Shane Wright is still the odds-on betting favorite to be selected first overall by the Montreal Canadians ahead of Thursday's NHL Draft, but not without a bit of intrigue along the way.
Wright, a 6-1 center from the OHL, was well north of-1000 for top pick just a few weeks ago.
However, prized prospect and fellow forward Juraj Slafkovsky has significantly closed the gap in the betting market, in what's become a tight race to the finish line.
FanDuel has the best price on Wright at the time of writing, while Caesars is offering the top tag on the Slafkovsky.
| Sportsbook | Shane Wright Odds | Juraj Slafkovsky |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | -210 | +130 |
| DraftKings | -225 | +100 |
| PointsBet | -250 | +120 |
| Caesars | -250 | +160 |
Favorites to go No. 1 overall in any draft have been about as unlucky as Madden cover athletes.
Aidan Hutchinson was chalk for the majority of the NFL Draft cycle, before being usurped by Travon Walker. A few weeks ago in the NBA Draft, consensus favorite Jabari Smith went third.
Meanwhile, tonight's draft appears a two-player race between Wright and Slafkovsky: The prospect with the next-shortest price to go No. 1 is University of Minnesota's Logan Cooley, at +1800 (PointsBet and Caesars) overall.
Cooley is the chalk to go No. 3 behind Wright and Slafkovsky. Here are some other draft spot over/unders and matchups available to bet.
NHL Draft Spot Over/Unders
*Odds via FanDuel
Cutter Gauthier – 5.5
Over: +126
Under: -165
Joakim Kemell – 8.5
Over: +116
Under: -152
Jonathan Lekkerimaki – 8.5
Over: -168
Under: +128
Matthew Savoie – 8.5
Over: -240
Under: +178
Conor Geekie – 12.5
Over: -146
Under: +112
Pavel Mintyukov – 11.5
Over: -114
Under: -114
