NHL sports betting to remain popular

One thing which is pretty likely to happen is that placing bets on NHL games will continue to be popular with fans. This is because betting on games makes them more exciting to watch – especially ones which involve teams you do not follow. Sports betting can also help bring you closer to the NHL, as you research bets to make.

As more US states legalize sports betting, the number of people adding extra fun to watching hockey through wagering in 2022/23 is likely to remain high. Just remember to find the best promo codes and bonuses for NHL betting if you plan to do this yourself. By hunting down these bonus offers from sportsbooks, you get risk-free bets to enjoy and free cash to wager with!

Unusual start to 2022/23 season expected

While the end of the NHL offseason in 2022 is almost upon us, do not think the new season will get underway as you would usually expect. The first NHL games of the new season are actually scheduled to take place in Prague in the Czech Republic, rather than North America! This will have the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators travelling to Europe to play the first games of the regular season.

This is a big step for the league, as NHL games have not been held in Europe since 2019. In addition to these first two games, there have been European pre-season games this time around and further regular season games involving the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche in Finland planned for November 2022. If they can follow the NFL’s lead in expanding the brand to new territories overseas, decisions like this will help the NHL connect with more fans globally.

Avalanche to mount serious Stanley Cup defense

Every NHL fan knows how awesome the Avalanche were last year and Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup win will live long in the memory. Many people are expecting them to mount a serious defense of their crown in the new season and to be serious contenders for winning back-to-back titles. Although it seems tough, you need to remember that Tampa did the exact same thing not long ago.

This positive view about Colorado’s chances of retaining the title are boosted by the number of key players from last year who they have hung onto. Players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen all played a vital role in their success last time out and should be in fine form again in 2022/23. If new goaltender Alexandar Georgiev can settle in, then the Avalanche have more than enough top-class players to do well.

Hart Trophy race to be tight

As well as the race to the Stanley Cup, every new NHL season also includes the competition to claim the Hart Trophy. This is awarded to the league’s MVP each year and was given to Austen Matthews in 2021/22.

In the new season, we can expect to see not only Matthews looking to claim back-to-back Hart Trophies but also a tight race for the crown. Connor McDavid for example will surely be in the running again if he stays injury free and is a serious threat to Matthews dreams of being NHL MVP again. You also have outsiders such as Matthew Tkachuk to bring into the equation. He scored 42 goals for Calgary last season and could be invigorated by a move to the Panthers in 2022/23 to do even better.

2022/23 NHL season set to be a classic

The start of a new season is always an exciting time, and it is only natural to look ahead to what might occur. As the above shows, there are plenty of things we expect to see, which should make for another outstanding year of hockey action.