NHL Awards Odds, Predictions, Betting Trends 2023/24

After a hard-fought National Hockey League season, it comes time to reflect on which of the hundreds of players and staff across the continent stood out — and which NHL awards odds deserve your bets. Like most other top-level sports leagues, the NHL has a variety of awards voted on by different groups to recognize the best performances, stories, and personalities. From the Hart Memorial Trophy for the league’s MVP, to positional awards like the Norris and Vezina trophies, to awards for coaches and managers, to humanitarian awards like the King Clancy Memorial Trophy — there’s something for everyone.

This NHL Awards betting article is your ultimate guide to NHL Awards odds, history, and predictions. Our team is here to help you get informed about the best NHL Awards odds, the context and history behind the awards, and who you should expect to bring home the silverware.

Where Can You Bet ON NHL Awards Odds?

Presently, most betting markets for the NHL awards are closed for 2023/24, but markets for Conn Smythe odds remain open at Sports Interaction, bet365, and a few others. Statistical awards are locked in, and subjectively picked awards all have their votes already submitted. With the NHL’s new format of releasing some award winners throughout the playoffs instead of waiting for a singular award night, some of the above awards might already be released by the time you read this.

The bulk of the major awards – the Hart, Calder, Norris, and Vezina trophies, along with the Ted Lindsay Award for Most Outstanding Player as voted by the NHLPA, will be revealed at the NHL awards show on June 27th in Las Vegas.

Before the end of the regular season, however, the top Canadian sportsbooks all tend to offer futures options for the above awards, along with some others. Our top six betting sites – Sports Interaction, NorthStar Bets, bet365, Betway, Bet99, and Pinnacle – all tend to be competitive and thorough in their options for potential winners. We often find that certain books will have better value on certain candidates, so if you have a specific player in mind, it’s best to compare among that group and take the best value where you can find it!

Generally, you’ll get your best value before opening night if you’re confident in an underdog victor. The summer boards are often based on reputation and prior history, so getting ahead of the market can have big rewards. Once the season begins, the books will often update their odds to match recent play trends.

Conn Smythe Odds (Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP)

NHL awards odds that you can still find almost universally on the betting markets is the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the MVP of the Playoffs. Named after longtime Maple Leafs owner, GM, and head coach Conn Smythe, the award has been given out since 1965.

Historically, the Conn Smythe Trophy has gone to a player on the Stanley Cup winning team, so betting on this award early requires both a good feel for who the champion will be and a feel for who their best player will end up being from front to back. There have been some exceptions to the rule, with Roger Crozier (1966), Glenn Hall (1968), Reggie Leach (1976), Ron Hextall (1987), and Jean-Sebastian Giguere (2003) winning as members of the losing finalists. No player has won without making it to the final round.

2023/24 Conn Smythe Trophy Finalists

Heading into the Eastern & Western Conference Finals, the favourites to win the Conn Smythe include Jake Oettinger (Dallas), Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Igor Shesterkin (New York), Aleksander Barkov (Florida), and Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton). With no prior winners on the four remaining teams, we are guaranteed a new winner in 2023/24.

Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
Aleksander Barkov	+500	+500
Jake Oettinger	+500	+550
Connor McDavid	+550	+600
Matthew Tkachuk	+700	+650
Igor Shesterkin	+900	+1000
Leon Draisaitl	+900	+850
Sergei Bobrovsky	+1000	+1000

2024 Hart Memorial Trophy Odds (Most Valuable Player)

The Hart Memorial Trophy is the marquee player performance award in the NHL. Voted on by media members, it is awarded to the player deemed the “most valuable player to his team.” The exact verbiage has become a point of debate in recent years, but generally, the best players in a given regular season end up near the top of the voter rolls.

2024 is a particularly strong year for Hart Memorial Trophy candidates, with the likes of Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs putting up offensive performances not seen in the NHL in decades. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets joins the top tier thanks to his dominance between the pipes. Even some players outside the top five Hart Trophy favourites would be strong contenders in most other seasons. It’s harder than ever to go wrong with your pick, making this year’s Hart Trophy odds board very interesting.

This year’s Hart Memorial Trophy finalists are Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid. MacKinnon, who finished the year with a whopping 140 points, is the only finalist yet to win the award.

How is the MVP Chosen?

