The NBA Raptors, who defeated the Heat 121-95 in Miami last night and are now one game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, are the talk of the Toronto sports betting scene this morning.
In order to avoid participating in the NBA Play-In Tournament, which will decide the final two postseason seeds (seventh and eighth), the Raptors are attempting to avoid finishing seventh or tenth in the Conference.
FanDuel Market on the GM of the Next Leafs
After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 last night, the Toronto Blue Jays are currently suffering from five straight losses due to several injuries to important players and a flu outbreak in the clubhouse.
Thankfully, today is the last game of the Dodgers series. Shohei Ohtani will start against Dylan Cease. The Dodgers are this morning's DraftKings betting favorites at -171, while the Jays are at +141.
With the help of recent additions like American forward Josh Sargent, who scored the game-winning header on Saturday to seal a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids at BMO Field, MLS' Toronto FC is off to a strong start (3-2-1).
However, the Maple Leafs of the NHL, which are considered to be at the center of the hockey universe, are on a death march as the regular season comes to a close next week. We can't recall a moment when the team's situation was so dire.
One of the worst teams in the NHL right now, with captain Auston Matthews out of the lineup due to knee surgery and no word on his future in Toronto (he has two more years left on his contract at $13.25 million annually after this season).
The Betting Favorite, Mehta
Last Monday, Brad Treliving, the team's general manager, was sacked. Keith Pelley, the organization's president, held a news conference the following day, but it did nothing to allay fan concerns regarding Treliving's managerial abilities.
Who can blame an organization that, while being the most valued NHL franchise ($4.4 billion according to Forbes), hasn't won anything significant in nearly 60 years?
Following Brendan Shanahan's dismissal last summer, the Leafs lack a team president. The Coaches Agency has been contracted by the organization to find a new head of hockey operations.
There is a "Leafs Next GM" market on FanDuel. Assistant general manager Sunny Mehta of the Florida Panthers is the favorite this morning at -122, followed by former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams at +440, owner, vice president, and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League London Knights Mark Hunter at +790, assistant general manager Bill Scott of the Edmonton Oilers at +790, current Leafs assistant general manager Brandon Pridham at +1120, and former NHL all-star defenseman Chris Pronger at +1300.
Emphasis on Data Analytics
Adams is fascinating. Adams was fired by the Sabres in December after the team began the season 14-15-4 and appeared to be headed toward missing the playoffs once more (for the 14th straight season). However, the Sabres' season took a dramatic turn after Adams was fired. With a record of 47-23-8, the Sabres sit third in the Western Conference, and there is speculation that they could win the Stanley Cup.
After the Colorado Avalanche at +300, the Tampa Bay Lightning at +450, the Carolina Hurricanes at +475, the Dallas Stars at +950, the Vegas Golden Knights at +1200, and the Edmonton Oilers at +1200, the Sabres are the favorites to win the Cup when they play the Rangers in New York tonight at -148 (DraftKings).
Armstrong's Chances Increase
Because Pelley mentioned at the news conference that the incoming head of hockey operations must possess experience and skill in data analytics, oddsmakers prefer Mehta. Mehta, a former professional poker player, has established himself as a data analytics specialist with the Stanley Cup winners, helping General Manager Bill Zito.
Doug Armstrong, the current president and general manager of the St. Louis Blues, has plummeted to +1800 following news reports that the Blues will not allow him to terminate his contract. A week ago, Armstrong was a betting favorite.
Bettors Are Watching Pronger
Having led the premier Knights hockey program for more than a decade, Hunter is a true hockey man with a superb reputation. During his tenure as the Leafs' assistant general manager from 2016 to 2018, he was responsible for the selection of some of the team's current star players. One of the best hockey talent assessors available, Hunter would be a great hockey-first addition to a data analytics specialist. Mehta is unlikely to leave warm Florida for a position other than head of hockey operations, though.
Pronger has been promoting a new book in the media lately. The FanDuel Canada Trading Team claims that he is a favorite among bookmakers for the Leafs position.
"Ontarians have their eyes on Chris Pronger, with 15% of all bets to be the next Leafs GM,” a FanDuel spokesperson told Casino.org. “Closely followed by Sunny Mehta and Doug Armstrong. Sunny Mehta’s odds went from +450 last week to -122 today.”
