The 2021-22 NHL season continues to roll along now that the league’s All-Star Weekend is here. As usual, the festivities signal the fact that the league is past the halfway point of the season, meaning we’re getting close to naming this year’s award winners.
The competition is heating up for each award race, making it difficult for fans to predict just who’ll walk away with some hardware when all is said and done. Fortunately, BetMGM’s latest NHL odds give us a better idea who’s leading each race now that February is here.
NHL Awards Odds as of Wednesday, February 2
NHL betting odds are via BetMGM as of Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 11:18 a.m. ET.
Odds to Win 2021-22 Hart Trophy
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers +200
- Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals +325
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers +700
- Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers +900
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs +1400
- Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers +2000
- Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild +2200
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche +2500
- Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs +3000
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning +3500
- Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers +4000
- Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers +4000
This year’s competition for the Hart Memorial Trophy has a lot of worthy contenders. While several players could easily walk away with the award and no one would bat an eye, one of the better betting picks is Jonathan Huberdeau at +900 odds.
Huberdeau is in the middle of his best campaign yet. The 28-year-old paces the NHL in assists (47) and points (64) in 47 games. That puts him on pace for a 111-point campaign — by far the best of his young career.
The Hart Trophy goes to the league’s Most Valuable Player and that’s exactly what Huberdeau has been to the Florida Panthers, who sit first in the league with 69 points as of Feb. 2. Huberdeau’s +900 odds provide great value especially if he continues at this pace.
Odds to Win 2021-22 Vezina Trophy
- Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers +225
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning +650
- Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs +650
- Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes +1200
- Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators +1400
- Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers +1600
- Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames +2200
- Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins +2200
When it comes to the league’s best goaltender this season, it’s hard to find better than New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin. The 26-year-old Russian is 22-5-2 in his first 29 starts of the campaign, posting a .937 save percentage (SV%) and 2.10 goals-against average (GAA) to go with his trio of shutouts.
If that wasn’t impressive on its own, he also leads the NHL when it comes to goals saved above average (25.7) and ranks third among all skaters and goaltenders with 8.0 point shares.
You could make the argument that several of the above goaltenders should win the Vezina Trophy — especially if maximizing the betting value is the goal. However, it’s hard to deny Shesterkin of the honor when he’s playing this well in just his first season as the Rangers’ full-time starter. Keeping that in mind, he’s the likeliest pick to win this award.
Odds to Win 2021-22 James Norris Trophy
- Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche +125
- Adam Fox, New York Rangers +450
- Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning +500
- Roman Josi, Nashville Predators +1100
- Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers +1100
- John Carlson, Washington Capitals +1600
- Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche +2500
- Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins +3000
- Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks +3500
- Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights +3500
- Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights +3500
This year’s James Norris Trophy race is also a tight one, with Cale Makar (+125), Adam Fox (+450) and Victor Hedman (+500) all making solid cases to be named the top defenseman in the NHL. With that being said, Hedman not only provides great value at +500, but he also seems like the right choice for the award.
The 6-foot-6 Swede currently has 47 points in 46 games, putting him in a tie with Fox for the lead among defensemen. Hedman’s 1.02 point-per-game pace is also a significant improvement over his career average of 0.71.
His play has the Tampa Bay Lightning sitting second place in the Atlantic Division with 66 points, just three back of the Panthers for first. Chances are Tampa Bay doesn’t have as much success as they’ve had if Hedman doesn’t play at his current level.
If you’re looking to get a bit more value out of this award race, Aaron Ekblad at +1100 is a good “longshot” bet. His 41 points on the season have tied his previous career-high in 21 fewer games and the fact that Florida continues to win with his help is a great thing in the eye of the voters.
If you think he has a realistic shot at winning the Norris Trophy, it’s better to put some money down on him now before his odds continue to improve.
Odds to Win 2021-22 Calder Trophy
- Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks +150
- Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings +250
- Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings +600
- Tanner Jeannot, Nashville Predators +1100
- Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers +1800
- Michael Bunting, Toronto Maple Leafs +2200
- Dawson Mercer, New Jersey Devils +3500
- Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes +3500
- Jamie Drysdale, Anaheim Ducks +5000
- Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins +5000
- Jonathan Dahlen, San Jose Sharks +5000
Trevor Zegras has looked like a stud for the Anaheim Ducks in his rookie season. He has 32 points in 42 games and has created several highlight-reel plays, leading to him becoming the Calder Trophy favorite at +150 odds. While he may be the most likely rookie to win the award at the moment, I think that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider is the better bet.
Seider has become Detroit’s best defenseman in just a single season. It can sometimes take years before blueliners become comfortable at the NHL level, but that hasn’t been the case as far as the 20-year-old is concerned.
He already has 29 points in 46 games, with his 25 assists leading all first-year players. Seider also leads all rookies with 22:38 average time on ice and has demonstrated great two-way play by putting up 84 blocked shots and 65 hits to go along with his offensive totals.
As mentioned before, becoming a No. 1 defenseman at just 20 years old is something that’s rarely done. Seider deserves to be recognized for his great play this season, making him a great bet to win the Calder Trophy at +600 odds.
Odds to Win 2021-22 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
- Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals +225
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers +275
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs +350
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers +900
- Chris Kreider, New York Rangers +1000
- Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets +2000
- Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks +3000
- Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche +3500
- Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes +4000
- Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins +4000
- Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning +4000
Earlier in the 2021-22 NHL season, it seemed like it was going to be either Alexander Ovechkin (+225) or Auston Matthews (+350) that were going to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. While both players still have top-3 odds to start February, bettors can get some great value by going with Chris Kreider at +1000.
Despite being a 10-year veteran, Kreider has never had as much scoring success as he’s seen this season. The 30-year-old leads the NHL with 33 goals — by far the most of his career — and is on pace to finish with 57. He has 12 goals in his last 10 games and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, especially if the Rangers keep finding a way to win.
While Draisaitl (+275) is only two goals behind him, there’s a good chance that Kreider’s hot streak continues. If he does, his odds will improve, giving less value back to bettors than they could get at +1000.
If you don’t think Kreider can keep up his production, I also like Matthews’ odds of winning the Richard Trophy. Yes, his +350 odds don’t provide as much value, but it’s important to point out that he has only four fewer goals than Kreider despite playing eight fewer games.
The Maple Leafs have played five fewer games than the Rangers, so the goals race could look a lot different once those contests are played. That’s why I like Matthews as the most likely winner, with Kreider offering the best betting value.