5 Intriguing Detroit Red Wings Prop Bets For The 2021-22 NHL Season

Brace yourself — you are about to read a piece on Detroit Red Wings bets that’s brimming with optimism.

Part of the reason is because we’re going to be selective when referring to things that Wings fans should be excited about. but the other part: There’s enough meat on the bones of the 2021-22 Red Wings season to potentially deliver a similarly progressive campaign that the Detroit Tigers enjoyed this year.

But if there’s anything to glean for betting purposes from the handful of exhibition games this month, it’s been that there are a few Red Wings firmly in position to make a run at the NHL’s Calder Trophy. Let’s take a look at what the early returns can tell us about Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, the team’s point total, and a few other prop bets ahead of the 2021-22 Red Wings season.

Everybody loves (Lucas) Raymond

If you haven’t been paying attention through Detroit’s first five preseason games, Lucas Raymond is awesome. Like, ‘I can’t believe this kid is a Red Wing’ awesome. The 19-year-old Swede is tied for second in preseason points (six) behind only Connor McDavid (ever heard of him?).

Sure, it’s preseason. That caveat is necessary because Brendan Perlini is one of the players tied with Raymond, and the last time Perlini stepped onto an NHL ice surface, he was slipping and sliding his way to a four-point season in 38 games with the lowly 2019-20 Red Wings. 

But Raymond is one of the best power-play facilitators the Wings have had in years, and he hasn’t even played a game yet. His playmaking talent, spatial awareness and passing ability are undeniable, and he has a wicked shot. Alex Tanguay’s revitalized power-play system has the Red Wings firing on all cylinders after finishing 4-for-5 against Chicago on Monday.

If Raymond makes Detroit’s opening-night roster — and he should — he’ll find plenty of highlight-reel situations. That stuff matters to Calder voters, and is why Raymond to win rookie of the year at +2900 (FanDuel Sportsbook) is the best Red Wings-related bet on the market right now.

But you can’t wait any longer. On Monday night, Raymond’s odds to win rookie of the year sat at +3400 on FanDuel and +2500 just about everywhere else. By Tuesday morning, each set of odds dropped by 500 points. 

Raymond’s next preseason game should come Thursday, and for all we know, he might be out of the territory that lumps him in with Michael Bunting and Arthur Kaliyev and into his more rightful place alongside Moritz Seider (+1100), Spencer Knight (+900) and Trevor Zegras (+550) and the like.

Speaking of Moritz Seider …

Seider will be another Red Wings product to keep an eye on for Calder bets. The 6-foot-4 German defenseman is fresh off a ‘D-man of the Year’ campaign in the Swedish Hockey League during his age-19 season and was named the league’s top junior player. You can currently get him at +1200 at a variety of Michigan sportsbooks. including at market leader DraftKings Sportsbook along with BetMGM Sportsbook. 

Seider began dusting away criticism of his offensive upside by putting up 28 points in 41 SHL games a season ago. He became a regular on Rögle BK’s power-play unit and added his first preseason goal Monday night, but he’s more of a Vladimir Konstantinov than a Paul Coffey.

That’s definitely not a criticism; it’s just hard to tell what it means for his Calder chances, an award based on both the aforementioned style points as well as regular points.

But here’s where we land: If Seider does make a run, and he easily could, given his ability to handle every level of hockey he’s played thus far, you’re going to be disappointed about missing out on these favorable NHL odds.

You might want to forget about Ned

One of the prized acquisitions of this year’s offseason, goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is poised to make a run at the Calder in 2021-22 after … *checks notes* … finishing as runner-up for the Calder in 2020-21. 

(Yep, you’ve read that right.)

Nedeljkovic put up a .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals-against-average in 23 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, but technically didn’t play enough games to lose rookie status despite finishing in the top-3 of rookie of the year voting.

Strange, right? The voters will probably think so, too, and this probably isn’t a great bet, despite what the odds say.

But if you feel inclined to throw your support to the new Wings goalie financially, your best odds will be with Caesars Sportsbook (+2000).

Red Wings on the rise for over-under bets

The Red Wings’ lowest over-under point total as of Wednesday was found at Caesars (76.5), and the highest is at FanDuel (78.5). For a frame of reference, their 32-40-10 record in 2018-19 earned them 74 points.

It’s important to remember that although overtime losses shine that record up a bit, it’s still a measly 32-50, and Detroit’s reward for that season was the sixth-best lottery odds, the same as they were this past offseason after the last pandemic-shortened season.

The Red Wings have bolstered their blue line with the additions of Nick Leddy and Seider. They have depth — or something resembling it — up the middle with the addition of Pius Suter. Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi are healthy (or close to it), and one would hope to see another step forward from Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and the other young mainstays in the lineup. 

Electrifying forward Jakub Vrana is out for the first four months with a shoulder injury, and that definitely hurts than the bottom line. But all things considered, this should be a better team than last year’s. By the way, the best odds for Detroit to make the playoffs currently sit at .

Jeff Blashill as coach of the year? Hang on …

No, we’re not seriously going to seriously recommend Jeff Blashill as a bet to win the Jack Adams Trophy.

(Or wait … Maybe we’re actually going to talk about exactly that).

Listen, it’s +10000 odds at most books. Not a bet-your-house moment.

But dramatic turnarounds happen in the NHL from time to time, and this is probably your best overly optimistic, “let’s see what happen” opportunity on the Red Wings bets scale. They’re not going to win the division (+5000) under any circumstances, and a bet on Detroit to win the Stanley Cup garners the same odds as Blashill winning coach of the year.

John Tortorella won the award in 2017 after leading his team to a third-place finish in the Metro, and Bob Hartley won it in 2015 after doing the same in the Pacific with the Calgary Flames. 

The Red Wings’ odds of making the playoffs this year are extremely low. But if they do, it’s reasonable to think that national media will start to raise their eyebrows at “the wonderful job Jeff Blashill is doing in Detroit” — regardless of how you view him. Skip the drive-through coffee tomorrow morning if a flier on Ol’ Blash can win you a few hundred.

Bonus market: An intriguing Hart Trophy odds scenario

Sidney Crosby currently has lower odds (+6000) to win the Hart Trophy than Nedeljkovic (+5000) on FanDuel. The Penguins’ captain is expected to be sidelined until at least the first week or two of the season after undergoing wrist surgery in September, but methinks the oddsmakers doth protest too much. The value is outright preposterous.

Crosby has finished top-five in Hart voting nine years running. Sprinkle this bad boy in, and you could do worse than cross your fingers for some legacy award malarkey.