2021 NHL Draft Odds, Props and Best Bets – Owen Power Heavily Favored to Be Selected 1st Overall by Sabres

• Owen Power is still a heavy favorite to be picked first by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft
• Will the Seattle Kraken pass on Mathew Beniers at second? What other over/unders may be interesting?
• Read below for the odds, insight, and betting pick

The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is just about here. It is time to take a look at who could go first, second, etc. There will even be a few surprises tossed in as well.

Besides who the Buffalo Sabres pick on Friday night for the first overall pick, there is the Seattle Kraken at number two. Do they pick Mathew Beniers as many expect or will they look to someone else?

Do not forget to check out the Seattle Expansion Draft odds as well. Make sure to check out the latest sportsbook promos to ensure you are getting the best value when picking those draft picks.

2021 NHL Entry Draft Number One Pick Odds

Odds as of July 22nd from FanDuel

A Chance Power Does Not Go First?

Again, the odds above seem to indicate this is not too likely of a scenario. Power is expected to go first at -1100. What is worse for bettors out there is the over/under prop. That prop has rougher odds at -1400. This makes it difficult to bet the under 1.5. Sure, one can roll the dice and try for the over at +700.

The Buffalo Sabres are not expected to trade the top pick.

Sounds like they’re drafting Owen Power first overall.

I’m not opposed to drafting Power, it’s the safe move but when you already have your franchise defensemen in Dahlin and you’re about to trade your franchise forward in Eichel why not draft a forward? https://t.co/3UV3izy1ZS

— Suffalo Babres (@suffalobabres) July 22, 2021

Again, anything could happen on Friday night. However, Kevyn Adams, General Manager of the Sabres, has gone on record several times saying they will take the best player available. That is even if they have to wait. There is talk Power could go back to Michigan to play college hockey.

Either way, it looks likely Power will be Buffalo’s selection.

Will Matthew Beniers Go at Two?

What do the odds say? Let’s take a look below.

NHL Entry Draft Number Two Pick Odds

Odds as of July 22nd from FanDuel

This could be where there is a little more debate. No one is fully sure on who Kraken GM Ron Francis will pick. Something may be more certain is Beniers is not expected to fall to fifth or below.

The University of Michigan may see the forward play hockey for them this year and he may have company draft-wise with Power and even Kent Johnson joining him. There is a chance all three standouts could be drafted in the top 10 overall.

As for Beniers, again we combed through a lot of scouting reports, mock drafts, and such. One of the best in the business, Russ Cohen, also has him going second to Seattle.

The expansion draft showed Seattle to be a little deficient at the center position (see above). Yanni Gourde is not a number one center and Beniers could be in time. Seattle appears to want to be patient with development as well. Here is a little more on the prospect.

https://twitter.com/claremcmanuss/status/1418305189694558212

The big thing noticed with Beniers and his odds was the fact that his under 2.5 prop on DraftKings matched the odds of getting picked number two on FanDuel at -300. It just looks to be in line with everything else that has been seen leading up to the draft.

After the second pick, maybe things get interesting. However, the first two picks appear to be Power and Beniers as the best bet.

Other First-Round Props

This may be where the NHL Entry Draft gets a little wild.

The next question may be what are the safer props out of the potential top 10 players? From perusing the odds, the third through seventh pick arguably can go either way. William Eklund is expected to go anywhere in this range which is why his numbers tilt to -255 that he gets selected seventh or sooner. He is our best and safest bet out of this group.

NHL Entry Draft Over/Under Odds

Odds as of July 22nd from DraftKings

Here are some more picks for Friday night. Again, a lot of this depends on trades being made inside the top 10 or none at all.

• • Chaz Lucius (U 10.5 at +165)
  • Dylan Guenther (O 3.5 at -115)
  • Kent Johnson (U 9.5 at -115)

Seeing three players go from the University of Michigan in the top 10 will be impressive. Let’s see what happens.