We’ll never forget the Mason Taylor game.
Sure, the New York Jets are 0-4 for the first time since they opened the 2020 season with 13 straight losses.
Sure, it wasn’t cool seeing how mad first-year head coach Aaron Glenn was on the sidelines last night as his offence continued to pile up the mistakes and penalties.
At least this time around, the Jets seem to have found a potential gem at tight end in the rookie first-round pick.
If you tailed my best bets in Monday’s Morning Coffee column, then you went 5-0 with my game picks for Monday Night Football.
And if you follow me on X, you might have decided it was a good idea to climb the Mason Taylor ladder with me.
And if you watched our pre-game and half-time features with Davis Sanchez and Tekeyah Singh, then at the very least you were a witness as the hot streak continued for the TSN Betting team in the final stops for NFL Week 4.
Turning the page this morning, we’ve got a lot to catch up on as we get set to hit another gear in October.
Hopefully, next month looks a lot like this month when it comes to the results of our FanDuel Best Bets.
The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills are a combined 8-0 entering Week 5 of the NFL season, although I wouldn’t guess that was the case based solely on how I’ve heard people talk about the league’s two remaining undefeated teams.
We’re also on to Week 18 in the CFL with a three-game schedule on tap, including a showdown between the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
The NCAA Football season rolls on as Oregon and Ole Miss continues to climb the polls in college football after a pair of high-profile wins over the weekend.
What a performance by Dante Moore, and what a win by the Ducks at Penn State on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever will meet in a must-win Game 5 tonight to determine which team advances to the WNBA Finals.
Then there’s the MLB Postseason, which begins with four games starting this afternoon.
Toronto Blue Jays fans will have to wait a little longer to find out who they will play in October after finishing with the best record in the American League.
Interestingly, the Blue Jays will begin their postseason around the same time the Toronto Maple Leafs start their regular season schedule, with NHL Opening Night exactly one week away.
FanDuel is celebrating hockey’s return with Future’s Day this Friday, Oct. 3, and the TSN Betting team will continue the countdown to Opening Night with plenty of season preview content featured on all TSN platforms.
Over the past few months, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers seemed like an obvious favourite to win it all again thanks to one of the most complete rosters in the NHL.
Then a devastating injury to captain Aleksander Barkov led to a significant shakeup in FanDuel’s futures markets late last week.
It also sparked an interesting conversation about where the Panthers belong in the updated NHL power rankings.
Let’s break it down and circle another FanDuel Best Bet in this Morning Coffee for Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.
Barkov injury shakes up FanDuel NHL futures markets
The Panthers opened +750 to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions at FanDuel.
At the time, the Carolina Hurricanes were the only other Eastern Conference team that could be found at shorter than +1600 odds to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel.
Yes, the same Hurricanes that are a combined 1-16 in Eastern Conference Final games the previous four times they’ve made it that far.
Florida emerged as the favourite after re-signing free agents Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad.
While the team’s other moves flew under the radar in comparison, the Cats signed Jeff Petry, Nolan Foote, Tomas Nosek, and backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov.
The Panthers also re-signed 2021 first-round pick Mackie Samoskevich, who scored 15 goals and registered 31 points while averaging just 13:19 of ice time in 72 appearances last season.
With Barkov and Tkachuk out long-term, Florida’s depth will be that much more important this upcoming season.
While they can’t afford any more significant injuries, I’m not convinced the Cats can be completely overlooked as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
Remember, it was Bennett who won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the Panthers with 15 goals in 23 games during last year’s Stanley Cup run.
It was Marchand who finished as a close second choice in FanDuel’s Conn Smythe Trophy markets after registering 10 goals and 20 points in 23 playoff games.
A third line made up of Marchand, Anton Lundell, and Eetu Luostarinen combined for 21 goals in 23 postseason games.
Lundell is a 23-year-old former first-round pick that has improved year-after-year as a two-way centre.
Luostarinen is a 27-year-old former second-round pick who will have a full postseason and off-season to improve his chemistry with Lundell and Marchand.
Veterans Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Evan Rodrigues are all back.
If the Panthers go with Reinhart, Verhaeghe and Bennett as their top line, and run it back with Marchand, Lundell, and Luostarinen behind them, that would leave a third line featuring Rodrigues, Samoskevich, and one of Nosek, Jesper Boqvist or Luke Kunin.
Not bad, especially when you consider Tkachuk will return at some point and general manager Bill Zito could still make a deal or two to bolster his forward core.
Florida already has one of the deepest defence cores in the NHL, with Petry and Foote joining Ekblad, Seth Jones, Gustav Forsling, Niko Mikkola, and Dimitry Kulikov.
Sergei Bobrovsky went 33-19-2 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage last season.
Bobrovsky just turned 37, so the Cats will need the FA signing Tarasov to provide some effective relief to keep their veteran goaltender fresh this season.
How did FanDuel react to the Barkov injury news?
The Panthers went from the Stanley Cup favourite at +700 to the sixth choice to win it all at +1100.
We also saw slight adjustments to their odds to make the playoffs, division winner odds, and their odds to win the Eastern Conference.
There was something else I noticed that I thought was particularly interesting about the Barkov injury reaction.
While Florida dropped outside the top five choices to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel, there’s only one team from the Eastern Conference with shorter odds to win it all.
Can you guess which team it is?
Yes, the same Hurricanes that are 1-16 in their previous four trips to the Eastern Conference Final.
Maybe, this is the year that Carolina gets over the hump.
However, if you asked me which of those teams I’d rather bet to win the Eastern Conference this morning, I’d still take Florida.
I’m also still not sure which team is best positioned to challenge the Cats for Eastern Conference supremacy.
If you are a regular reader of this column, then you know I locked in the Montreal Canadiens to make the playoffs at nearly two-to-one odds earlier this off-season as one of my favourite NHL off-season bets.
The Habs are down to -105 to make the playoffs now.
As for the rest of the conference, the Lightning would be an obvious choice as the top challenger in the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay is a +200 favourite to win its division.
Then there’s Florida and the Toronto Maple Leafs at +300 to win the Atlantic.
The Ottawa Senators are the fourth choice at +750.
The Canadiens are +1200 to win their division, followed by the Buffalo Sabres at +2200, the Detroit Red Wings at +3300, and the Boston Bruins at +6000.
Isn’t it interesting how the Maple Leafs went seven games against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers last season, yet their odds to win their division and to win the Eastern Conference took a massive hit after losing Mitch Marner?
I understand the impact of losing Marner.
Still, it seems like all of the conversation among Maple Leafs fans of late has been about next summer.
I also don’t believe that the New Jersey Devils have a better chance to win the Stanley Cup than Toronto.
Fortunately, we don’t have to bet the Eastern Conference winner right now, although I do have my Panthers’ Stanley Cup ticket in-pocket.
It’s a long regular season ahead, and injuries could have a significant impact on how the season plays out.
Maybe the injuries add up and things go south for Florida this season.
At this point, there’s no chance I’m writing off the Panthers in a wide-open Eastern Conference, especially knowing that Tkachuk will be back and there is still a chance that Barkov could return for the playoffs.
If I had to choose which team is best positioned to capitalize on a potential step back for Florida, it would be Tampa Bay and Toronto.
The Lightning are +500 to win the Eastern Conference.
The Maple Leafs are +750 to win the East.
Which NHL team do you think is best positioned to challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy this season?
With FanDuel and the TSN betting team celebrating Futures Day this Friday, I’d love to hear your thoughts @Domenic_Padula on X.
Have a great day, everyone!
