By
Brady Trettenero
in the
NHL hockey
– Jan 12, 2021 6:18 p.m. PST
The 2021 NHL season kicks off Jan 13, 2021, which means it’s time to place some early bets that players will be using individual hardware this year will take home. In addition to the Jack Adams Award, odds have been published for the Hart, Norris, Vezina and Calder Trophy.
Which players are the best bets in the odds on this unique 56-game schedule that includes a temporary divisional realignment? We take a look at last season’s winners and give our predictions for 2021 below.
The Edmonton Oilers phenomenon, Connor McDavid, is the favorite in the Hart Trophy odds, but it was the Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon, who posed the greatest challenge to 2020 winner Leon Draisaitl last season. MacKinnon finished second with 1162 vote points while Draisaitl won with 1309 vote points. All indications are that MacKinnon will take home his first MVP award in 2021.
MacKinnon has become one of the top players in the NHL in recent years, and some pundits would even over him at this point Add McDavid to your team. The 25-year-old Halifax-American is in the prime of his career, having played three consecutive seasons with more than 90 points in a row. The Avalanche is going to be an absolute powerhouse this season as Devon Toews and Brandon Saad are added to an already stacked roster. Bet on MacKinnon leading the avalanche into a monstrous season, capturing hardware in the process.
After a dominant postseason in which he led the Blitz to the Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Tampa Bay Blueliner Victor wins Hedman his second Norris Trophy in 2021. Nashville Josator’s rearguard Roman Josi won the trophy last season after a remarkable season in which he got the Predators up to speed with 65 points in 69 games.
Hedman is as reliable as they are on the blueline, but it often takes some striking offensive stats to conquer this trophy. Carolina defender Dougie Hamilton sits at 650 in the Norris Trophy odds after a remarkable 2019-20 season in which he scored 14 goals and 40 points in 47 games before sustaining a leg injury that required surgery.
Hamilton is a key piece in this aspiring Hurricanes team that should challenge the Bolts for the Central Division crown in 2021. Hamilton is recording important minutes and has scored 32 goals with Carolina in just two years. Given that the last four Norris winners have accumulated more than 60 points, there’s a value here to bet on Hamilton as he plays a fatal offense in Carolina.
Voting for the 2020 Vezina Trophy was as close as never before. Jets Netminder Connor Hellebuyck ousted Tuukka Rask of the Bruins by 24 voting points. It could be another very close race in 2021 that doesn’t have a runaway favorite in the Vezina Trophy. I was able to see Hellebuyck easily in a row due to his skill set and ridiculous workload, but Flyers’ goalkeeper Carter Hart at 1000 is too good to pass up.
Hart is only 22 years old but he’s already proving to be one of the best goalkeeper in the game. The youngster achieved savings of 0.915 percent and 2.59 GAA in 74 career starts with the Flyers and should deliver his best year so far behind a talented Philadelphia quad. Hart has a great chance at leading Philadelphia to a divisional title with the favored Bruins losing two of their top blueliners in Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug.
A main reason I lean Hart into this prop is his previous one Game against Washington and Pittsburgh, two teams expected to challenge the Bruins alongside the Flyers for the East Division crown. Hart has only allowed 12 goals in six career starts against the Capitals and Penguins, and seems to thrive in rivalry games when the pressure is at its peak.
It’s never that easy to predict who will win Rookie of the Year in the NHL . Take the 2019-20 season as an example. The two top picks in the 2019 NHL draft, Jack Hughes (230) and Kaapo Kakko (240), were Calder’s 2020 favorites in the opening odds. They wouldn’t even finish with a single vote if the trophy was handed out later this year.
It’s no surprise that Alexis Lafreniere, the first 2020 New York Rangers overall winner, is the first favorite in the Calder Trophy quota is 2021. While the Rimouski star is destined for great things in the Big Apple, I’m not sure if it comes to fruition right away in the first year. The Rangers are on the offensive and won’t necessarily count on Lafreniere to be a big part of his rookie year.
Here’s a clip of Kirill Kaprizov’s target tonight. The speed. Hands. The end. pic.twitter.com/ptNqyTrnGF
The best value is KHL star Kirill Kaprizov from the wild, who is expected to start the season alongside Kevin Fiala in Minnesota’s first line and first power play unit. At 23, Kaprizov is more physically mature than many of these newbies and is expected to make a huge impact. He has scored more than 30 straight goals in the KHL and has the ability to lead the Wild to the West Division playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wins the Jack Adams Award for Best Banker the NHL in 2021. Given the price, this is the price category where betting on the favorite is the game. As mentioned earlier, the Avalanche has a ridiculously talented roster this season that should be fighting for the Presidents’ Trophy. It is very possible that the Avs will put together a sensational campaign and assert themselves against their competition.
When the Avalanche reach their full potential, it is difficult not to imagine Bednar at least as a finalist. The Colorado head coach finished fifth with 96 points last year, while Bruins’ bank manager Bruce Cassidy took the trophy home with 288 points. Cassidy led the Bruins to the Presidents’ Trophy last year, and Bednar was able to follow in his footsteps this time with his stacked avalanche.
Boston was commended for allowing the lowest number of goals in the NHL last season. This is an area to be considered for Colorado. The Avs offense will be deadly as usual, but the defense has a chance to really shine as Makar has a full year of experience and Toews is brought to his knees. Bendar offers the most advantages here because of the sky-high potential of this Avalanche team.
Brady is a passionate hockey fan and sports journalist with over five years of experience specializing in digital media and a degree in broadcast journalism. His work has been recognized by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
Brady is a passionate hockey fan and sports journalist with over five years of experience specializing in digital media and a degree in broadcast journalism. His work has been recognized by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
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