Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

NHL Player Awards: Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

by Ryan Cobbett - 3/6/2025

NHL player awards predictions Leon Draisaitl Edmonton Oilers

With around 20 games remaining in the season, let’s take a look at the favorites to take home the top seven awards handed out by the league each year. The Hart Trophy appears to be a two-horse race, with a goalie in play for the league’s MVP award. The Art Ross and Norris Trophy races are wide open, while awards like Rocket Richard, Vezina, and Jack Adams seem to be all but decided. Go cash these futures in before the end of the season.

Doc’s Sports offers NHL expert picks for every game on our hockey predictions page.

Hart Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Leon Draisaitl, -160
  2. Conner Hellebuyck, +135
  3. Nathan MacKinnon, +750

Leon Draisaitl has been the favorite to take home the Hart Trophy for much of the season. Though he has spent most of his career in the shadow of Connor McDavid, Draisaitl has had an incredible season. He is second in the league in points (92), the league leader in goals (45), and in the top 10 in the league in assists (47). He has a +/- rating of +24 while he has maintained an impressive 22.2% Shot%. If that isn’t enough, he is tied for the league lead with nine game winning goals and is the league leader with 14 power play goals. He is the odds-on favorite at -160 with netminder Connor Hellebuyck right behind him at +135. Hellebuyck has cemented himself as the best goalie in the league as he is allowing just 2.01 GA/G on a .926 SV% while leading the league with six shutouts. His Jets are in a much better position than Draisaitl’s Oilers and Winnipeg is likely to be the first seed in the Western Conference, but it will take an injury or cold spell to take this award away from Draisaitl.

My Pick: Leon Draisaitl, -160

Rocket Richard Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Leon Draisaitl, -4000
  2. Sam Reinhart, +2600
  3. William Nylander, +3100

The Rocket Richard Trophy is handed to the league’s top goal scorer. Draisaitl has tallied 45 goals this season. That is 10 more than second place. William Nylander is in the second spot with 35 goals, and he has played in one more game than Draisaitl has. Sam Reinhart, who competed for this award last season has the second-best odds at +2600 but he is ranked just seventh in the league with 31 goals, and he has also played in one more game than Draisaitl. This award has all but been decided. Draisaitl’s shelves will be getting two awards this season.

My Pick: Leon Draisaitl, -4000

Art Ross Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Nathan MacKinnon, -115
  2. Leon Draisaitl, +130
  3. Nikita Kucherov, +130

The Art Ross Trophy is one of the few awards that has an enticing race. This trophy goes to the leagues top point scorer. As of now, Nathan MacKinnon leads the league with 93 points with Draisaitl trailing at 92 and Nikita Kucherov at 90. The Avalanche have played one more game than the Oilers and Lightning and Kucherov is averaging 1.55 points per game which leads the trio. At their current pace, Draisaitl (1.51) is tallying points at a slightly higher rate than MacKinnon (1.5) and should make up his one-point deficit. Kucherov deserves some credit because he has only appeared in 58 games and would likely be running away with the award if he stayed healthy, but Draisaitl will come away with yet another award this season.

My Pick: Leon Draisaitl, +130

Calder Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Macklin Celebrini, -280
  2. Lane Hutson, +440
  3. Matvei Michkov, +600

This is not a Draisaitl fan made piece, and the good news is he is ineligible to win the four remaining awards. The Calder Trophy goes to the leagues top rookie and there has not been a better rookie than Macklin Celebrini this season. In terms of points, Lane Hutson leads the group with 48 (four goals and 44 assists) but Celebrini is right on his heels with 45 points in just 51 games played. Matvei Michkov also has 45 points. Celebrini and Michkov both have 19 goals, but if Celebrini had avoided his early season injury, he would be the leader in most every major offensive category. He is also the most important player to his team compared to Hutson and Michkov, who bring loads of value, but are not the centerpiece of their respected franchises. Celebrini is also on pace to record 62 points and 28 goals, which would be more than last year’s winner, Connor Bedard.

My Pick: Macklin Celebrini, -280

Vezina Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Connor Hellebuyck, -4500
  2. Logan Thompson, +2500
  3. Andrei Vasilevskiy, +5000

The race for the league’s top netminder is one of the least exciting awards to track as Hellebuyck is set to win his third career Vezina Trophy and his second in as many years. As mentioned, the Jets goaltender has allowed just 2.01 GA/G across his 47 starts this season while recording a league best .926 SV%. He leads the league with six shutouts and has a 36-8-3 record for the top team in the Western Conference. Logan Thompson and Andrei Vasilevskiy have had incredible seasons as Vasilevskiy ranks second in the league in GA/G (2.18) while Thompson ranks fourth in the same category (2.32 GA/G) while playing for the top team in the Eastern Conference. Thompson also has 12 less starts than Hellebuyck and 11 less than Vasilevskiy. These are three impressive netminders, but there is no one better than Hellebuyck

My Pick: Connor Hellebuyck, -4500

Norris Trophy

Top Three:

  1. Cale Makar, -165
  2. Zach Werenski, +220
  3. Quinn Hughes, +330

The Norris Trophy is awarded to the league’s top blueliner and as of now the winner is projected to be Cale Makar (-165) which would be his second if he does take it home. Makar leads all blueliners in points (68), goals (22), and he is tied with Zach Werenski for the position lead in assists (46). If Quinn Hughes could have stayed healthy, he could have won this award again this season, but he has played in only 50 games this year while Makar hasn’t missed a game and Werenski has missed only one. Werenski deserves some credit as he has been a big reason for the Blue Jackets being competitive this season, but Makar has been the best blueliner on the ice. Werenski would need to get hot over the final 20 games if he wants to jump ahead of Makar.

My Pick: Cale Makar, -165

Jack Adams Award

Top Three:

  1. Spencer Carbery (WAS), -850
  2. Dean Evans (CBJ), +470
  3. John Hynes (MIN), +2000

The coach of the year award is an easy one that has all but been decided. Spencer Carbery has led the Washington Capitals to new heights this season. They are tied with the Winnipeg Jets atop the league standings with 88 points and they have the second-best goal differential (+60) in the NHL. His Capitals lead the league with 3.58 GF/G this season after averaging just 2.63 GF/G last season. Not only that but Thompson has emerged as the goalie of the future and has put the Capitals inside the Top Five in GA/G (2.58). The Capitals rank inside the Top 10 in PP% and PK% as well signaling to the all-around play. Dean Evans, like his top blueliner Werenski, deserve the heartstring votes and they should be proud of the season they have turned in, but Carbery’s name is already being printed on this year’s award.

My Pick: Spencer Carbery, -850

Get NHL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent Hockey Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers