NHL trades and their effects on betting
NHL trades and their effects on betting
The NHL's trade deadline will hit today at 3:00 p.m. (ET), and several deals have already gone down that will impact the rest of this season as we skate towards Lord Stanley's postseason action.
The 2008-09 NHL trade deadline is here, and there’s a whole lot of sorting out to do. A team is only as good as its players, after all.
Some teams have made themselves better right now; others have a more long-term vision, which means they’re cutting payroll. The betting odds for those involved will be on the move as we enter the playoff drive.
We’ll have more coverage of Wednesday’s deadline later on, but for now, let’s catch up on the previous week’s horse bartering.
Feb. 26: Montreal trades center Steve Begin to Dallas for defenseman Doug Janik.
Okay, this one won’t exactly rain shock and awe upon the betting marketplace. Begin’s usefulness is drying up fast at age 30, while Janik is already on his fourth NHL team in five seasons – at least, he will be if he gets called up from the minors. It’s a money saver for Montreal that also opened up a roster spot for them to claim center Glen Metropolit off the waiver wire. Again, nothing earth-shattering, but depth counts.
Feb. 26: Anaheim trades forward Chris Kunitz and left-winger Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh for defenseman Ryan Whitney.
This is an interesting move. Even though defense has been a problem for the Penguins this year, they were getting less and less out of Whitney ever since his return from offseason foot surgery. So what looks like a sacrifice by the Pens to get some beef up front and a future prospect could turn out very much in Pittsburgh’s favor. Kunitz already has three goals and two assists in three games for the Penguins – all victories.
Mar. 2: Atlanta trades defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to New Jersey for defenseman Anssi Salmela
Havelid, Will Travel. This transaction is exactly what it looks like: the Devils picking up a veteran defenseman as a rental. Havelid is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season; he was second among Atlanta blueliners last year with 28 Player Contribution points and retains some power-play skills at age 35. The other two players are inconsequential, at least at this point in their careers.
Detroit Red Wings (-180) at Colorado Avalanche (+168, 6)
Wednesday, Mar 4, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
This rivalry doesn’t have the same zest it did when Claude Lemieux was involved. And the 28-35-1 Avalanche (29-35 ATS, minus-18.35 units) are anything but zesty after losing nine of their last 12 games to fall to the bottom of the Northwest Division. Colorado fans never though they’d miss Jose Theodore, but Peter Budaj (.895 save percentage) and Andrew Raycroft (.894 SV%) have been flops. And the Avs don’t score nearly enough goals to compensate: 2.55 per game, or No. 22 overall. Depth is also an issue after season-ending shoulder injuries to winger David Jones and defenseman Kyle Cumiskey.
The 42-14-8 Red Wings (24-40 ATS, minus-9.64 units) have no problem lighting the red lamp. They lead the league with 3.64 goals per game, and while Chris Osgood (.883 SV%) has been up-and-down this year, Ty Conklin (.914 SV%) has been steady between the pipes. Consider the over if Osgood is pegged to face Colorado, even after his 5-0 shutout win over the Blues the night before. The over is 20-12 this year when Osgood starts.
Despite the differing fortunes of these two clubs, the Avalanche have won all three of their games this season against Detroit, the last two by shootout, to rack up a quick 7.15 units against the moneyline. The Red Wings will try to break the streak without winger Tomas Holmstrom (groin) and defenseman Andreas Lilja (concussion). Holmstrom has 14 goals in 40 games and Lilja is a steady plus-13, but on Detroit, that makes them bench players.
It was uncertain at press time whether Marian Hossa (34 goals in 62 games) would also be unavailable after an awkward headfirst crash into the boards against St. Louis. He was attended to for several minutes on the ice, but was reportedly never unconscious or numb and was scheduled to fly with the team to Denver.
The early odds on Wednesday’s matchup at the Pepsi Center had the Red Wings as -200 favorites at some shops with a total of six goals.
The NHL's trade deadline will hit today at 3:00 p.m. (ET), and several deals have already gone down that will impact the rest of this season as we skate towards Lord Stanley's postseason action.
The 2008-09 NHL trade deadline is here, and there’s a whole lot of sorting out to do. A team is only as good as its players, after all.
Some teams have made themselves better right now; others have a more long-term vision, which means they’re cutting payroll. The betting odds for those involved will be on the move as we enter the playoff drive.
We’ll have more coverage of Wednesday’s deadline later on, but for now, let’s catch up on the previous week’s horse bartering.
Feb. 26: Montreal trades center Steve Begin to Dallas for defenseman Doug Janik.
Okay, this one won’t exactly rain shock and awe upon the betting marketplace. Begin’s usefulness is drying up fast at age 30, while Janik is already on his fourth NHL team in five seasons – at least, he will be if he gets called up from the minors. It’s a money saver for Montreal that also opened up a roster spot for them to claim center Glen Metropolit off the waiver wire. Again, nothing earth-shattering, but depth counts.
Feb. 26: Anaheim trades forward Chris Kunitz and left-winger Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh for defenseman Ryan Whitney.
This is an interesting move. Even though defense has been a problem for the Penguins this year, they were getting less and less out of Whitney ever since his return from offseason foot surgery. So what looks like a sacrifice by the Pens to get some beef up front and a future prospect could turn out very much in Pittsburgh’s favor. Kunitz already has three goals and two assists in three games for the Penguins – all victories.
Mar. 2: Atlanta trades defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to New Jersey for defenseman Anssi Salmela
Havelid, Will Travel. This transaction is exactly what it looks like: the Devils picking up a veteran defenseman as a rental. Havelid is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season; he was second among Atlanta blueliners last year with 28 Player Contribution points and retains some power-play skills at age 35. The other two players are inconsequential, at least at this point in their careers.
Detroit Red Wings (-180) at Colorado Avalanche (+168, 6)
Wednesday, Mar 4, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
This rivalry doesn’t have the same zest it did when Claude Lemieux was involved. And the 28-35-1 Avalanche (29-35 ATS, minus-18.35 units) are anything but zesty after losing nine of their last 12 games to fall to the bottom of the Northwest Division. Colorado fans never though they’d miss Jose Theodore, but Peter Budaj (.895 save percentage) and Andrew Raycroft (.894 SV%) have been flops. And the Avs don’t score nearly enough goals to compensate: 2.55 per game, or No. 22 overall. Depth is also an issue after season-ending shoulder injuries to winger David Jones and defenseman Kyle Cumiskey.
The 42-14-8 Red Wings (24-40 ATS, minus-9.64 units) have no problem lighting the red lamp. They lead the league with 3.64 goals per game, and while Chris Osgood (.883 SV%) has been up-and-down this year, Ty Conklin (.914 SV%) has been steady between the pipes. Consider the over if Osgood is pegged to face Colorado, even after his 5-0 shutout win over the Blues the night before. The over is 20-12 this year when Osgood starts.
Despite the differing fortunes of these two clubs, the Avalanche have won all three of their games this season against Detroit, the last two by shootout, to rack up a quick 7.15 units against the moneyline. The Red Wings will try to break the streak without winger Tomas Holmstrom (groin) and defenseman Andreas Lilja (concussion). Holmstrom has 14 goals in 40 games and Lilja is a steady plus-13, but on Detroit, that makes them bench players.
It was uncertain at press time whether Marian Hossa (34 goals in 62 games) would also be unavailable after an awkward headfirst crash into the boards against St. Louis. He was attended to for several minutes on the ice, but was reportedly never unconscious or numb and was scheduled to fly with the team to Denver.
The early odds on Wednesday’s matchup at the Pepsi Center had the Red Wings as -200 favorites at some shops with a total of six goals.