Bodog sent along odds for the upcoming NHL season and there are some interesting Caps nuggets in there. Alex Ovechkin is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league Most Valuable Player at 4/1 odds. Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos is second at 11/2 and Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby, still recovering from concussion symptoms, is third at 13/2. Ovechkin was also listed as the co-favorite with Stamkos (7/2) to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader. Stamkos is favored to take the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals (7/2). Ovechkin is second at 4/1 odds to win that category.
Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun isn’t in the mix for the Vezina Trophy at 18/1 odds. Altogether, 13 goalies were ranked ahead of him by Bodog despite Vokoun ranking ninth in save percentage last season (.922). Buffalo’s Ryan Miller (5/1) and Boston’s Tim Thomas (7/1) are the favorites.
Recommended Stories
Vegas must be buying into both Mike Green’s improvement as a defensive defenseman last season and his ability to stay healthy. Green looked a lot better in his own end in 2010-11 – but played only 49 games during the regular season thanks to back-to-back head injuries. A two-time finalist for the Norris Trophy, Green ranks fourth at 7/1 odds. Bodog went with only Nashville’s Shea Weber (4/1), Boston’s Zdeno Chara (9/2) and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom (13/2) ahead of Green.
Caps didn’t have a candidate for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Maybe defenseman Dmitry Orlov will have something to say about that, but he’ll have to make the team first and earn consistent playing time. Philadelphia’s Brayden Schenn (3/1), acquired in the blockbuster trade with Los Angeles over the summer, is the favorite. Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the top pick in the 2011 draft and still just 18, is at 7/2. Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog, another 18-year-old and the No. 2 pick in June’s draft, is 7/2.
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
