures FAQs
Central Division Futures Odds
The following are the latest odds to win the NHL Central Division. The team with the most points is named winner of the Central division, subject to NHL tiebreaking rules.
How NHL Teams Earn Points
Teams receive 2 points for a win in regulation or overtime play. They receive 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss. Teams that lose in regulation time get 0 points.
|
Team |  BetMGM |
 BetRivers |
|---|---|---|
| Stars | -5000 Bet | -5000 Bet |
| Avalanche | +3000 Bet | +3000 Bet |
| Jets | +3000 Bet | +3000 Bet |
Central Division Contenders
The Colorado Avalanche are slight underdogs to win the Central Division, well ahead of the Dallas Stars, and far and away more likely than the third most likely Minnesota Wild.
How NHL Teams Make the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eight teams from each NHL conference make the Stanley Cup playoffs. The top three teams from each division by point totals earn seeds #1-#3, respectively. Any ties are broken using the NHL’s tiebreaking procedures. These six teams get automatic playoff berths.
The final two teams from each conference are selected by point total no matter their division, earning Wild Card berths for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Once each conference has its eight seeded teams, the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with first round. Winning teams progress to the second round, and then to the conference finals. The Eastern and Western Conference winners then play in the Stanley Cup Finals to crown the season’s NHL Champion.
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What are NHL Futures Bets?
A futures bet is placed on the outcome of a distant NHL event. Your bet wins if you chose the correct outcome. You may bet on more than one outcome at once, however the odds for each outcome will likely differ depending on each selection.
Popular NHL futures bets include odds to win the Stanley Cup, Eastern and Western Conference winners, and each division winner. Additionally, sports betting sites will have odds to win player awards like the the Hart Memorial Trophy, also known as the NHL MVP Award.
You can place a futures bet up to any point before the actual event begins or the player award is announced. Odds will vary as the season progresses. A team with a strong winning record will gradually become a favorite to win their conference and possibly the Stanley Cup. On the other hand, an underperforming player will gradually become a long shot underdog to win the Hart Memorial Trophy or any other player award.
NHL futures odds offer sports bettors two opportunities. One, the chance to bet on a distant event with a potentially higher payoff than any single game bet. Two, insight into which teams or players are likely to come out on top by the end of the season. Whether you actually bet the future or not, the changing odds are a useful datapoint to sharpen your hockey handicapping as the season progresses.
How to Bet Central Division Futures
Time needed: 1 minute
How to place a Central Division futures bet
- Review odds for the NHL’s upcoming events
Review futures odds for the NHL’s upcoming events. Popular events include the Stanley Cup, conference and division winners. Also review odds to win player awards.
- Each outcome has moneyline odds
Each outcome will have moneyline odds at American sports betting sites. Minus values indicate how much you risk to win $100. Plus values indicate how much you win if you risk $100.
- Make your selection and place your bet
Make one or more selections and bet your desired amount.
- You may place one or more futures bets on the same event
You can place multiple bets on the same event at once or at different times. Simply choose a different outcome and place another wager.
- Your bet wins if you picked the correct outcome
Your bet wins if you picked the correct outcome. Review your sportsbook’s rules to see when a futures bet can be cancelled.
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NHL Futures Bets
The following are the most popular NHL futures bets. These bets are the most commonly placed by recreational and professional bettors alike. Use the odds to guide your handicapping throughout the season.
- Stanley Cup
- Eastern Conference
- Western Conference
- Hart Memorial Trophy
- Calder Memorial Trophy
- Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy
- Art Ross Trophy
- Vezina Trophy
When to Bet Central Division Futures
Like futures for other sports, there’s an art and science to betting NHL futures. The trick is to properly time your bet. You don’t want to bet too early without knowing much about how your team or player will perform. But you also don’t want to bet so late that your selection is an obvious winner with a small return.
The Central Division team with the most points is named division winner, subject to NHL tiebreaking rules. Unlike most futures events based on the outcome of a particular game or series of games, the result of a division futures bet is determined by a team’s season performance.
Therefore, you don’t necessarily want to place a bet early in the season, when you have little in the way of team and player performance trends to guide your handicapping. Instead, we suggest waiting until January – and no later than the February All-Star weekend – to place this bet. Be sure to monitor the odds throughout the season with the aim of placing a strategic bet at the right time.
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Division Futures Betting Strategies
Betting NHL division futures is a smarter and less risky alternative to the conference winner or Stanley Cup Finals futures.
First, identify one or two divisions with favorable betting odds. Divisions with an obvious winner don’t necessarily offer the best value. Instead, focus on divisions that have at least 1-2 likely contenders. Specifically, look for teams with mispriced odds, meaning those that oddsmakers consider bigger underdogs than your own handicapping suggests. Bets on these teams will offer better value.
Second, eliminate the least likely teams from consideration. Most NHL divisions have 2 dominant teams likely to win the division. Focus on these teams and ignore the longshots, particularly those that start the season as big underdogs. Then, carefully monitor their progress throughout the first third to half of the season.
Third, review each team’s schedule, particularly games in the latter part of the season. Results from January and February games could make or break a team’s chances of winning their division. Know whether your teams are likely to win or lose late-season games. Not all schedules are created equal.
