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NHL 2024 Season: NHL Awards Best Bets and Dark Horse Winners
Written by: Brad Blakemore
Last Updated:
Read Time: 7 minutes
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The NHL season is about 2/3 of the way through, which means we have a better picture on the award races. While there are some clear favorites in each category there is still some value to be had. We will specifically look at three awards today. The Hart trophy which is awarded to the MVP of the season. The Vezina trophy which is given to the best goaltender in the league. And finally the Norris trophy that is awarded to the top defenseman. So let’s focus on these three NHL award best bets for value and likelihood.
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NHL Hart Award Best Bet Prediction: Nikitta Kucherov (+200) Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on Bovada for this pick
Kucherov has been putting on a spectacular season, showing why Tampa Bay could still win the Stanley Cup
The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player who is considered not only the MVP for their own team but for the entire league. It is usually awarded to the player who ends up with the most points in the season, but other factors such as how much of an impact that player has made on their team is considered. So while hunting down a good candidate for this award both that players total points and impact will be considered.
Many people predicted that the Tampa Bay Lightning may fall out of being a true Stanley Cup contender. Well, top forward Nikkita Kucherov had other ideas. He has lead the league almost all season in point (currently in the lead with 93 points in 54 games.) Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche is the current favorite for this award, despite being 4 points back.
Kucherov helped carry his team at the start of the season when their Vezina caliber goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was out with injury. During this period the Lightning had to rely on outscoring their opponents, because they would often allow three or more goals against. Kucherov did just that, and now that Vasilevskiy is back the Ligtning have skyrocketed up the standings.
The main downside to this selection is that Kucherov is a winger. In the NHL both centers and defensemen are considered the more valuable positions, as they positions require much stronger defensive play. Both McDavid and MacKinnon are centers which will help their case.
However, with 28 multi-point games and counting, and helping his team not only compete for a playoff spot but look like a true contender Kucherov needs to be considered for the award. He is still 13 points ahead of McDavid in the point race and continuing on this pace should help solidify Kucherov as the top scorer in the league. Getting Kucherov for the Hart at +200 makes it an NHL award best bet.
You can get bet on Kucherov for the Hart for +200 on Bovada.
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More NHL Vezina Award Best Bets: Sergei Bobrovsky (+2000) Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BETUS for this pick
Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers has been playing like a Vezina winner
The Vezina trophy is awarded to the best goaltender of the league. The goaltender generally needs to have played a large amount of games, and won a large amount of those starts. On top of that both their goals against average and save percentage need to be near the top of the pack to secure the award. This section of the article will look at two options, a darkhorse and a best bet.
Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers has been playing light out all season. But with the Panthers recent rise to the top of the standings it has become apparent just how dominant he is. Bobrovsky is third in wins, with 26 (Demko of the Canucks leads the league with 30) a number that could continue to rise now that the Panthers are completely healthy and steamrolling everyone in their path.
The Panthers’ netminder is also near the top in goals against average and save percentage. He has a 9.14 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against. The other two favorites Demko and Hellebuyck currently hold .920 sv%/2.41 GAA and .926 sv%/2.13 GAA. Bobrovsky is in the same range as the two leaders, but I believe he is on the best team.
Hellebuyck of the Jets is the clear favorite right now at -170. However, his Jets team are starting to crack and he may start giving up more goals and losses. Meanwhile Demko is the safest pick in my mind at +275 as the Vancouver Canucks continue to impress. But at +2000 I think Bobrovsky is an excellent darkhorse pick for the Vezina.
Playing both Thatcher Demko and Sergei Bobrovsky for the Vezina trophy is an NHL award best bet play. Demko gives you a goaltender who has been in the Vezina conversation all season at plus money. While Bobrovsky provides a darkhorse pick who is holding his own with the best. You can get Demko for +275 and Bobrovsky for +2000 -110 on BETUS.
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NHL Norris Award Best Bet: Cale Makar (+160) Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on Bovada for this pick
Makar is a generational defenseman
The Norris trophy is awarded to the top defenseman in the NHL. There are a lot of critics for the award as it has really become the top scoring defenseman. Last season Erik Karlsson won the award for his 3rd time, as he lead all defensemen in scoring with a career best 101 points. He was on one of the worst teams in the league and often did not need to worry about keeping pucks out of his own end however.
This year the two top scoring defensemen are Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. And it isn’t very close. Quinn Hughes is currently the favorite for the award, at -200. If you weren’t able to play his prop earlier this season at better value, then the ship has sailed and you should look to pivot to Makar.
Cale Makar now has 60 points in the 50 games he has played this season. The Colorado Avalanche have had a rollercoaster of a season, and have really been struggling on their current roadtrip. In order to get better seeding for the playoffs Makar may need to get even more involved on the offensive end and play completely lights out on the defensive side.
Quinn Hughes started off the season with a bang. He had 32 points in 25 games from the start of the season until December. Since then he has wracked up another 34 points over the past 30 games. While the it’s not a huge dip in production, he has slowed down a bit. It will be difficult, but it’s not impossible to see Makar catching and passing Quinn in the point race. The chance for Makar to catch Hughes makes Makar an NHL award best bet.
Quinn Hughes truly has the best chance to win this award, but he is unfortunately not at a bettable price. This makes Makar is a great bet at plus money as there may be more on the line for him and the Avalanche in the back third of the season. Unfortunately there are not many other reliable options for the Norris award this season. You can get Makar for the Norris for +160 on Bovada.
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Brad Blakemore, better known as Betzky, is a desert rat who was born and raised in Tempe Arizona. Shockingly this didn't stop Betzky from becoming a hockey fanatic. He specializes in NHL capping, and is (unfortunately) a diehard Coyotes fan, through all the highs and (mostly) lows. When not consuming NHL action Betzky collects records of all genres, attends tons of concerts and spends time with the Mrs, their cat Brain and doggo Ned. Follow Betzky on Twitter/X @gretzkybetzkys or on the Parlay Science discord.
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