Just one team - the Nashville Predators in 2017-18 and 2018-19 - has won the Central Division in consecutive seasons over the last 12 years. The parity has been unrivaled.

While the Colorado Avalanche are likely to buck that trend, there isn't much value in backing them to do so.

Today, we'll be exploring the best way to attack the Central Division futures market.

The favorites

The Avalanche (-340) have the shortest odds of any team in the NHL to win their division. Understandably so.

There is no Achilles heel with this team. Offensively, they're as good as anyone. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog spearhead the attack - at even strength and on the power play - and there's no shortage of quality depth behind them.

Defensively, they're much more stout than they get credit for. Everyone knows about the production Cale Makar, Sam Girard, and Co. bring to the table. But their defense core can also defend with the best of them. The Avalanche actually allowed expected goals at a lesser rate than every team in the NHL at five-on-five. They really don't give up much.

When they do, they figure to be in good hands with Darcy Kuemper and a healthy Pavel Francouz. Each netminder owns a .925 save percentage at five-on-five over the last three years which, for perspective, puts them on par with annual Vezina candidate Connor Hellebuyck (.924 save percentage).

Unless this team suffers a multitude of injuries, they're winning the Central.

The rest

The Dallas Stars (+800) figure to be a strong team this season. They finished third in expected goals share a year ago despite an overwhelming amount of injuries. With better health and the addition of Ryan Suter to stabilize the top four on defense, they should win a lot of games. Enough to make the Avs sweat? Probably not.

The Minnesota Wild (+800) are likely to take at least a small step back. The Wild shot the lights out in 2021, leading the league in five-on-five shooting percentage and benefiting from the highest PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) in the NHL. They have talent on the roster, but probably not enough to sustain those kinds of numbers. Replacing Suter with Alex Goligoski is a step in the wrong direction, and the team's stable of high-end prospects probably needs at least another year before making an impact.

The St. Louis Blues (+1500) don't strike me as a team with a chance of knocking off the Avalanche. Only the Detroit Red Wings generated expected goals at a lesser rate than St. Louis last season. The Blues did their best to rectify that, bringing in the likes of Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich to round out the top six. I don't know if Craig Berube is the coach to get the most out of those guys, though, and it's anyone's guess how much longer Vladimir Tarasenko sticks around. Their defense isn't as good as it gets credit for, either. On paper it looks fine, but they ranked 18th in expected goals against per 60 and 20th in high-danger chances against last season, and have no real upgrades. The only notable difference is they lost Vince Dunn to the Seattle Kraken.

The Winnipeg Jets (+1500) are an interesting side to consider. They have a potent offense and one of the league's best netminders. What's largely held them back in recent years is their blue line, which should be much better in 2021-22. Brenden Dillon is a rock-solid defensive defender and Nate Schmidt is only a year removed from playing at a borderline top-pairing level. They're not world-beaters, but they're quality pieces that significantly upgrade the top four.

The Chicago Blackhawks (+2500) are a better team than a year ago but the hill is much too large to climb. They're overrated on the betting market, as I recently explained. They just don't have much scoring depth and their overall team defense is not where it needs to be to compete in such a strong division.

Nashville (+6000) was only able to sneak into the playoffs last season despite all-world goaltending from Juuse Saros. There isn't much reason to believe they'll be better this year, especially with the departure of Ryan Ellis.

You don't need me to tell you the Arizona Coyotes (+10000) are a complete write-off. They lack high-end talent, depth, and their goaltending tandem might be the league's worst. Let's call a spade a spade. It's tank season for Arizona.

Best bet: Winnipeg Jets (+1500)

Let me preface this by saying, again, I fully expect the Avalanche to win the division. It would take an alarming string of injuries, suspensions, or unforeseen circumstances to prevent that from happening. But with the odds implying a 77.8% chance of winning the Central, there simply isn't much value.

That's why I'm going with the Jets. Led by Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Nik Ehlers, we know the offense is formidable. The Jets are also in great hands with Hellebuyck routinely stealing games in net. If the defense is better, as it should be, they have arguably the highest ceiling in the division outside of Colorado.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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As a byproduct of realignment, there was no Metro Division in the NHL last season.

