NHL awards odds are the quietest corner of the hockey futures board and often the most readable. These are voted markets, not results markets, and the voters are consistent about what they reward. Tampa Bay took two of the five headline trophies in 2026, and an 18-year-old defenceman won the Calder unanimously. This hub covers each market, how the voting works and where the prices tend to be wrong.
| Trophy | What it rewards | 2026 winner |
|---|---|---|
| Hart Trophy | Most valuable player | Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay) |
| Conn Smythe Trophy | Playoff MVP | Jordan Staal (Carolina) |
| Calder Trophy | Rookie of the year | Matthew Schaefer (New York Islanders) |
| Norris Trophy | Best defenceman | Zach Werenski (Columbus) |
| Vezina Trophy | Best goaltender | Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) |
The five markets worth betting
Each trophy has its own page with the voting record and the patterns behind it.
- Hart Trophy odds. League MVP, and the market most tied to the scoring race.
- Conn Smythe odds. Playoff MVP, priced during the postseason and almost always won by a player on a team still alive.
- Calder Trophy odds. Rookie of the year, the most predictable of the five.
- Norris Trophy odds. Best defenceman, where the voters have a clear type.
- Vezina Trophy. Best goaltender, chosen by the general managers rather than the writers, which makes it behave differently from the others.
How NHL award voting actually works
Most of the trophies are decided by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which votes at the end of the regular season. The Vezina is the exception: NHL general managers pick it. The Conn Smythe is chosen by the writers at the end of the Final. Two things follow from that. Regular-season awards ignore playoff performance completely, and the ballots are cast before the postseason begins.
Voters also reward narrative and availability. A player who misses fifteen games rarely wins the Hart, however good the rate stats look. That is a useful filter when a price looks too short.
When the odds go up and when to bet them
Award futures usually appear alongside the Cup markets before opening night, which this season means late September 2026. Pre-season prices are the widest of the year and also the least informed. The sharper windows come later: around the American Thanksgiving mark, when the standings have settled, and again in February, when the field narrows to three or four genuine candidates. Money is tied up until the end of the season either way, which our futures betting guide explains.
The 2026 winners in full
Kucherov won his second Hart. Vasilevskiy took a third Vezina. Werenski became the first Columbus player to win the Norris, and Matthew Schaefer was a unanimous Calder pick in his first season. Jordan Staal’s Conn Smythe capped Carolina’s second championship.
Season-long championship prices are covered separately on our Stanley Cup odds page, and the NHL betting hub has the provincial rules on where these markets are available. Official voting results are published by NHL.com.
Frequently asked questions
The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes for most trophies, including the Hart, Norris, Calder and Conn Smythe. The Vezina is voted on by the league’s general managers.
Ballots for the regular-season trophies are cast at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs begin. Winners are announced in June. The Conn Smythe is decided at the end of the Stanley Cup Final.
Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Vezina in the same season.
Yes, where your province allows it. Award futures are offered by private sportsbooks in Ontario and Alberta, and by the provincial lottery operator elsewhere, though the monopoly platforms carry fewer of these markets.
No. Voting closes at the end of the regular season, so postseason play has no bearing on the Hart, Norris, Calder or Vezina. Only the Conn Smythe reflects playoff form.
The Calder is usually the most predictable, because the rookie scoring leader wins it more often than not. The Hart is the hardest, since voters weigh team success alongside individual production.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents. Helplines for every other province are listed on our gambling awareness page.