Best bets to make the NHL playoffs: Release the Kraken

We recently sought out the best value on the board for teams to miss the 2021-22 NHL playoffs.

Today, we're flipping the script and sharing best bets for teams to reach the postseason.

New Jersey Devils (+170)

Going from the 29th-ranked team to a playoff outfit within a year is quite the jump, but the Devils are capable.

They were a much more competitive team than their record suggested last season. New Jersey ranked 13th in Corsi For rating and 18th in expected goals while often playing opponents pretty evenly in terms of shot and chance generation.

The club's biggest issues - aside from a significant COVID-19 outbreak that caused almost every player on the roster to miss time - were special teams and goaltending.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald promptly addressed those concerns this offseason while adding Tomas Tatar, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Jonathan Bernier without losing anyone of note.

Tatar has averaged 61 points per 82 games over the last three seasons. He'll provide a nice offensive boost at even strength and on the power play. The same can be said of Hamilton, who's an elite shot-generator from the back end, and he ranked 13th in five-on-four points from 2019 to 2021.

Last year Graves played more shorthanded minutes than every other player on the powerhouse Avalanche. He can now fulfill a prominent role on a penalty-kill unit that conceded more goals than every team but the Flyers last campaign.

The Devils also look to be in much better shape in goal. Mackenzie Blackwood - now fully recovered from his COVID-19 bout - is a safe bet to rebound behind a more stable defensive core. Meanwhile, Bernier - fresh off posting a rock-solid .914 save percentage with the Red Wings - will give the Devils a high-quality backup they can trust.

Combine all that with the continued improvement of youngsters Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Ty Smith, among others, and it's not unreasonable to think the Devils can make a huge leap in 2021-22.

The Devils are one of the most undervalued teams on the betting market with their implied playoff probability of just 37%.

Seattle Kraken (-130)

The Kraken didn't come away with the optimal expansion draft haul. They passed up some quality players in favor of complete unknowns, and the front office didn't pry free any extra draft capital in the process.

While that rightfully left a bad taste in the mouth of some, Seattle is still well-positioned to be competitive from the get-go.

There might not be much star power up front, but with Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, Yanni Gourde (once healthy), and Jared McCann leading the way, there's enough to get by offensively, especially with a potent bottom-six behind them.

Defensively, the Kraken look to be in excellent hands. While Mark Giordano is no longer at the peak of his powers, he's still a strong top-four option. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak are among the league's better defense-first defensemen, and Vince Dunn gives the group much-needed offensive flare.

The Kraken won't make head-scratching defensive blunders very often. When they do, they're in good hands with netminders Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger there to clean up the mistakes.

Grubauer owns a .918 save percentage over the last three years and is coming off a Vezina nomination with the Avalanche. Dreidger hasn't handled nearly the same workload, but his results are even more staggering. He's posted a .931 save percentage since entering the league, which is the best among the 69 eligible goaltenders (2,000-plus minutes played).

It's fine if you're still not sold on Seattle. But you don't need to be bullish on the Kraken to like their playoff chances.

The team plays in an extremely weak division. The Vegas Golden Knights are the obvious favorite to finish up top, but it's a free-for-all after that. There are glaring flaws facing the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.

It's possible, if not likely, the Kraken are a top-two team among that group. Heck, they might be able to finish behind two of those squads and still sneak into the postseason.

Given the quality of their defense and goaltending, I'm happy to take my chances on them making the playoffs in a very underwhelming Pacific Division.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.