The Washington Capitals look to pick up where they left off a year prior and extend their streak to six consecutive Metro titles.

Three teams have shorter odds than the Capitals to claim the division title ahead of the 2021-22 season. Is there value in backing a changing of the guard?

The favorites

Unlike the other three divisions, there's no clear-cut favorite atop the Metro. The implied odds suggest six different teams have at least a 15% chance of winning the division.

Most heavily favored are the Islanders (+350), who made it to the Final Four just last season. Their roster isn't littered with flashy stars, but they have more than enough offense to get by given the impeccable defensive structure implemented by coach Barry Trotz. They're positioned well in goal, too, with Semyon Varlamov and super sophomore Ilya Sorokin manning the crease on a nightly basis. They're a safe bet to flirt with a point total in the high 90s and a division title.

Next in line are the Hurricanes (+400). They look extremely potent up front, though there are some red flags. Dougie Hamilton, arguably the best play-driving defenseman in the NHL, is a huge loss on the back end. Ethan Bear and Tony DeAngelo, while useful players, are unlikely to make up for the value departing.

I also have some concerns about the Hurricanes in goal. They finished second in team save percentage at five-on-five last season, yet are returning zero of the three goaltenders they used. Instead, they're going with free-agent signings Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. The former ranks 71st in goals saved above expectation over the last two seasons and has dealt with some injury concerns; Raanta has played only 12 games in two of the last three years due to a laundry list of injuries. Not ideal.

The Rangers (+400) are overvalued in the betting market, as we addressed last week. They had fairly good health a year ago yet couldn't make the playoffs. Now with first-line winger Pavel Buchnevich gone, and nothing but grit and intangibles added to the roster, they're implied to have only a 37% chance of missing the playoffs in a tough division? I'm not buying that for a second.

Washington (+450) is a solid but flawed team. They have star power up front and a consistently strong power play, but goaltending is a concern. Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek both allowed at least six more goals than expected last season. If they take a step forward, which is possible given their youth, the Capitals could win the division. They'll fall short otherwise.

Backing Pittsburgh (+500) to win the division seems difficult to stomach. They've routinely been in the mix despite waves of injuries. With better health, it's easy to see value in the Penguins. But better health simply doesn't appear to be in the cards. The season hasn't even started yet and both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are on the shelf.

Philadelphia (+550) should be more competitive. They have a deep group up front, Carter Hart couldn't play worse than a season ago, and the addition of Ryan Ellis makes the top pairing a whole lot better. But there could be some self-inflicted damage holding the team back. Rasmus Ristolainen is destined to be significantly overused in a top-four role. Meanwhile, Martin Jones, who has posted a sub-.900 save percentage three years in a row, hardly seems like an ideal safety net behind Hart. Those two players, in particular, could offset a lot of the good the rest of the roster does.

Best value: New Jersey Devils (+1800)

This will be no surprise to those who saw my best bets to make the playoffs, but the Devils fit the bill here. Are they likely to win the division? Of course not, but their chances are better than their implied odds of 5.3% suggest.

Their forward core figures to be quite potent. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Yegor Sharangovich, and Jesper Bratt are all very good young players poised to take the next step, while the addition of Tomas Tatar gives them some quality veteran support in the top six.

New Jersey's defense is in much better shape as well. Hamilton is a true No. 1 capable of playing big minutes and producing against anybody. Ryan Graves also provides some much-needed stability in the top four and penalty kill. Those additions help the likes of Damon Severson, Ty Smith, and P.K. Subban slot into more appropriate roles.

In goal, Mackenzie Blackwood is a solid bounce-back candidate, especially with the improvements defensively, and Jonathan Bernier is a strong platoon partner.

Top to bottom, this team is much improved. If the kids are ready for prime time, the Devils will be much better than most expect.

Best bet: Washington Capitals (+450)

I'd like to back the Islanders, who appear to be the least flawed team in the division, but we bet numbers, not teams - and there's more value on Washington.

Led by Alexander Ovechkin, the offense is always potent. We can bank on that and what should once again be a strong power play.

The team's defense was also surprisingly stingy in Peter Laviolette's debut season as Washington's coach. The Capitals ranked seventh in expected goals against at five-on-five, slotting them just behind the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning. That's why the Capitals were just a point shy from an East Division title last year despite subpar goaltending.

