NHL Picks (Today's Free Predictions, Tips, Parlays)

2014 Dallas Stars Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2014

Jim Nill became the GM of this team in April of 2013 after nearly 20 years in the Detroit organization. Just a couple of months later he took a major gamble when he paid a massive price for Tyler Seguin, the second overall pick in 2010, who Boston had given up on primarily because of off-ice maturity issues. It was a brilliant move — easily the best deal of the season in the NHL.

2014 Minnesota Wild Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2014

The Wild has the second-best year in their existence last year, but sadly that wasn’t a particularly high barrier to achieve. In 2003 they shockingly made it all the way to the conference final in just their third year in the league, but they had made the playoffs only three times since and had not won another round. Last year, though, they knocked out Colorado in seven games in the first round then tested Chicago seriously before falling in six contests.

2014 Florida Panthers Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2014

In 2012 the Florida Panthers somehow won their division and made the playoffs for the first time in an eternity. It was an inexplicable turn of events that makes less sense now than it did then — and that’s saying something. Since then, though, they have returned to being the same old franchise we know and ignore.

2014 Chicago Blackhawks Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2014

A year after winning both the President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks finished just third in their division. That would be more of a concern than it was if they didn’t play in a deep division — there was no shame in falling behind Colorado and St. Louis, and they lasted longer in the postseason than either team.

2014 Colorado Avalanche Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2014

The Colorado Avalanche were unquestionably the biggest positive surprise of the NHL season last year. The year before they had finished second to last, and then had earned the first overall selection in the draft — taking Nathan McKinnon. They also overhauled their leadership, bringing back legendary goalie Patrick Roy to act as coach after he had gained experience owning and coaching a junior team.

2014 Columbus Blue Jackets Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2014

The Blue Jackets should be coming into this season with nothing but optimism and momentum. They got off to a slow start last season but closed very strong to make the playoffs and then gave the Penguins a real test in the six-game opening series. Instead of dreaming of the next step forward, though, the team is dealing with a horrible distraction.

2014 Carolina Hurricanes Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2014

It’s a good thing that I didn’t write this preview first. If I had then I would have likely focused quite a bit on Jordan Staal. After a disappointing season last year I was very optimistic about his ability to rebound this year and have a very strong season. He’s still only 26, and he had refocused this summer. He was going to be at the core of this team this year in a way that he never had before.

2014 Buffalo Sabres Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2014

If your house is already on fire and you can’t save it then you might as well pour some gas on the fire so that you don’t have as much clean up to do before you can start rebuilding. That’s the philosophy that the Buffalo Sabres embraced enthusiastically last year after a horrific start to their season — 4-15-1 in their first 20 games.

2014 Anaheim Ducks Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2014

One thing you definitely have to say about the Ducks this year is that they are noticeably less Finnish. Both Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu have retired. Selanne is 44 and Koivu is 39, so that is a lot of veteran experience and leadership for the team to lose. Luckily, neither guy had been contributing close to their peak, so the loss will be felt in the dressing room more than on the ice.

2014 Arizona Coyotes Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2014

The Phoenix Coyotes are dead. Long live the Arizona Coyotes. With new ownership the team is finally acknowledging that they are not actually located in Phoenix. Geographers will be happier, but it is unlikely that the change makes any impact on the ice.

2014 Winnipeg Jets Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2014

Patience is beginning to wear thin in Winnipeg. Don’t get me wrong — these fans love their team like no other fan base, and that isn’t going to change. A team that returned to town with such high hopes, though, has failed to gain any real traction in their time in the NHL’s coldest city. They are the same underwhelmingly average team that they were when they arrived, free agents have been very difficult to attract, and young prospects have either disappointed, struggled with injuries, or are slow to develop.

2014 Vancouver Canucks Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2014

The enduring theme for this Vancouver squad this year is unquestionably “change”. While the change is significant and widespread, there is one that stands out above all others — new coach Willie Desjardins is, mercifully, not John Tortorella. The Tortorella experiment was a brief, seemingly a bad idea from the start, and it was a complete disaster in the end.

2014 Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/16/2014

Every time I preview NHL teams, something predictable happens. I give my opinion of 29 teams, and people are fine with it. But then I say a few honest things about the Leafs — that they are not built to win, that their management and coaching haven’t been ideal, that leadership is a question, that they just aren’t very good, and so on — and I hear all about it from angry Toronto fans. Leafs fans are some of the most passionate in all of sports, but unfortunately passion and objectivity don’t always go together.

2014 Montreal Canadiens Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/16/2014

The Habs made it further than anyone outside of Montreal imagined possible as they came within just two games of a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. Now they have the challenge of building on the momentum created by the overachievement without falling into a trap of tripping over their own egos that are surely inflated by what they accomplished.

2014 Ottawa Senators Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/16/2014

Last year the Senators got off to a truly terrible start — one win in six games in their opening road trip then one more win in the first six games at home. That put them into a hole that they never really were able to climb out of. They finished six games over .500 in the end thanks to a solid mid-season run, but they were not able to make the playoffs.

2014 Edmonton Oilers Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/15/2014

The last season for the Oilers was a disaster pretty much no matter how you looked at it. They couldn’t win. Their young core of superstars didn’t seem to progress (with the exception of Taylor Hall). Rookie coach Dallas Eakins was often just plain bad and seemed over his head far too often. The attitude of the team was lousy — they seemed to quit whenever things got tough. It was yet another disappointment in a decade full of them.

2014 Calgary Flames Predictions and NHL Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/15/2014

The hope among Calgary Flames faithful is that they have bottomed out and that this season marks the beginning of a climb out of dismal mediocrity and into the realms of respectability again. Things have changed immensely over the last couple of years. Franchise legend Jarome Iginla is gone. Miikka Kiprusoff has retired. A team that was criticized for being old and expensive is now almost laughably young, and the biggest issue they face may be staying above the salary cap floor.

Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 6/8/2014

The Los Angeles Kings will match up with the New York Rangers on Monday, June 9, 2014. Our matchup report includes analysis on the teams playing, betting trends, injury reports, and a free pick on who we think is most likely to win.

New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 6/6/2014

The New York Rangers will match up with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, June 7, 2014. Our matchup report includes analysis on the teams playing, betting trends, injury reports, and a free pick on who we think is most likely to win.

New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 6/3/2014

The New York Rangers will match up with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Our matchup report includes analysis on the teams playing, betting trends, injury reports, and a free pick on who we think is most likely to win.