A pair of Eastern Conference goaltenders sit atop the Conn Smythe Trophy betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com as the National Hockey League prepares to finally begin its postseason in Toronto and Edmonton this weekend.
The Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup playoffs, hasn’t been won by a goaltender since 2012, when Los Angeles Kings netminder Jonathan Quick was the winner. Since then the trophy has been given to five forwards (Patrick Kane, Justin Williams, Sidney Crosby twice, Alexander Ovechkin, and Ryan O’Reilly) along with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith in 2015.
Still, it’s Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy who is listed as the +1600 favorite at betting sites on the Conn Smythe Trophy odds this summer, with Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask a close +1800 second favorite on the props list. Both Tampa Bay and Boston have a bye through the qualifying round of the NHL playoffs, and will play seeding games.
Vasilevskiy and Rask are both finalists for the Vezina Trophy this season. The Bruins had the top record in the Eastern Conference when the league went on pause due to the coronavirus with 100 points in 70 games. The Bolts were second in the East with 92 points in 70 games.
Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon then joins Rask at +1800 on the Conn Smythe Trophy odds at sportsbooks, followed by Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer at +2000. The Avalanche and Golden Knights also get to skip the league’s qualifying round.
Forward Steve Stamkos of the Lightning then sits at +2500, with Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart and St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington joining Pittsburgh Penguins forward Crosby at +2800 odds. Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy in both 2016 and 2017, while teammate Evgeni Malkin grabbed the award during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run back in 2009. Malkin is back at +5000 odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy this summer, with Pittsburgh set to take on the Montreal Canadiens in a qualifying round series.
Washington Capitals forward Ovechkin sits at +4000 odds to win his second Conn Smythe Trophy in three years, with Bruins forwards David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron all at +3000 odds. Blues forward O’Reilly is at +3500 odds to repeat as the winner.