If either Samsonov or Vanecek can take a step forward, the Capitals have a real chance at winning the Metro. I'm happy to take a stab at +450.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The Montreal Canadiens are a truly historic franchise that has succeeded in pretty much every way imaginable.

However, believe it or not, the Canadiens haven't rostered a Calder Trophy winner since Ken Dryden in the 1971-72 season.

This looks to be the year that changes.

Only listing players with odds 30-1 or shorter.

Cole Caufield (+300)

There are a lot of unknowns with rookies. You generally can't predict how quickly they'll pick up the NHL game, what kind of role they'll play, or which players they'll skate on a line with prior to getting money down. That's not the case here, which is why we start things out with some chalk.

A lot of these rookies might be good NHL players - we already know Caufield is. He has eight goals and 17 points through 30 games (playoffs included) and is one of the biggest offensive threats on the roster. He actually led all Canadiens in points per minute at five-on-five during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. That was no fluke as he generated scoring chances at a more efficient clip than all but Brendan Gallagher.

Caufield is a dynamic and productive player who will get all the opportunity in the world playing alongside Tyler Toffoli and Nick Suzuki on the top line. As long as he stays healthy, it's hard to see another rookie putting together a better season.

Spencer Knight (+1000)

This is both a pro-Knight play and an anti-Sergei Bobrovsky play. Knight is one of the best prospects in hockey. He was a high pick, dominated the NCAA ranks, and showed well during his cup of coffee with the Florida Panthers late last season.

Simply put, he appears ready for a prominent role at the NHL level. That's good news because the Panthers likely need him to take one.

Bobrovsky, despite his enormous salary, is a subpar goaltender at this stage of his career. While the Panthers aren't going to throw him by the wayside entirely, it's within the realm of possibility he loses his job as the starter.

Should that be the case, you're looking at a top-tier goaltending prospect playing regularly for a team that - if the netminding holds up - could challenge for a division title.

It's a good environment for Knight to pile up wins and enjoy success in his rookie campaign.

Lucas Raymond (+2500)

The Detroit Red Wings are heading for yet another long season. They're a bad hockey team and play in an unforgiving division, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Panthers, among others.

Add in the fact one of their best players, Jakub Vrana, is already out long term with an injury, and the outlook for the Red Wings is even bleaker.

There's always a bright spot, though, and Raymond is destined to be that for Detroit. Last season he averaged more than .50 points per game in the SHL, which is very impressive for an 18-year-old playing in a professional league.

The ultra-talented winger should step into Detroit's lineup immediately and see plenty of ice. Developing youngsters like Raymond is priority No. 1 for the Red Wings. There's even more opportunity to go around with Vrana out of the picture. If you want to take a stab on a wild card, so to speak, Raymond is the guy.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The last six Norris Trophy recipients have all been first-time winners, and today we're looking at three other defensemen who are good value to extend that run.

Only listing players with odds 40-1 or shorter.

Dougie Hamilton (+1200)

Hamilton doesn't get enough credit for how good he is. Over the last three years at five-on-five, he's led all defensemen in Corsi For rating and expected goals for percentage. He also posted a strong plus-38 goal differential in that span. He's as good as there is in terms of driving play and tilting the ice in his team's favor.

Hamilton is also a remarkably consistent offensive producer. He has scored at least 10 goals in seven consecutive seasons. His overall production has quietly reached new heights, as he's averaged 66 points per 82 games over the last two years.

He is walking into a pretty nice situation in New Jersey, where he'll be the undisputed No. 1 defenseman and play a ton of minutes in all situations. There's plenty of talent to move the puck up to, headlined by former first overall picks Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. And the system is tailor-made for a player like Hamilton; Lindy Ruff is all about playing with pace and will give the green light to Hamilton when it comes to jumping into the play.

If Hamilton has a big offensive season and can help the Devils sneak into the playoffs, he'll garner real consideration for some hardware.

Aaron Ekblad (+2000)

Ekblad was the talk of the town in the first half of the COVID-19-shortened 2021 season. He was logging more than 25 minutes per night for the surprisingly good Panthers and scoring goals at a torrid pace, finding the back of the net 11 times in just 35 games.

