Can the Maple Leafs finally go all the way? Who else can spring a surprise this season? David Alter gives his view with his NHL season betting preview.
The stage is set and the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to open the 2024-25 season with a familiar look up front, a revamped defense and a big bet on an unproven goaltending tandem.
William Nylander, Mitch Marner, No. 34 and John Tavares are back at the core and there’s no doubt that they will light the lamp once again. But the key thing to remember this year is they are learning different systems under a new head coach in Craig Berube.
It may result in a better overall record for the Maple Leafs. Over at Bodog Sportsbook, the Maple Leafs are +210 to win it and it’s hard to argue against it. The addition of veteran defenseman Chris Tanev has already been a big improvement. He’s been blocking shots like crazy during the pre-season and that’s only going to continue. Playing defense is contagious and Conor Timmins has won a spot in the opening night lineup. Given who he was up against, I didn’t have that on my bingo card.
As for individual props on any of the core forwards, I’d say bet against in the name of better results for the team. With the exception of one player: Mitch Marner.
Entering the final year of his contract, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go on a William Nylander-style tear to start the season. Bodog has him at 94.5 and I can certainly see the over and his first over 100-point season. That will likely come with a big extension, if it happens. Bodog is paying +185 if Marner gets 100, by the way.
Meanwhile, former Maple Leafs head coach and current New Jersey Devils bench boss Sheldon Keefe has opened as a +450 favourite to win the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. The man has an excellent regular season record with Toronto, leaving with the best winning percentage in franchise history. The Devils missed the playoffs, and the Jack Adams regularly goes to the coach who shows the best improvement in points from the previous year, or sets an amazing overall record like the Boston Bruins did in 2023.
Things will get spicy when the Maple Leafs visit the Devils in Newark this week. Keefe has already opened the regular season with a 2-0-0 record after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in a pair of Global Series games in Czechia.
Another particular prop I like at Bodog is the longest winning streak prop. The Leafs haven’t had a very long winning streak under Keefe, despite their remarkably consistent record. As of this writing, they are tied with the Colorado Avalanche at +1000, which is a good value play.
The biggest question in my mind going into the season is goaltending. Joseph Woll is a great goaltender when he can stay healthy. Anthony Stolarz should compete for a lot of starts as well. But both are quite experienced in terms of carrying the load.
If you are so inclined, Woll is +2800 for most wins by a goalie this season. The sneaky pick I would take in that department is Jacob Markstrom in New Jersey at +1300. The Devils finally have a starting goaltender and I would expect him to get a ton of starts, even though they have Jake Allen as well. All of the pieces are there for the Maple Leafs to go on a run. But after weeks of pre-season and training camp, we’re finally here to see what this team is made of. They are different. But the question remains: Are they different enough to go all the way?