2025 Stanley Cup odds, NHL Awards picks, betting trends: Expert hockey futures bets, Hart Trophy race update

SportsLine handicapper Jimmie Kaylor shares his Stanley Cup futures picks and best bets for the Hart Trophy, James Norris Trophy, and Calder Trophy following the NHL trade deadline

By Jimmie Kaylor

Mar 28, 2025 at 4:17 pm ET • 2 min read

USATSI

The 2024-25 NHL regular season ends in less than a month, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs picture is becoming more clear. The upper echelon of Stanley Cup contenders has emerged, and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin continues to inch closer to breaking the NHL all-time goals scored record held by Wayne Gretzky since 1999. On the NHL awards front, the race for the Hart Trophy is essentially down to two players, and the race for the Calder Trophy is now neck-and-neck. With the regular season winding down, the latest NHL betting odds at BetMGM have shifted dramatically at sportsbooks in the last week.

SportsLine expert handicapper Jimmie Kaylor has broken down the latest betting trends NHL futures odds from BetMGM and locked in his top picks to win the Stanley Cup, Hart Memorial Trophy, James Norris Memorial Trophy, and Calder Memorial Trophy.

In the 4 Nations Face-Off Final, Kaylor picked Nathan MacKinnon to be the first goal scorer and for the game to finish under 5.5 goals. The result: MacKinnon notched the game's first goal for a 13-1 payout, and the game finished with a final score of 3-2 in Canada's favor.

This week, Kaylor also nailed a five-leg same-game parlay in the Avalanche vs. Red Wings game for a payout of almost 7-1.

Kaylor has had a chance to break down the latest NHL odds from BetMGM and has locked in his top futures bet for the Stanley Cup and NHL player awards.

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2025 Stanley Cup odds (at BetMGM)

	Current Odds	Last Week Odds	Opening Odds
Winnipeg Jets	+1100	+1200	+2200
Vegas Golden Knights	+1100	+1100	+1000
Carolina Hurricanes	+1000	+1050	+1100
Washington Capitals	+1000	+1000	+10000
Colorado Avalanche	+750	+800	+1000
Edmonton Oilers	+750	+700	+1000
Dallas Stars	+600	+600	+1000
Florida Panthers	+550	+550	+900

There wasn't a lot of movement here this week, with only the Avalanche and Hurricanes improving their odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Oilers took a slight dip, and the Stars and Panthers remain the top two favorites. Colorado is red-hot right now, but remains headed towards a first round playoff matchup against Dallas.

Best Value Bet: Colorado Avalanche +750

Hart Memorial Trophy odds (at BetMGM)

	Current Odds	Last Week Odds	Opening Odds
Leon Draisaitl	+425	+250	+2200
Nathan MacKinnon	+180	+350	+550
Connor Hellebuyck	-185	-220	+15000

With Draisaitl sidelined, this has turned into a two-horse race between Hellebuyck and MacKinnon. Hellebuyck remains the favorite, but MacKinnon closed the gap and saw his odds nearly cut in half this week. With the way the Avalanche are playing right now, MacKinnon has a very real chance at becoming a rare back-to-back Hart Trophy winner. MacKinnon has the highest ticket count, but Hellebuyck is the biggest liability for BetMGM.

Best bet: Nathan MacKinnon (+180)

James Norris Trophy odds (at BetMGM)

	Current Odds	Last Week Odds	Opening Odds
Quinn Hughes	+5000	+4000	+600
Zach Werenski	+360	+325	+10000
Cale Makar	-700	-650	+250

Nothing new here -- Makar is running away with the Norris Trophy. 53.5% of the total handle and 25.9% of total tickets are on Makar, but Hughes is the biggest liability for BetMGM.

Best value bet: Cale Makar (-750) at 3+ units

Calder Memorial Trophy odds (at BetMGM)

	Current Odds	Last Week Odds	Opening Odds
Matvei Michkov	+8000	+800	+350
Dustin Wolf	+1800	+1000	1500
Macklin Celebrini	-120	-225	+400
Lane Hutson	-110	+260	+700

This race is now likely going to come down to the final week of the regular season. By next week, Hutson may overtake Celebrini as the favorite here. BetMGM's biggest liability remains Michkov, however.

Best Bet: Lane Hutson (-110)