His season ended prematurely due to injury, but the level at which Ekblad was playing was extremely high, and people were taking notice. He received a lot of the credit for Florida's eye-opening season.

The Panthers are now firmly on everyone's radar and, on paper, could be even better than a year ago. A full season of Sam Bennett - who was fantastic following a change of scenery - and newly acquired Sam Reinhart will make Florida more potent up front. Ekblad's return makes them that much better on defense.

If the 2021-22 version of Ekblad is anything like the guy we saw prior to his injury, he could become the first Panthers player to win the Norris.

Darnell Nurse (+4000)

Personally, I think Nurse is a little overrated. That doesn't matter, though because I'm not the one voting on the awards.

On the surface, it's easy to see why so many voters love him. Nurse is a big, strong defender who isn't afraid to throw his weight around, which endears him to a lot of people; so does his ability to handle extreme workloads. Nurse played upward of 26 minutes per game a season ago. Logging big minutes, playing physical, and producing points are all things that get you noticed. Nurse meets the criteria.

While Dave Tippett would probably like to lessen the burden on Nurse - 25-plus minutes is a lot to play over an 82-game season - I'm not sure the Oilers have the horses on defense to make that happen.

Nurse is likely heading for extreme usage once again. Whether he's efficient or not, he's going to put up a bunch of points. Doing so, while playing the physical style many traditionalists gravitate toward, makes him a great value to win the Norris.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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We recently sought out the best value on the board for teams to miss the 2021-22 NHL playoffs.

Today, we're flipping the script and sharing best bets for teams to reach the postseason.

New Jersey Devils (+170)

Going from the 29th-ranked team to a playoff outfit within a year is quite the jump, but the Devils are capable.

They were a much more competitive team than their record suggested last season. New Jersey ranked 13th in Corsi For rating and 18th in expected goals while often playing opponents pretty evenly in terms of shot and chance generation.

The club's biggest issues - aside from a significant COVID-19 outbreak that caused almost every player on the roster to miss time - were special teams and goaltending.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald promptly addressed those concerns this offseason while adding Tomas Tatar, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Jonathan Bernier without losing anyone of note.

Tatar has averaged 61 points per 82 games over the last three seasons. He'll provide a nice offensive boost at even strength and on the power play. The same can be said of Hamilton, who's an elite shot-generator from the back end, and he ranked 13th in five-on-four points from 2019 to 2021.

Last year Graves played more shorthanded minutes than every other player on the powerhouse Avalanche. He can now fulfill a prominent role on a penalty-kill unit that conceded more goals than every team but the Flyers last campaign.

The Devils also look to be in much better shape in goal. Mackenzie Blackwood - now fully recovered from his COVID-19 bout - is a safe bet to rebound behind a more stable defensive core. Meanwhile, Bernier - fresh off posting a rock-solid .914 save percentage with the Red Wings - will give the Devils a high-quality backup they can trust.

Combine all that with the continued improvement of youngsters Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Ty Smith, among others, and it's not unreasonable to think the Devils can make a huge leap in 2021-22.

The Devils are one of the most undervalued teams on the betting market with their implied playoff probability of just 37%.

Seattle Kraken (-130)

The Kraken didn't come away with the optimal expansion draft haul. They passed up some quality players in favor of complete unknowns, and the front office didn't pry free any extra draft capital in the process.

While that rightfully left a bad taste in the mouth of some, Seattle is still well-positioned to be competitive from the get-go.

There might not be much star power up front, but with Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, Yanni Gourde (once healthy), and Jared McCann leading the way, there's enough to get by offensively, especially with a potent bottom-six behind them.

Defensively, the Kraken look to be in excellent hands. While Mark Giordano is no longer at the peak of his powers, he's still a strong top-four option. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak are among the league's better defense-first defensemen, and Vince Dunn gives the group much-needed offensive flare.

The Kraken won't make head-scratching defensive blunders very often. When they do, they're in good hands with netminders Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger there to clean up the mistakes.

