2022 NHL Awards Analysis: Playoffs MVP Odds

With the NHL Conference Finals now underway, we are drawing ever closer to the Stanley Cup Final. One of the 4 remaining teams will win this thing and we will also have one player skate off with the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is essentially the award for the playoff MVP. The odds are available now to wager on who will win, and I have to say that there are some very good candidates. Part of picking the winner of the award is figuring out which teams will make it to the Final, as the player who wins the trophy will more than likely come from the winning team. While we wait for that, we can look at the players who are currently in as the favorites to be the playoff MVP, so let’s take a look at that along with their NHL Awards Betting Odds.

NHL Awards Odds – Conn Smythe aka the Playoffs MVP Trophy

Nathan McKinnon (+275)

In the postseason, the stats can be a little misleading, simply because you may have a team that play fewer games than most to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. The Colorado Avalanche won their Round 1 series in a sweep, so not much of an opportunity for their top players to pad their stats. Since Colorado is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, it makes sense that their best players will be among the favorites to win the Conn Smythe. You can certainly make a case for McKinnon, who has 9 goals and 6 assists through the 11 games that the Avalanche have played to this point. That includes a goal and an assist in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.

Cale Makar (+300)

Very often, the Con Smythe goes to either the winning goaltender or the players that racks up the most points. Occasionally, we get a defensive player winning, and if that is to be how it goes this season, then you need to think that Cale Makar has a shot. Makar has 16 points (4G 12 A) through the 11 games of the playoffs, but he has not shirked his defensive duties, as he is also a stellar +10 in the +/- category. In short, this is a player getting the job done on both ends of the ice.

Andrei Vasilevsky (+500)

If you look back at the history of the Conn Smythe, you quickly discover that winning it in back-to-back seasons is not something that we see very often. Vasilevsky, who is the goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has a shot at achieving that feat, as he has been a very big part of the Lightning making it to the Eastern Conference Final. He has the best goals against average and save percentage of the goalies still remaining in the playoffs, so that certainly helps his cause.

Connor McDavid (+1000)

Over the past few seasons, McDavid has established himself as the best player in the world, but he has taken his game to a whole new level in the playoffs. He currently sits at the top of the points standings for the postseason with 29, and if you have watched any of the Oilers games, you will clearly see that he is playing at a level that no one can match. He is shoo-in to win if the Oilers win this whole thing, which in itself makes it a bit of a risky bet, but one worth taking.

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I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?