2024 NHL Draft Betting – Wager on These Two Propositions
Grant White
Host · Writer
The best young prospects worldwide congregate at the NHL Draft to decide their hockey fate every year. This year’s edition is scheduled for June 28 and 29, 2024, at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
By virtue of the worst regular season in recent memory, the San Jose Sharks are scheduled to pick first. With that, they are widely expected to select consensus first-overall skater Macklin Celebrini. The Boston Terriers center has cemented himself as the best player in the draft, thanks to his 68 points in 38 games and the Hobey Baker award in his lone season in the NCAA ranks.
But the intrigue only grows once we look past the first-overall selection.
This year’s draft class features a wide-open field, with a bevy of blue-chip prospects ready to make a name for themselves. We’re looking at two NHL Draft props that should yield an advantage for bettors.
2024 NHL Mock Draft 5.0: Post-Draft Lottery Picks 1-32
No. 2 Overall – Artyom Levshunov (-155)
The Chicago Blackhawks are scheduled to pick second and can target any number of players with the selection. However, a glaring need on the blueline could be filled by a once unexpected name.
Artyom Levshunov has crept up many pundits’ draft boards over the past few weeks. So much so that the Belarussian defenseman is currently priced at -155 to go second overall to the Blackhawks, but even that price doesn’t do this pick justice.
The Hawks desperately need a quality defender to add to their blueline. Seth Jones has been the team’s lone stalwart over the past few seasons. Although Chicago drafted Kevin Korchinski as the seventh overall pick in 2022, his -39 rating and 41.1% expected goals-for percentage leave much to be desired.
Enter Levshunov, who could solve all of the Blackhawks’ problems. The 6’2" d-man came stateside ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, playing one year in the USHL before joining the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA. He tallied 35 points in 38 games in his freshman season without compromising his defensive responsibility and finishing with a robust +27 rating.
The hazard in drafting European skaters is that there isn’t always a guarantee they will make the jump to the North American game. But with Levshunov already here, the Hawks can be confident that the defender will be a mainstay on their blueline for years to come.
No. 5 Overall – Anton Silayev (+1200)
For better or worse (generally the latter), the Montreal Canadiens haven’t been scared to shoot their shot at the NHL Draft. Over the past decade, Cole Caufield has been the only productive draft pick to hone his craft in the bleu, blanc, and rouge, with the team sometimes overthinking its draft process. We’re betting they stay out of their own way and watch one of the top prospects from this year’s draft class fall into their laps at No. 5.
Anton Silayev is raved as one of the top skaters in this year’s NHL Draft. Rated as the No. 1 European prospect, Silayev has been projected to go as high as second in Las Vegas. But with Levshunov bullying his way to the top and teams apprehensive about selecting Russian nationals, we anticipate Silayev falling into the Habs’ laps.
The hulking blueliner stands at an imposing 6’7", wrapping up his first season in the KHL. A boy playing among men, Silayev finished with a respectable 11 points in 63 games. Still, it’s his size and skating ability that set him apart. Silayev can quickly close gaps and use his reach a la Zdeno Chara to make plays in the attacking and defending zones.
The Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets could prioritize a few players ahead of Silayev. We’re betting that happens and that the Canadiens don’t let Silayev slide past the fifth-overall selection at the end of the month.
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