The NHL season is at its midway mark, and the playoff race is heating up. With the Four Nations Faceoff putting league action on pause until February 22, now is an opportune time to evaluate futures markets. One team worth a closer look is the New York Rangers, currently priced at +130 to make the playoffs at BetMGM. While they’ve struggled early, their recent form and the expected return of star goaltender Igor Shesterkin could make them a strong value bet for a postseason push.
New York Rangers To Make The Playoffs (+130, BetMGM)
We are around the halfway point of the 2024-25 NHL season, with the Four Nations Faceoff taking place over the next two weeks and teams being on hiatus until February 22. As such, now is a great time to start scanning the futures market for some value, and investing in a few teams for the second half of the season. One team that I like at the current price is the New York Rangers, who are +130 at BetMGM to make the playoffs this season.
If you have been paying attention to hockey this season, you know how disappointing the Rangers have been. They got out to a terrible start, and then their superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin went down to injury. At that point, everyone started to immediately sell their stock in New York, but I think they may have sold too early. There is certainly a path for the Rangers to make the postseason, and it starts with the teams that are currently out in front of them.
Right now, New York is just three points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and four points behind the first Wild Card spot. Those two teams are the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings, and if you have read my stuff in the past, you know I really like Ottawa and have a couple futures on them. The Red Wings, however, I am not very high on. They have been very lucky to be where they are, and actually have BOTH a negative goal and shot differential this season. I think regression is coming for them in the second half unless they start to play much better hockey.
The other two teams in front of the Rangers are the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins, who are just two points in front of New York. I view the Jackets as about as mid as it gets this season, allowing almost an identical amount of shots as they take, and goals as well. Boston can’t score, generating just 2.75 goals per game and 27 shots per contest, and they have a terrible -25 goal differential.
The Rangers, even with all their struggles, have just a -3 goal differential so far. They have been playing much better hockey since the start of the new year, and are 5-4-1 over their last 10 games. This is a much better and more talented team than what they have shown so far, and they have started to play more like it with their recent form. In addition to that, it seems as though there is a good chance that they will get Shesterkin back after the Four Nations break on the 22nd.
His return would be huge for New York, as his presence in the net immediately shores up how many goals they will be allowing. Jonathan Quick has done an admirable job in his place, but he isn’t the 2012 version of himself anymore, and Shesterkin would really bolster this team defensively.
With their recent offensive play and the possible return of Shesterkin, on top of not liking any of the teams ahead of them for the Wild Card besides Ottawa, I think taking +130 on the Rangers to make the playoffs is some good value here.