Ranking the Top 6 Sportsbooks for Betting NHL Norris Trophy Futures
Coming into the season, the expectations were that last year’s Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar, would be expected to repeat. Makar has performed well, but there are still viable challengers out there. Here are my rankings of the top sportsbooks for betting Norris Trophy futures.
Earlier this week, I wrote about the latest Norris Trophy odds and how Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was still the favorite, but Adam Fox of the New York Rangers is making his case for the award.
Makar has three goals and 18 points in 15 games. While his goal-scoring rate is down from last season, Makar remains a dominant play-driving defenseman who is on pace for 98 points.
Adam Fox, Erik Karlsson, and Miro Heiskanen are some of the blueliners that are lurking as challengers to Makar.
Here are my rankings of the top sportsbooks for Norris Trophy futures wagering.
1. FanDuel Sportsbook
When ranking sportsbooks for their futures offerings, there is always a trade-off somewhere. In the case of FanDuel, it is offering shorter odds for Victor Hedman (+750) and Roman Josi (+750) than the other top sportsbooks. However, FanDuel boasts the longest odds for Cale Makar (+165), Adam Fox (+850), and Erik Karlsson (+1400), as well as longer than average odds for the next six consensus contenders for the award. Getting Fox at +850 at FanDuel compared to just +400 at Barstool, for example, is a massive difference.
Read our FanDuel Sportsbook review.
Check out FanDuel Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only)
2. BetMGM Sportsbook
Strangely enough, FanDuel and BetMGM were not as strong in the rankings for sportsbooks to bet the Hart Trophy, but they have better offerings when it comes to the Norris. Like FanDuel, BetMGM is offering short odds on Hedman and Josi, but offering longer than average odds for virtually any of the other top contenders. Another strike against BetMGM is that they do not offer odds for Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm. He may not win the award but is a more legitimate contender than a lot of other defensemen that have been included. Still, BetMGM offers significant value plays, matching the longest odds on Karlsson (+1400, for now).
Read our BetMGM Sportsbook review.
Check out BetMGM Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only).
3. Barstool Sportsbook
Despite offering the longest odds for most of the Hart Trophy contenders, Barstool is not quite so generous when it comes to betting on the best defenseman. It might make more objective sense for Adam Fox to be priced at +400, because he appears to be a viable Norris candidate. However, when the other top sportsbooks have him priced at +700 or longer, that is a tough look for Barstool. The rest is a mixed bag. Barstool offers the longest odds for Roman Josi (+1500), Aaron Ekblad (+6000), Dougie Hamilton (+3500), and Shea Theodore (+3500), but the shortest odds for Erik Karlsson (+1000) and shorter than average for several more candidates.
Read our Barstool Sportsbook review.
Check out Barstool Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only)
4. PointsBet Sportsbook
In previous rankings, the tendency for PointsBet has been to fall in the middle in terms of pricing. Never the best but never the worst. For Norris Trophy odds, it offers the shortest odds for the favorite, Cale Makar (+100). At the same time, PointsBet offers average or longer odds for most of the Top 20 contenders, including the longest odds for Victor Hedman (+1200) and Miro Heiskanen (+2800).
Read our PointsBet Sportsbook review.
Check out PointsBet Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only)
5. DraftKings Sportsbook
While PointsBet leans towards the middle, DraftKings takes stronger positions, at both the long and short end. It offers the shortest odds for Miro Heiskanen (+1600) and shorter than average odds for Cale Makar (+120) and Aaron Ekblad (+2500). On the other hand, DraftKings has the longest odds for Victor Hedman (+1200), Rasmus Dahlin (+1600), and Shea Theodore (+3500). Overall, though, there could be longer odds to be more competitive with the other top sportsbooks.
Read our DraftKings Sportsbook review.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only)
6. Caesars Sportsbook
You have to get pretty far into the weeds before finding a defenseman for which Caesars offers the longest Norris Trophy odds. Jared Spurgeon (+5000) and Thomas Chabot (+5000) are unlikely to win. Among the consensus Top 25 contenders, Dougie Hamilton (+3000) and Noah Dobson (+7500) are the only two that have longer than average odds at Caesars. This is a fascinating flip from the preseason because, at that time, Caesars was offering the longest odds for 13 of the Top 18 Norris candidates.
Read our Caesars Sportsbook review.
Check out Caesars Sportsbook bonuses (U.S. players only)