The definition of “most valuable player” has been debated in recent years. Generally, it was safe to assume that the Art Ross Trophy winner would have the best chance at pairing their scoring title with an MVP, with some exceptions for exemplary years from defensemen and goaltenders. Some voters now prefer to focus on stars who elevated lesser teams into better spots in the playoff picture or attach players’ cases to specific milestones. A noteworthy example of this was the 2017/18 season, where Connor McDavid led the NHL in scoring and had the most even-strength points by a player in over 20 years, but due to the Edmonton Oilers being out of a playoff spot, the focus shifted towards Taylor Hall, who finished sixth in points but was the key player in the New Jersey Devils’ narrow push into the postseason.

As the scope of hockey data improves, some voters might lean more toward analytical models and underlying statistics to inform their decision-making. This year’s Hart Trophy Finalists finished 1st (MacKinnon), 3rd (McDavid) and 7th (Kucherov) in Evolving Hockey’s Goals Above Replacement evaluation model and 1st, 6th and 2nd, respectively, in Hockey Reference’s Point Shares metric.

NHL Hart Memorial Trophy Past Winner Trends

• The player with the most Hart Trophies in NHL history is Wayne Gretzky, who won an incredible nine times in his first ten seasons in the league. Gordie Howe (six times) and Eddie Shore (four times) are the only other players to win the Hart Trophy more than three times.
• Five other players, including two active players, have won three Hart Trophies. Howie Morenz, Bobby Orr, and Mario Lemieux are the retired group, while Alexander Ovechkin and Connor McDavid are the active players who have three to their names. McDavid’s trophy case includes two of the last three MVPs, and he’s a finalist again this year.
• No team has had more Hart Trophy winners than the Montreal Canadiens, with 17 victories. Their last two have come from goaltenders, with Jose Theodore winning in 2002 and Carey Price winning in 2015. The Edmonton Oilers rank second with thirteen victories.
• The Hart Memorial Trophy has run through Canada over the last decade, between McDavid’s three wins, Price in 2015, Leon Draisaitl in 2020, and Auston Matthews in 2022. If one of the finalists besides McDavid wins this year, they’ll be the first non-Canadian Hart winner since 2019.
• Joe Thornton of the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks remains the only player in NHL history to earn the MVP while being traded mid-season, doing so in 2005/06.

2024 Maurice Richard Trophy Odds (Top Goal Scorer)

The Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy is one of the newer trophies in the history of the National Hockey League. Awarded statistically rather than subjectively, the Rocket Richard Trophy is awarded to the player who leads the league in goals scored in a given season.

The Rocket Richard trophy was first awarded in 1999 after the Montreal Canadiens donated the trophy to the league. It’s named after legendary Canadiens forward Maurice “Rocket” Richard, the league’s first 50-goal scorer in 1944-45. Richard led the NHL in goals five times throughout his eighteen-year career, doing so in 1945, 1947, 1950, 1954, and 1955. At the time of his retirement, he was the all-time leading goal scorer, finishing his career with 544 goals in 978 NHL games. As he never won the Art Ross Trophy for total points, Richard is a fitting namesake for a separate award for goals.

2023/24 Rocket Richard Trophy Winner

The 2023/24 winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy was Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who picked up his third Rocket Richard Trophy in the last four years by scoring a career-high 69 goals, the most by a player in the history of the trophy, and the most in the salary cap era. Matthews’ prowess in recent years has made him a staple at the top of the Rocket Richard trophy odds list, and this year’s run was never in question, having started with back-to-back Hat Tricks in his first two games of the NHL season.

NHL Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy Past Winner Trends

• Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin has the most Rocket Richard trophy victories, having won nine throughout his career. Even including goal-scoring leaders from before the trophy was awarded, Ovechkin has led the league in goals more frequently than any other player.
• Other multi-time winners include Pavel Bure, who won the trophy twice with the Florida Panthers (2000, 2001), Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla (2002, 2004), Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby (2010, 2017), Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos (2010, 2012), and this year’s winner, Auston Matthews (2021, 2022, 2024).
• In the event of a tie, the award is shared amongst the equal league leaders rather than opting for a tiebreaker. This has happened three times — the 2004 award was shared by Rick Nash, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Jarome Iginla; the 2010 award was shared by Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos, and the 2020 award was shared by Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only team with two different players winning the award, with Vincent Lecavalier winning in 2010 and Steven Stamkos winning his aforementioned pair.
• Auston Matthews’ 69-goal season in 2023/24 ranks highest among single-year totals in the Rocket Richard Trophy era. Alex Ovechkin’s 32 goals in 2012/13 mark the lowest winning number, though the season was shortened to 48 games in that season.

