The Presidents’ Trophy in the National Hockey League is awarded to the team with the most points scored in the regular season or the team with the best record during the season. The Presidents’ Trophy is a huge honor for the recipient team each season and has been awarded since the 1985-1986 season.
When it comes to betting on the Presidents’ Trophy, it’s quite simple. You are betting on a futures style of wager where you can predict the recipient franchise in advance. These Presidents’ Trophy odds are released early in the season and it can run alongside you futures wager for the Stanley Cup champion or conference champions.
It is likely that the team to score the most points does relatively well in their regular season, so you can take that into account when trying to predict all of your NHL futures bets. The teams favored for all the different futures markets will be similar – you’d likely see the same suspects at the top of each odds list.
However, sometimes, teams who score the most points all season don’t end up blowing out every other team in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. Successful teams in the regular season can lose in their playoff series. Look at the 2020 Presidents’ Trophy winner, the Colorado Avalanche – they won the award with a record of 39-13-4 and 82 points (the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic so the number seems quite low compared to other seasons with teams having more than 120+). The Avalanche did not progress to the Stanley Cup Final, losing in the second round of the playoffs. So, it is entirely possible for teams to accumulate plenty of points during a season but not win their respective divisions or conferences.
The last time that a Stanley Cup Champion team also won the Presidents’ Trophy was in the 2012-2013 season by the Chicago Blackhawks.
When it comes to reading the Presidents’ Trophy odds, you will see a list of teams, listed in order from most likely to win the award to least likely. The lower the number, the more likely they are to win, and the higher the number the more unlikely they are to win. You may see a team listed as -125, which would mean they are quite likely to win on a futures standpoint. Teams listed at +20,000 odds would be a huge underdog and there is a very slim chance, almost none, of winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
When reading these odds, many sports bettors tend to keep their wagers toward the top of the odds board, but the real value would lie within the middle of the board, where a team may have +4000 odds or so. A $100 wager on those odds would pay out $4100 in winnings.
For the 2021-22 season, Colorado started the season as a big favorite to win the title for a second consecutive year. The last team to win the title back to back years was the Washington Capitals who won the title in 2016 and then again in 2017. However, it’s becoming a tight race for the title at the season midway point as the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights are closing in on the reigning title holders.
Betting on the Presidents’ Trophy odds will make for a fun and exciting season, and you will cheer for every goal – especially if you bet on your favorite team to win! Head over to our online sportsbook and start placing your Presidents’ Trophy wagers today.