As the 2021-22 NHL season takes a pause due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, it’s important to pay recognition to the talented rookies we’ve seen this year. While some first-year players have struggled to find their footing, others are looking like everyday NHLers already and are making a push for the Calder Trophy.
Unfortunately, only one player can be the Calder Memorial Trophy winner. While it’s too early to decide on a winner, that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from listing who’s their odds-on favorite. At +175 odds, the Detroit Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond is currently BetOnline’s favorite to win the award.
Raymond has been an absolute stud over the first 31 games of his NHL career. The 19-year-old Swede is leading all rookies when it comes to goals (10) and assists (18). In fact, his 28 points on the year put him just one behind Dylan Larkin for the Red Wings team lead.
Nobody could’ve predicted that Raymond would be this good, this soon. Nevertheless, he’s already captivated fans with his impressive speed, versatile playmaking skills and dangerous shot whenever he uses it. However, his one goal over his last nine games shows that he could play much better than he is at the moment.
Nevertheless, Raymond should continue being involved in the Calder Trophy race throughout the rest of the season.
2021-22 NHL Calder Trophy Odds Tracker
Odds via BetOnline as of Tuesday, December 21
- Lucas Raymond (+175)
- Trevor Zegras (+225)
- Moritz Seider (+600)
- Michael Bunting (+1200)
- Dawson Mercer (+1600)
- Jeremy Swayman (+2200)
- Jonathan Dahlen (+2200)
- Bowen Byram (+2800)
- Jamie Drysdale (+2800)
- Alex Nedeljkovic (+2800)
The complete odds list is available at BetOnline.ag.
Trevor Zegras Calder Odds
While Raymond is the odds-on Calder Trophy favorite, Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras isn’t too far behind him at +225 odds.
Zegras looked impressive over 24 games in the 2020-21 season, tallying 13 points over that span. He decided to take it to the next level this season, proven by him potting eight goals while adding 17 assists (25 points) over 30 games. If he continues at that rate, that’s good for 68 points in an 82-game season despite being just 20 years old.
Zegras’ explosive start can be contributed to him finding instant chemistry with Sonny Milano. The duo has combined for 46 points so far this season, with both players being in the top 3 when it comes to Anaheim’s point leaders. We’ve only scratched the surface of Zegras’ talents, so it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season shapes up for him. As long as he continues seeing the minutes that he has while playing alongside Milano, he has a realistic shot at winning the 2021-22 Calder Trophy.
Moritz Seider Calder Trophy Odds
Raymond isn’t the only Red Wings rookie who has been standing out this season. Defenseman Moritz Seider has also been having a successful first year in the league. The 20-year-old blueliner has been an offensive dynamo to begin the season, recording 21 points in 31 games while playing just over 22 minutes each night. Despite his position, Seider is third in rookie scoring, trailing only Raymond and Zegras.
As a result of his play, Seider has +600 odds to win the Calder Trophy. While that seems like somewhat of a long shot, it’s important to recognize that he still has a decent chance to win the award. After all, most defenseman don’t see the type of role that Seider has until they’re in their mid-20s. Taking that into account, some may say that his odds should be better than they are.
Nevertheless, Seider is too good not to be in the Calder conversation. Unless he takes a big fall, there’s good reason to believe that he’ll be a finalist at the end of the year.