Grubauer owns a .918 save percentage over the last three years and is coming off a Vezina nomination with the Avalanche. Dreidger hasn't handled nearly the same workload, but his results are even more staggering. He's posted a .931 save percentage since entering the league, which is the best among the 69 eligible goaltenders (2,000-plus minutes played).

It's fine if you're still not sold on Seattle. But you don't need to be bullish on the Kraken to like their playoff chances.

The team plays in an extremely weak division. The Vegas Golden Knights are the obvious favorite to finish up top, but it's a free-for-all after that. There are glaring flaws facing the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.

It's possible, if not likely, the Kraken are a top-two team among that group. Heck, they might be able to finish behind two of those squads and still sneak into the postseason.

Given the quality of their defense and goaltending, I'm happy to take my chances on them making the playoffs in a very underwhelming Pacific Division.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The 2021 NHL season is just around the corner, meaning it's time to kick preview content into high gear.

We'll be combing through plenty of futures markets leading up to opening night. Up first are a couple sides that seemingly have short odds to miss the postseason.

Chicago Blackhawks (+100)

The Blackhawks garnered a lot of hype following a very noisy offseason, and on the surface, it's easy to see why.

Chicago acquired Seth Jones in a blockbuster deal with the Blue Jackets, pried Vezina finalist Marc-Andre Fleury from the Golden Knights, and plucked Tyler Johnson from the Lightning in a cap dump. Add in captain Jonathan Toews' return, and there's a lot of name-brand talent being infused into the lineup.

While the team undoubtedly improved, I think the pendulum has swung a little too far.

The Blackhawks ranked 30th in five-on-five Corsi For last campaign, and no club controlled a lesser share of the expected goals. Their underlying numbers were awful, and the squad tied the offensively inept Ducks in terms of five-on-five goal-scoring. The Blackhawks were a really bad team.

Jones is an upgrade for Chicago, yes, but his teams have actually fared better in expected goals share without him on the ice in three consecutive years. He's not the magic elixir for the Blackhawks' play-driving problems.

Johnson doesn't tilt the ice in his club's favor, either, and it's fair to question just how much of a difference Toews - who's 33 and just spent a year out of hockey - will make in that regard.

And even with Fleury in goal, there is reason to believe Chicago will struggle to outscore its problems. With Pius Suter walking in free agency, the Hawks only have three forwards on their roster who a) played in at least 20 matchups last season and b) averaged more than 0.5 points per game.

Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, Jujhar Khaira, and Ryan Carpenter, among others, are unlikely to provide adequate secondary scoring behind the big guns.

Chicago also plays in a very difficult division. Five Central teams - the Avalanche, Wild, Jets, Blues, and Predators - qualified for the playoffs last year. The Stars were also knocking on the door despite an unfathomable amount of injuries to key players throughout the season.

It's a lot of competition for a club that, while improved, still has plenty of flaws.

New York Rangers (+160)

These odds imply the Rangers have a 38.5% chance of missing the playoffs. Fun fact: The odds are greater than that.

New York missed the postseason last year despite what I'd consider fairly solid team health. Players like Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and K'Andre Miller all missed six contests or fewer. The majority of the Rangers' best pieces were consistently available, and the club still fell short.

And it's not as if the Rangers went out and noticeably improved their roster - quite the opposite. Trading Buchnevich to the Blues in exchange for Sammy Blais and a draft pick was a huge step in the wrong direction.

Buchnevich is an unquestioned first-line talent who sits 21st in five-on-five points over the last two campaigns. Losing him and getting Blais - a role player who has averaged 30 points per 82 games for his career - as the lone player in return is ... not great.

Sure, New York saved a good chunk of cap space with the trade. But the franchise hardly used it optimally, spending big on Barclay Goodrow ($3.64 million per season over six years) and trading for enforcer Ryan Reaves ($1.5-million cap hit).

I do love the star power on this roster. The Rangers have some of the best players in the league at each position - Artemi Panarin on the wing, Zibanejad at center, Fox on defense, and Igor Shesterkin in goal - but that wasn't enough to make the playoffs during the last campaign, and now that they've got a worse supporting cast, New York is getting too much credit from the market.

The Rangers very well might qualify, but it's more of a 50-50 proposition, so I'm happy to take a shot at +160.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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