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NHL trade rumours for December 2021

Published

3 years ago

6 minute read

It’s been an exciting NHL season so far, though as you can see from some of the odds listed here, the breeze sure seems to be blowing against some of the Canadian teams right now. Let’s be realistic though: there are still several months before the trade deadline on March 21st, and any number of things could happen between now and the playoffs.

If you are currently unfamiliar with how to bet on the NHL from Canada, you may find it interesting that Canadian gamblers have it much easier in this regard than their America counterparts. We’ve listed the current Stanley Cup odds for each team to give you an idea of how the season is going – but a few good trades could still turn things around for any team on this list. Let’s Investigate!

Toronto Maple Leafs (+800)

Toronto sits just a few positions behind current favourites, the Colorado Avalanche as of the time of writing. With only one other team sitting between the Maple Leafs and Colorado, a large number of bets could easily sway this position, as could a particularly bad game on the ice for either the Avalanche, or the Vegas Golden Knights

Teams will be hoping to increase their Stanley Cup odds in the coming month.

In Toronto, defenseman Justin Holl has had a rough go recently and it seems the Leafs have their eye on Jakob Chychrun from Arizona.

Only time will tell if the numbers will continue swinging in the Leafs favour, or if the previously expected balance will be restored. We’ll have to wait until a little later in the season to know for sure.

Boston Bruins (+1,800) / Seattle Kraken (+20,000)

The Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney forms an important part of the Canadian men’s Olympic teams hierarchy in 2022. So far Sweeney seems to be doing an excellent job balancing his roles with the skill and finesse we’ve come to expect from such an accomplished and experienced general manager. Considering his fellow general manager Ron Francis over at the Kraken is also part of the same Olympic team, it’s easy to imagine these two talking trade on a regular basis in the coming months.

Don Sweeney’s thoughts regarding the Kraken’s Mason Appleton, 25, are well known. He believes the Bruins could save a little money in the final year of his contract. It’s not a huge number by NHL standards at just short of a million dollars and in a tight race one player could be enough to make a difference.

Ottawa Senators (+30,000)

The Senators have some tough choices to make right now – general manager Pierre Dorion needs to do something to try and fill the “gaping hole” left in the middle of the ice caused by long-term injuries to Colin White and Shane Pinto. If this were the only problem, a trade or two might just be enough to make a difference – but goaltending has also been shown to a be a problem this season and the lack of a truly effective defence mean that the Senators are, well … in a bit of a mess.

Can Dorion find a way to pull something out of the bag? Or will Ottawa fans be waiting until next season to see their team to return to their past form?

Montreal Canadiens (+40,000)

Those Moneyline odds won’t make great reading for any fan of the Canadiens. Something that has put pressure on their general manager to be looking at making a “full rebuild” of the team as soon as possible. They will need some luck in the NHL Draft Lottery – the Habs are really looking at moving out some big contracts including Jeff Petry and moving in #1 overall prospect Shane Wright to assist in this restructuring effort.

The trouble is, Petry is getting on a bit now (no disrespect meant there, Jeff!), and with three more years to run on a contract with a $6.25 million cap hit combined with less than stellar form on the ice so far this season, the Canadiens might struggle to gain as much benefit from letting Petry go as they may feel is necessary to make it a worthwhile option.

 

In Conclusion…
Expect to see a whole lot of crossed fingers at draft time – there are a lot of teams, particularly those North of the border, who could use more than a little help right now. But with a few fixes in just the right places, some of these teams could make formidable competition to the Avalanche’s domination of the odds so far in NHL 21/22.

Top 8 Stanley Cup Odds according to Unibet as of December 20, 2021

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

Published on March 28, 2025

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The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

  • the draft dragged on for hours;
  • there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
  • frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

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60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on March 26, 2025

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When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

 

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.

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