2024 Art Ross Trophy Odds (Most Points Regular Season)

Like the Rocket Richard Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy is a statistical award given to the player with the most points (goals + assists) in a full NHL season. The award has existed for much longer, first introduced in the 1947/48 season. Winning the Art Ross Trophy and having a scoring title to your name is one of the most prestigious honours in all of hockey.

The trophy is named after Art Ross, who, despite playing just three NHL games, had a Hall of Fame career in precursor leagues between 1902 and 1918. He then went on to coach for nineteen seasons, seventeen of which were with the Boston Bruins, a team that he named and won multiple championships with during that span. Ross was also a manager throughout this period and was instrumental in rule changes and innovations throughout the game.

2023/24 Art Ross Trophy Winner

The 2023/24 Art Ross Trophy winner was Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who dazzled with 44 goals and 100 assists for 144 total points in 81 games played. The result was a career-high for him and the third-highest point total ever put up by a winger, trailing Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1996 (149 in 80 GP) and Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in 1982 (147 in 80 GP). This season, his closest competition was Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (140 in 82 GP) and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (132 in 76 GP).

NHL Art Ross Trophy Past Winner Trends

• Kucherov is also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, and it’s not uncommon for both awards to be won by the same player. Last season, Connor McDavid won both awards and the Rocket Richard Trophy on the back of an astonishing 64-goal, 153-point year. Kucherov himself also won both in the same year back in 2019. Historically, winning both in the same year has happened 42 of 75 times.
• Unsurprisingly, Wayne Gretzky has the most Art Ross Trophy victories to his name, with a whopping ten victories between 1981 and 1994 with both the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. Gretzky also has the highest points total in a single year, with 215 in 1985/86. Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux each have six, and Connor McDavid is catching up to them with five – no other active player has more than two.
• No team has had more scoring titles to its name than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have taken home the Art Ross a total of fifteen times. That’s six from Lemieux, five from Jaromir Jagr, and two each from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The most recent victory came from Crosby in 2013/14.
• The Montreal Canadiens have the most individual players who have won the award, with five.
• Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to win the Art Ross trophy, with two victories in 1969/70 and 1974/75.
• Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks had a unique accomplishment in 2009/10 and 2010/11, when the twin brothers won the Art Ross Trophy one year after another.

2024 Vezina Trophy Odds (Best Goalie)

The Vezina Trophy is the league’s premier award for goaltending. It is awarded to the netminder deemed to be the best goalie in a given regular season or, as the league officially puts it, the goaltender who is “adjudged to be the best at this position.”

One of the league’s oldest awards, the Vezina Trophy was created in 1926 in honour of legendary early-era goaltender Georges Vezina, who passed away from tuberculosis at 39. For decades, the award was given to the starting goaltender whose team allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. In 1981, that system was spun off into the William M. Jennings trophy, and the Vezina trophy became a voting-based award. Since its inception, the Vezina trophy has been voted on by the general managers of the various NHL teams.

2023/24 Vezina Trophy Finalists

The Vezina Trophy finalists in 2023/24 are Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. Bobrovsky had his best statistical performance in six years, posting a 0.915 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average in 58 games, along with a league-leading six shutouts. Demko was a key part of Vancouver’s resurgence, setting career highs in nearly every statistical category.

Hellebuyck was a dominant force this year and has the shortest Vezina Trophy NHL awards odds on most sportsbooks for good reason. Starting in 60 games this year, the 30-year-old put up a dazzling 0.921 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average, posted a 37-19-4 record on a fairly low-scoring Jets team, and

NHL Vezina Trophy Past Winner Trends

• In the modern (voted) era of the Vezina Trophy, no one has won the award more times than Dominik Hasek, who achieved the feat six times in eight years with the Buffalo Sabres, from 1993/94 to 2000/01. Hasek’s run during this time was arguably the most dominant stretch of goaltending that hockey has ever seen, and he even won the Hart Memorial Trophy twice along the way.
• Martin Brodeur of New Jersey and Patrick Roy of Montreal are the only other goaltenders to win the award more than twice. Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks, Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets round out the list of multi-time winners.
• Bobrovsky and Hellebuyck aren’t just finalists this year but two of the six active goaltenders who have won the award at some point in their careers. Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning have also won.
• No team has won more Vezina trophies in the voting era than the Buffalo Sabres. Hasek’s six wins get them over the hump single-handedly, but Tom Barrasso and Ryan Miller bump their total to eight, with no other team having more than five. The Boston Bruins have the most individual winners, with four.
• As much as we associate great goaltending with going deep in the post season, it’s rare for Vezina trophy winners to lead their team all the way in the NHL playoffs. Tim Thomas was the last goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year, back in 2011. Martin Brodeur (2003), Grant Fuhr (1988) and Billy Smith (1982) were the other three who accomplished this.

