The NHL is BACK! Betzky’s Tastiest Best Bets and Props to Kick off the Season
Written by: Brad Blakemore
Last Update: Tue Sep 29, 2026, 10:16 am ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
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Tonight is the night. The first puck drop of the on a brand new 84-game NHL season, which means the first NHL best bets article as well. By now, you should have your NHL Futures best bets locked in. Last week we covered three of my favorite awards, covering the Norris Trophy, the top goalie in the league and the Calder for the top rookie.
Early into the season rosters are fresh, motivations are clear, and oddsmakers are still calibrating. That's our edge and why we are specifically pouncing on three NHL player props whose value may plummet in the next couple weeks. Here are three player props, almost ALL at plus money, worth putting money on tonight.
We will be breaking down NHL best bets here at Betting News all season long! Each article will look for VALUE, as in straights you can take to build up your bankroll or pieces you can use to beef up your parlays. All bets will be -135 or better odds. And while we will focus on NHL player props, there are times we will take sides and totals. So keep your eyes peeled here as we will drop these throughout the week.
And if you haven't already be sure to check out some of my favorite futures and awards. So time to lace them up and get ready to ride with Betzky for my favorite NHL best bets of the day.
1. Adam Fox Assist: +105 on Lucky Rebel
Adam Fox is an assist machine in the NHL
BUY THE DIP. The New York Rangers, severely underperformed last year. Yes, their roster is going through a bit of a retool. But even despite this, there felt like more off-ice and luck factors into their plummet to the 23rd best NHL offense. And despite this, they still had a top 5 power play in the league, making this an easy NHL best bet. Out of the three plays in this article, this is the steadiest play of the night. Adam Fox is simply one of the best assist-generating defensemen in the NHL, and he's playing for a Rangers squad that has a legitimate chip on its shoulder heading into a new era for the Rangers.
Last season, in just 55 games, Fox put up 9 goals and 44 assists — 53 points total. That's near point-per-game production on a broken, injury-interrupted campaign. When Fox plays, he produces. He quarterbacks the power play, he drives the offense from the blue line, and Boston — while a tough, physical team — gives up opportunities against elite power-play units.
At some point there Fox's point will be well below -150 and his assist will be at our limit of -135 or lower. That's just how much this Norris winning defenseman produces and why grabbing this discounted price early is an NHL best bet.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
2. Bowen Byram Point: +155 on Lucky Rebel
Bowen Byram gets a chance to be a top defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks
One of most compelling storyline of opening night is Bown Byram leading the Chicago Blackhawks blueline. He was sent from Buffalo to Chicago in a blockbuster trade this summer, letting the Blackhawks get a young top defenseman. Tonight the Blackhawks look to take a step towards being a competitive team against an elite Vegas Golden Knights team. New defenseman on a young squad going against a top team? That doesn't sound like an NHL best bet, but let me explain why it absolutely is.
Vegas just came off an exhausting playoff run, and they're opening the year hosting a Chicago team that is not the same franchise it was two years ago. The Golden Knights will be gassed before October even gets going and Chicago should be ready to pounce. Yes, the Blackhawks will be without top scorer Connor Bedard, but this feels like the ultimate trap game on the schedule, and Chicago could come out quick.
Chicago's new defensive cornerstone signed a six-year, $75M extension this offseason and made absolutely zero effort to hide how locked in he is. In preseason action against Minnesota, Byram scored a hat trick — including the overtime winner 29 seconds into sudden death. This is a man who has something to prove. That he can be a top defenseman in the NHL, and that he has learned from playing behind two of the best in the league; Cale Makar and Rasmus Dahlin.
Byram anchors Chicago's top pairing alongside Alex Vlasic and will log massive minutes tonight. The Blackhawks added Patrick Kane in what will add a bit of magiv to the roster and young Russian stud Roman Kantserov to help prop up the offense while Bedard is out. Vegas is walking into this opener road-weary from a long postseason run — their legs won't be there yet, and they have a new head coach.
At +155, you're getting better than 3:2 on a guy who just went off in the preseason in a sneaky good spot.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
3. Vasily Podkolzin Point: +115 on Lucky Rebel
Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin wait for the puck to try and get a one-timer.
If you are playing next to two of the best NHL players in the world, you are going to produce. And at plus money, there is no reason to shy away from Podkolzin's point tonight in a lopsided matchup against what should be the leagues worst team. This point prop wont be plus money for long, so let's take advantage of this NHL best bet!
Podkolzin re-signed with Edmonton on a 3-year deal at just $2.95M — a bargain that the Oilers absolutely stole. Last season he posted 19 goals and 37 points in 82 games. And while those aren't eye popping numbers, he brings a lot more to his game than just points. Podkolzin led the entire team in hits with 242 (49 more than second place), and scored 18 goals at even strength. He's a physical, relentless presence and now he is playing alongside Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, which means he's skating in prime scoring situations every single night. Sometimes the puck hound who can get bodies off of pucks is just what elite scoring forwards need to produce.
The chery on top is that tonight, he's facing the team that gave up on him. The Vancouver Canucks originally drafted Podkolzin, but eventually let him go to the Edmonton Oilers. There is always extra motivation when playing former teams, and last season Podkolzin has a point in three of the four times he played the Canucks.
Playing alongside Draisaitl against a Canucks team projected near the bottom of the league is a dream come true for a plus money NHL best bet. Motivated by the revenge factor — there's nothing like a season opener against your former team to get the blood pumping. Many have him projected for 20-25 goals and ~50 points this season — and tonight sets the tone
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
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Brad Blakemore, better known as Betzky, is a desert rat who was born and raised in Tempe Arizona. Shockingly this didn't stop Betzky from becoming a hockey fanatic. He specializes in NHL capping, and is (unfortunately) a diehard Coyotes fan, through all the highs and (mostly) lows. When not consuming NHL action Betzky collects records of all genres, attends tons of concerts and spends time with the Mrs, their cat Brain and doggo Ned. Follow Betzky on Twitter/X @gretzkybetzkys or on the Parlay Science discord.
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