Fourth, assess the health of each team’s key players. Will the team’s starting six, first line, and top substitutes be in good shape to finish out the season? How are the goalies playing? Are the team’s leading scorers likely to maintain their form? Does the team have enough depth to balance any injured starters? When top players get injured, and the team doesn’t have a deep bench, odds to win their division will quickly move to underdog status.
Tiebreaking Rules Matter
Finally, understand how NHL tiebreaking procedures procedures determine which team wins each division. When two teams have identical point totals, the NHL goes to tiebreakers. Though not a likely contingency, you should keep the first couple playoff tiebreaker rules in the back of your head as you size up the odds. This is particularly important when two or more teams are neck and neck headed into the final games of the season.
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Central Division Teams
The following pages have each Central Division team’s betting odds to win the Stanley Cup, Western Conference, and their respective division. You can also review each team’s season point total odds and their current and past standings.
- Arizona Coyotes Betting Odds
- Chicago Blackhawks Betting Odds
- Colorado Avalanche Betting Odds
- Dallas Stars Betting Odds
- Minnesota Wild Betting Odds
- Nashville Predators Betting Odds
- St. Louis Blues Betting Odds
- Winnipeg Jets Betting Odds
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Central Division Standings
Review current and past Central Division standings for each team.
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | wPct | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Diff | Home | Away | SO | L10 | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z - Dallas Stars | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 0.634 | 113 | 48 | 298 | 234 | +64.0 | 26-11-4 | 26-10-5 | 4-2 | 8-2-0 | W2 |
| x - Winnipeg Jets | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 0.634 | 110 | 52 | 259 | 199 | +60.0 | 27-11-3 | 25-13-3 | 0-1 | 8-2-0 | W8 |
| x - Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 0.610 | 107 | 48 | 304 | 254 | +50.0 | 31-9-1 | 19-16-6 | 2-2 | 4-4-2 | W1 |
| x - Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 0.573 | 99 | 44 | 269 | 248 | +21.0 | 23-16-2 | 24-14-3 | 3-0 | 4-5-1 | L1 |
| St. Louis Blues | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 0.524 | 92 | 38 | 239 | 250 | -11.0 | 25-14-2 | 18-19-4 | 5-2 | 5-3-2 | OT1 |
| Minnesota Wild | 82 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 0.476 | 87 | 36 | 251 | 263 | -12.0 | 20-16-5 | 19-18-4 | 3-3 | 4-6-0 | L1 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 36 | 41 | 5 | 0.439 | 77 | 34 | 256 | 274 | -18.0 | 22-19-0 | 14-22-5 | 2-0 | 6-4-0 | W1 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 23 | 53 | 6 | 0.280 | 52 | 22 | 179 | 290 | -111.0 | 16-21-4 | 7-32-2 | 1-1 | 2-7-1 | OT1 |
Central Division Winner Futures FAQs
A Central Division winner futures bet is placed on the outcome of the Central division. Your bet wins if the team you chose wins the division, subject NHL tiebreaking procedures. You may bet on more than one outcome at once, however the odds for each outcome will likely differ depending on each selection.
Minus values indicate how much you risk to win $100. Selections with a minus value are considered strong favorites. Plus values indicate how much you win if you risk $100. Selections with plus values are considered underdogs. A selection with the lowest plus odds value among a market with no minus value favorite would be considered a modest underdog to win.
Like futures for other sports, there’s an art and science to betting NHL futures. The trick is to properly time your bet. You don’t want to bet too early without knowing much about how your team or player will perform. But you also don’t want to bet so late that your selection is an obvious winner with a small return.
NHL Betting Resources
- NHL Betting Guide – The action is on the ice with NHL point spreads, totals, and puck lines. We also explain how to bet NHL parlays and props.
- NHL Betting Sites – SportsBetting3.com has reviewed top NHL betting sites just in time for the big game. The action is on the ice!
- NHL Odds – Moneyline, total, and puck line odds for upcoming NHL matchups, plus odds to win the Stanley Cup, each conference, division, and various player trophies.
- NHL Prop Bets – Learn how to bet NHL props with our helpful tutorial, then see the latest NHL prop bets from upcoming matchups.
- NHL Futures Odds – Review odds for popular NHL futures events, including the Stanley Cup Finals, Eastern and Western conference winners, division winners, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, and other player awards.
- NHL Point Total Odds – Review regular season point total lines and odds for each team. Remember to place you bet before each team’s first game of the regular season.
- Undefeated NHL Teams – See which teams are still undefeated in the current regular season.
- NHL Team Shootout Records – See each team’s current and historic shootout record from the 2005 season to present.
- Stanley Cup Betting Odds – Latest odds to win the Stanley Cup, plus ways to bet on the Stanley Cup finals.
- Winning NHL Betting Strategies – Intermediate to advanced ways to sharpen your NHL handicapping to place winning hockey bets.
- Handicapping a Hockey Game – Quick primer on what to look for when you’re sizing up an NHL matchup.
- NHL Team Betting Odds – Review odds for each NHL team, including upcoming games, futures, and season specials.