2024 Calder Memorial Trophy Odds (Top Rookie)

The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.” In simpler terms, the Calder Trophy is the NHL’s version of a Rookie of the Year award. The award was created in 1937 and named after league president Frank Calder, twenty seasons into his career of service to the league.

The Calder Memorial Trophy winner was once personally selected by Calder, though it has been decided by the Professional Hockey Writers Association since 1948. The rules of who can win have also changed over time. When the WHA’s remaining teams merged into the NHL in 1979, their league was considered an equal league for the sake of the award, preventing Wayne Gretzky from winning in his first year. After Sergei Makarov won the award as a 31-year-old in 1991, the age limit was lowered to 26.

2023/24 Calder Memorial Trophy Finalists

The 2023/24 Calder Memorial Trophy finalists are Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild, and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. Faber and Hughes were both impressive young defensemen for their teams, with Faber instantly becoming one of the most relied-upon blue line talents in the league, while Hughes filled in Dougie Hamilton’s void after he went down with a long-term injury.

Bedard is the Calder Memorial NHL Awards odds favourite. The 2023 first-overall draft pick dazzled with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, leading all rookies in both statistics despite missing Chicago being one of the league’s worst teams and despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw. After returning, he produced 28 points in his final 29 games.

This year’s winner will be taking the award from Matthew Beniers of the Seattle Kraken, who edged out Stuart Skinner and Owen Power in voting.

NHL Calder Trophy Past Winner Trends

• Only the regular season is counted when voting on the Calder Memorial Trophy, which led to a fun situation in 1972. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden won the award, even though he had not only played in the playoffs the previous season but also won the championship and even the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.
• If Bedard matches the NHL Awards odds and wins, the Chicago Blackhawks will tie the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most Calder Memorial trophy winners with ten. Recent Hawks winners include Patrick Kane in 2007/08 and Artemi Panarin in 2015/16. Toronto’s winners are largely from the Original Six era, with Auston Matthews being their lone victor since 1966.
• Despite two defensemen being finalists this year, it’s rare that a blue liner wins the award, happening just 13 times in its history. It has happened more in recent years, though, as shown by Tyler Myers (2010), Florida Panthers mainstay Aaron Ekblad (2015), Cale Makar (2020), and Moritz Seider (2022). The Makar year was a great precursor of things to come, as he battled with Quinn Hughes for the award, and both have become perennial Norris Trophy threats.
• Makarov is the only player to win in his thirties, but there have been a handful of older victors. Twelve players have won at age 25 or older, the most recent being Evgeni Nabokov in 2001. Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprilov are the oldest winners of the salary cap era, earning the award at 24 after first establishing themselves in Russian professional hockey.

2024 James Norris Memorial Trophy Odds (Best Defenseman)

The James Norris Memorial Trophy, almost always referred to as the Norris Trophy, is awarded to the league’s top “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position”. In other words, it’s awarded to the league’s best defenseman. The Norris Trophy is named after James Norris, a Hall of Fame builder who primarily owned the Detroit Red Wings in their early existence but was also a major stakeholder in the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. The Norris Trophy was first awarded in 1953/54 and is voted on by Professional Hockey Writers Association members.

2023/24 James Norris Memorial Trophy Finalists

This year’s finalists for the Norris Trophy include Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. It was a strong year for elite defensemen, though, as players like Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars, and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins could have easily found themselves in the mix.

Certainly, no one would blame you for having Makar and Josi, both former winners, high on your ballots. Both play top minutes for their teams, can be used in defensive situations if needed, and still produce over a point per game. With that said, Quinn Hughes is the undeniable James Norris NHL Awards odds favourite, producing 17 goals and 92 points on Vancouver’s blue line while playing exemplary defense. No player was more important to the Canucks’ success this season, and all signs point to him getting recognition from the voters.

