Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar should continue large role in the offense after red hot finish to the season without Mikko Rantanen. 

With the NHL season fast approaching, we're once again focusing on regular season player props, just as we did last year when we found significant value across the board. Our picks consistently delivered, with standout performances from players like Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck, who not only hit the over on his win total but also went on to win the Vezina Trophy.

One of our biggest successes came with Connor McDavid. Despite being the most dynamic player in the league, sportsbooks oddly priced him as a pure goal scorer, setting his total at 51.5 goals. At the time, he had only surpassed 44 goals once in his previous nine seasons. We confidently took the under, and it paid off. This type of edge came from going beyond surface-level stats and identifying long-term trends and contextual insights that sportsbooks often miss.

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An offense that fans should never count out is the Colorado Avalanche, who have been one of the most lethal offenses over the last several years and offer a solid value entering the season with Cale Makar. The 26-year-old Calgary native is entering his seventh NHL season and has already solified himself as one of the best blueliners of his generation. With two Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman, a Stanley Cup, and a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Cale Makar has proven he's the kind of talent worth betting on and there aren’t many better. 

He enters this season with a favorable line at 86.5 (-115 on BetMGM) despite surpassing this mark or being on pace to do so in three of the last four seasons. Sportsbooks may be expecting a downgrade when it comes to Colorado's offense as they traded away superstar winger Mikko Rantanen last season. However, since making the trade, the Avalanche have instead produced better offensive numbers. 

Colorado had a 3.24 goals per game average, which was top eight in the NHL but following the trade, they saw an increase up to 3.47 which was top seven in the NHL and helped them finish the season with a 21-9-2 record over their last 32 games of the season. 

Makar taking a bigger role in the offense could be responsible for this as in the backhalf of the season as his numbers started to rise when Rantanen wasn't in the lineup. Makar had recorded 53 points in his first 50 games, giving him a 1.06 point-per-game average that would've projected to roughly 85 points over the 80 games that he played last season. Following the trade however, he took over as a leader and started producing at a much higher rate with 39 points over his final 30 games and boosting his average to 1.30 to close out the year. Over his 80 games, that would've projected out to 104 points, easily covering the over for his point total this season. 

The Avalanche's lineup will also start the season with everyone returning from injuries or suspensions with Atturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews and Valeri Nichushkin all having the off-season to recharge and gear up for another contending season. With the help of his healthy teammates and Makar continuing to carry the offense on power plays and opportunities to jump up into the play, he should be able to easily smash his over. He's seen some missed time over recent years with injuries but based off his averages from last season, he'll need to play in likely 76 games to hit the over, giving fans a six-game cushion of breathing room.

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All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

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