My predictions for the NFL Awards 2024 and the betting odds have changed as the season has progressed. It’s time for a fresh inspection of the best NHL betting sites have to offer.
I take a look at the Vezina Trophy for the top goaltender, the Calder Trophy for top rookie performer, the Norris Trophy for top defenseman, and the Hart trophy for the league’s MVP. All four categories are currently showing some intrigue and good betting value, and I’ll take you through the odds below. Check them out, because I’ve included picks, too!
Calder Memorial Trophy Odds And Prediction
All odds are courtesy of BetUS.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor Bedard | -2500 |
| Brock Faber | +850 |
This market was virtually wrapped up the moment Connor Bedard returned early from a broken jaw injury. The talented sniper would not be denied this prestigious trophy in his first professional season and looks poised to win NHL’s Rookie of the Year.
Bedard has put the Blackhawks’ offense on his back many times this season, willing the team to victories when they have no business doing so. The youngster is producing at nearly a point-per-game pace, and it’s not out of the question to see him finish with 30 goals in 70ish games.
For Faber, while this was once a close race, his game has faltered much like the Wild’s playoff chances. His even strength scoring has tailed off over the past month, and the Minnesota product has shown some defensive warts.
It’s a juicy price, but given what Bedard has done on a nightly basis, there’s no way the voters will deny him the Calder Trophy this season. Surrounded by AHL quality, Bedard continues to prove that he’s a big-time star on the rise.
On the downside, the odds are too low at this point, so better stay away from this one.
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds And Predictions
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nathan MacKinnon | -300 |
| Connor McDavid | +500 |
| Nikita Kucherov | +550 |
| Auston Matthews | +2500 |
You know this is a loaded and competitive field when Leafs’ sniper Auston Matthews is this lofty of an underdog, despite already registering 60 goals!
That said, MacKinnon, McDavid, and Kucherov have been racking up points all season long – and all players have played huge roles in getting their respective teams to the post-season. The Hart Trophy goes to the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, and despite the fact that MacKinnon leads the odds board, it’s too tough to count out Connor McDavid.
The shifty Oilers’ centerman has been dynamic since his former coach Kris Knoblauch took over behind the Edmonton bench. McDavid has caught both Kucherov and MacKinnon on points, and has his Oilers primed and ready for a deep playoff run.
Despite Edmonton’s sluggish start in October and November, they have emerged as one of the hottest teams in hockey right now, and McDavid is very much the straw that stirs the drink for the Oilers.
McDavid should finish as the league’s top scorer. Given that he’s very familiar with winning the Hart Trophy, voters won’t think twice about awarding it to him once again. Nathan MacKinnon has put together a thoroughly impressive campaign, but McDavid’s second-half has him very worthy of +500 betting odds to win this award.
James Norris Memorial Trophy Odds And Predictions
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Quinn Hughes | -400 |
| Cale Makar | +300 |
| Roman Josi | +1800 |
Despite both Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar being relatively even on points, it seems as if the voting narrative has shifted to the American-born Hughes on Vancouver’s back-end.
Makar has already won the award and there might be some voter fatigue at play here. That said, Quinn Hughes has been dynamic at both ends of the ice. He’s been especially lethal on the powerplay for Vancouver, and has taken a fringe playoff team and put them firmly in contention to win the President’s Trophy as the league’s top regular season team.
This season from Vancouver truly came out of nowhere, and it simply does not happen without the excellent play from Quinn Hughes on the blue-line. His skating creates chances on every shift, and he routinely goes up against the opposition’s top players and best lines.
Makar is a worthy adversary, but his injuries, combined with the fact that his teammate Nathan MacKinnon is having a better season – could definitely work against him in the mind of the voters. Bet on the Norris Trophy going to first-timer Quinn Hughes this coming June.
Vezina Trophy Odds And Prediction
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor Hellebuyck | -600 |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | +250 |
| Thatcher Demko | +800 |
The Vezina trophy is awarded to the league’s top goaltender. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck has led this market wire-to-wire, and there’s no reason to fade the big American netminder right now.
Similarly to Quinn Hughes and Vancouver, the Jets weren’t supposed to be contenders this season. Hellebuyck shifted that narrative from the outset, with consistently elite goaltending. Despite the Jets not having the strongest crew of defensive forwards, or a deep blue-line, it’s Hellebuyck that bails out this Winnipeg team, and has them firmly in playoff contention.
Winnipeg has only conceded 184 goals on the season, good for the second-best mark in all of the NHL. And despite this, they aren’t the best at limiting chances, routinely relying on Hellebuyck to deliver. He has saved a staggering 28.5 goals saved above expected, nearly eight more goals than the goalie in second-place (Demko).
Beyond this, Hellebuyck has been elite when he’s been most-needed. He currently sits top-five in most high-danger save percentage statistics, and is clearly doing his part when it comes to giving Winnipeg a shot at victory each and every night.
The competitors to Hellebuyck have enjoyed impressive seasons, but a late-season Thatcher Demko injury has likely derailed his bid. And in Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky has rediscovered an impressive form, though his team and their elite defense and structure surely have played a role in his success this season. It’s a chalky price, but this is Hellebuyck’s award to lose.