NHL James Norris Trophy Past Winner Trends

• The player with the most Norris Trophy wins is Bobby Orr, who won an incredible eight consecutive times with the Boston Bruins between 1967 and 1975. Orr, considered by many to be the greatest and most revolutionary defenseman ever to play the game, won the award in every season that he played to at least half-completion.
• Because of this, the Bruins have the most Norris wins to their name, with fourteen. Ray Bourque was no slouch either, with five wins between 1987 and 1994, and Zdeno Chara added one more in 2017.
• Other defensemen to win the Norris trophy at least five times include Nicklas Lidstrom and Doug Harvey, with seven a piece. A player who might have joined this group had the award existed earlier was Eddie Shore – he won four Hart Trophies as a defenseman in the 1930s and was a first-team all-star seven times in nine years.
• For most of the league’s history, left-handed shots dominated this award, with players like Chris Chelios, Al MacInnis, and Rob Blake being occasional exceptions. In recent years, however, the emphasis on the balance of handedness on the blue line has led to more skilled players growing up as defensemen and shifting in the other direction. Since 2012, eight of twelve Norris victors have been righties, with Erik Karlsson picking up three of them.
• Some use Karlsson’s most recent victory, which saw him score 100 points from the point in 2023, as an example of the offence-first approach to awards voting. Players who specialize in shutting down plays rarely get as much credit in the voting process. For example, Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes has often been regarded as the league’s best defensive defenseman but has never finished higher than fifth in voting. Off-puck play is notoriously harder to measure than offensive contribution, but it’s led some to believe that a second award is necessary, similar to the Selke Trophy for forwards.
• Once in a long while, we see players double dip and win the Norris and Hart Memorial trophies in the same season. Orr did this three years in a row during his run, winning scoring titles while shutting down opponents. Chris Pronger was the last to do it in 1999/00, leading the St. Louis Blues to a Presidents Trophy with spectacular play on both sides of the puck.

2024 Jack Adams Trophy Odds (Best Coach)

The Jack Adams Award, much more frequently called the Jack Adams Trophy or just the Jack Adams, is awarded to the head coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.” In other words, it’s given to the Coach of the Year, voted on by the NHL Broadcasters Association. Unlike the GM of the Year award, which is voted on midway through the NHL playoffs, the Jack Adams Trophy follows the tradition set by the player awards and is voted on at the end of the regular season.

The award is one of the newer “major” trophies, first awarded in 1973/74 to Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers. The trophy’s namesake, Jack Adams, was a Hall of Fame player and coached nearly 1,000 games for the Detroit Red Wings organization between 1927 and 1947.

2023/24 Jack Adams Trophy Finalists

This year’s finalists are Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators, and Rich Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks. All three teams exceeded expectations this season, putting their bench bosses in the spotlight. Tocchet remains the betting odds favourite to win the award, with Vancouver gaining 26 standings points this year and finishing in the top half of the standings for the first time in over a decade, jumping from 22nd to 6th overall.

NHL Jack Adams Trophy Past Winner Trends

• In recent years, this award has generally gone to the coach whose team exceeded initial expectations for the roster as a simple proxy for what it’s believed that the bench can control. This has its flaws. For example, shooting and save percentage luck could influence – and often has influenced – these big leaps for a single year before a slide back downward, but the trend is common and repeats itself this year.
• Interestingly, this means that having the best regular season record and winning the Presidents Trophy doesn’t do much for your Jack Adams trophy NHL Awards odds. Jim Montgomery won his from the top in 2023, but he’s one of just a few in the 21st century to do so, joining Barry Trotz (2016) and Joel Quenneville (2000).
• The late Pat Burns has the most Jack Adams trophies to his name, with three. Impressively, he did this with three different teams, winning his first with Montreal in 1989, his second with Toronto in 1993, and his third with Boston in 1998. Incredibly, his lone championship came with none of the above, being won in New Jersey in 2003.
• While Burns, Scotty Bowman, Jacques Demers, Jacques Lemaire, Pat Quinn, John Tortorella, and Barry Trotz are all repeat winners, only Demers has won twice with the same team, accomplishing the feat in 1987 and 1988. One would imagine this would be more common in the Original Six era, but the award wasn’t around for that.
• The Boston Bruins have the most winners as a team, between the aforementioned Burns and Montgomery, and additional wins from Don Cherry (1976), Claude Julien (2009) and Bruce Cassidy (2020).

