There’s nothing like chasing late steam ahead of a draft.

For those of us that bet on this year’s NFL and NBA Drafts, last night’s NHL Draft was Déjà vu all over again.

Just a couple of weeks after the wild ride that ended with Paolo Banchero going first overall in the NBA Draft, I was locked in looking for any edge I could find betting the NHL Draft on FanDuel.

As it turns out, the big one was right in front of us all for more than a week.

From their opening odds until the final hour before the first overall pick was announced, Juraj Slafkovský was available at plus-money to be the number one pick at FanDuel.
 
While I jumped on Slafkovský to go first overall at a good price early last week and then chased the late steam, I’ll be the first to admit that I would have added to my position on the Slovak winger if I could go back in time.
 
Here’s the TSN EDGE Morning Coffee for Friday, July 8th, 2022.

Slafkovský Goes No. 1 In 2022 NHL Draft

When Bob McKenzie’s Draft Rankings show was released on June 28th, Slafkovský was +450 to be the number one pick at FanDuel.

McKenzie had Slafkovský as the top choice in his draft rankings, which was the first time that I saw any hockey insider with somebody other than Shane Wright at the top of a draft board.

The scouts that McKenzie talked to considered the decision between Slafkovský and Wright at No. 1 a much closer debate than FanDuel’s odds indicated at the time, which provide a unique opportunity for anybody who watched the show and then bet on it.

Within minutes, the odds for Slafkovský to go first overall went from +450 to +130.

Wright’s odds to go No. 1 went from -900 to -210.

Anyone who was able to bet Slafkovský at long odds before the move was in an excellent position.

What most of us didn’t realize was that there was still value betting Slafkovský to go first overall at +130.

While the odds to be the No. 1 pick fluctuated a bit at FanDuel over the following week, anybody that wanted to bet that market at FanDuel could have bet that price for Slafkovský as late as Thursday evening.

At 2 PM ET, Wright was -210 and Slafkovský was +130 to go first overall at FanDuel.

By 6:34 PM ET, Wright and Slafkovský were both -120 to go No. 1.

By the time that the odds were taken off the board shortly before the first overall pick was announced, Slafkovský was -160 to go number one at FanDuel.

As it turns out, Bob McKenzie was right again.

While I bet on Slafkovský early and was able to add to my position in those final minutes before the draft, I still felt a sense of disappointment that I didn’t read between the lines with how that situation would play out earlier, especially after watching Wright fall all the way to the Seattle Kraken at fourth overall.

Meanwhile, Slafkovský to go first overall wasn’t even the biggest upset of the night.

Šimon Nemec closed as the sixth choice to go second overall at FanDuel at +1500.

It's the first time ever that Slovak players have gone 1-2 in the NHL Draft.

It’s just the second time that one country outside of North America had the first and second overall picks in the same draft.

Wright to go fourth overall closed at +1800 at FanDuel.

For all of us that bet on the NFL, NBA and NHL draft over the past couple of months, it really has been unlike anything else that you can bet on at FanDuel.

We’ll have to wait until next April to do it all again for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Stampeders Beat Up On Elks In Battle Of Alberta

The Calgary Stampeders put up 49 points in their win over the Edmonton Elks on Thursday Night Football.

The total was 51.5 at FanDuel.

Fortunately for anybody that bet the over, the Elks did manage to put up six points to push the total over.

For those keeping track at home, that’s five straight overs in the CFL dating back to last week’s games.

The Stampeders covered as a 3.5-point favourite. 

Bo Levi Mitchell went 17-of-22 for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Mitchell is now 14-2 straight up coming off a bye week in his career.

He’s thrown 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions in those games.

Ka’Deem Carey rushed for 104 yards on 12 carries.

Shout out to Eric Cohen for giving out Carey over 72 rushing yards and Calgary -3.5 in yesterday’s Twitter Spaces show.

Shout out to Aaron Korolnek for giving out Edmonton’s team total under.

I’m now 10-3 betting the CFL this season thanks to the guys that join me each week on our TSN EDGE Twitter Spaces show.

Now we turn the page to tonight’s showdown in Regina, with every single one of us on the Ottawa Redblacks at either +10, +9, +8.5 or on the money line versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Roughriders are now a 5.5-point favourite at FanDuel.

The total is 45.5.

Cohen and Davis Sanchez were the first to jump on that spread when it was Ottawa +10, but I was able to follow them closely with Redblacks +9 on Tuesday’s show, so I’ll be cheering along with RNation tonight.

Have a great weekend, everyone.