The All-Star Weekend has come and gone, and as exciting as the new format was, it's time to look ahead to the second half of the season. We're here to help with that by providing our best NHL futures picks. We're going to start with a division winner and work our way up to who is going to hoist the Stanley Cup with our three best bets below.
Along with our best NHL futures picks, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today's action.
Atlantic Division Winner: Florida Panthers (+220 at DraftKings)
Let's start slow. Well, it's not that slow, as we're targeting a team to upset the juggernaut that is the Boston Bruins. Many thought that the Bru-crew could only decline after a record-setting season and the retirement of former captain Patrice Bergeron. However, they still look strong atop the Atlantic, but the Florida Panthers are ready to pounce. They're just 5 points back at this point, and let's not forget how great they've been the past few seasons themselves. It was the Panthers who won the Presidents' Trophy two seasons ago, upset the Bruins in the playoffs last year and ultimately represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.'
Although they fell in that ultimate series, Matthew Tkachuk proved to be their missing piece, and they look destined for another magical run in the second half of this season. They open things up with 3 straight home games beginning with a depleted Philadelphia Flyers team and a Washington Capitals team that can't seem to find the back of the net. Wins here should allow them to grab early confidence and roll that over into the next few months. So, the Panthers taking the Atlantic is the first of our 3 NHL futures picks.