2024 Lady Byng Award Odds (Best Sportsmanship)

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, usually called the Lady Byng Award or just the Lady Byng, is awarded to the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” The award is named after Lady Byng, wife of Lord Byng, a former Governor General of Canada. She initially picked the winners herself, but the award has since been voted on by the Profesional Hockey Writers Association.

The award has a complicated reputation, as its description is honourable but also conflicts with the game’s overall reputation. While it’s theoretically a recognition of elite players who manage to play the game as intended, players in contention often get poked at as unwilling to cross lines to succeed, occasionally developing “soft” reputations. This has led to this becoming an award that some players actively prefer not to earn, though many recognize it as a legitimate honour.

2023/24 Austin Matthews Trophy Finalists

The finalists in 2023/24 are Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes. All three had elite seasons while limiting their time in the penalty box, combining for just fifteen minor penalties this year – showing that it’s possible to be a superstar without bending the rules or being a poor sport.

Due to the award’s subjectivity, it’s not common for sportsbooks to offer Lady Byng Memorial Trophy odds.

NHL Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Past Winner Trends

• The King of the Lady Byng is Frank Boucher, who dominated the award’s early years, winning seven times in eight years between 1928 and 1935. Other players who have won the award four or more times include Wayne Gretzky (5), Red Kelly (4), and Pavel Datsyuk (4).
• Datsyuk was one of the final players to have a run of dominance with the award, winning four years in a row between 2006 and 2009. Martin St. Louis followed him up with three wins in the next four years. Since then, no one has won it back-to-back, and in the past decade, only Anze Kopitar has won it twice.
• The best way to improve your Lady Byng Memorial Trophy odds is to play great hockey while keeping penalty minutes low, and boy is that ever evident when looking at recent history. Datsyuk’s run was the last time anyone won with more than 20 penalty minutes in a season, with four of the last five winners finishing the year with under ten minutes in penalties.
• Three players have won the award without a single penalty, all in the early Original Six era—Syl Apps in 1942, Bill Mosienko in 1945, and Bill Quackenbush in 1949. In recent history, the standard belongs to Ryan O’Reilly in 2014 and Jaccob Slavin in 2021, who won with two penalty minutes.
• The highest penalty-minute totals to win came in the second and third years of the trophy’s existence, with Frank Nighbor and Billy Burch both posting 40 penalty minutes in 1926 and 1927. In this century, Joe Sakic won with 30 penalty minutes in 2001.

How To Read NHL Awards Odds

NHL awards betting largely relies on futures betting. These bets project long-term outcomes, usually ones that occur at the end of a given sporting league’s season.

The nature of NHL awards futures means that you can usually find odds as soon as the conclusion of the previous season, with most of the markets closing at the close of the regular season once most voting has concluded and the statistical awards have been settled.

Unlike game bets that are usually two-outcome events – an over versus an under, two teams to choose as a winner – Awards futures generally have deeper fields, sometimes going up to dozens of publicly available options, with some books offering even more upon request.

Other Popular NHL Betting Markets

• The most popular form of NHL futures betting isn’t the awards, but Stanley Cup futures. Most sportsbooks will allow you to bet on the postseason champion, and many will even allow you to break down the result even further, such as betting on what Division or Country the winning team will be from or even which player will first be handed the trophy after their captain does his traditional first lap with it.
• Single-game bets are also a driving force in NHL betting. Moneyline betting allows players to choose the winning team on a given night, or if there’s a heavy favourite/underdog split, bettors might opt for the “puckline”, known in other sports as the spread, spotting the underdog a goal and a half on the line. For beginner players, our Introduction to Spread Betting guide provides more detail.
• Prop bets are also popular, both in single-game and futures form. This is where you can bet on a player to achieve a statistical category, such as scoring a goal or a point in a given game, or a certain amount of goals or points throughout a full season or playoffs. You might bet on which team scores first or how many total goals the two teams combine for. There are a wide variety of options available on the NHL betting markets.
• Novelty bets are occasionally found on the top Canadian sportsbooks as well. These can be based around a single game or be futures-based as well, and often centre around topical news. For example, when a Canadian team searches for a new Head Coach or General Manager, you’ll often find a few books offering novelty props on who the new hire will be.

NHL Awards Betting FAQs