🏆 NHL Award Predictions 2026: Who Will Win Hart, Calder, Norris, Vezina Trophies?
The season is set to recommence, and I'm weighing in with my NHL award predictions for the four major trophies: The Norris, Calder, Vezina, and Hart.
Excluding the Calder Trophy, which Matthew Schaefer is dominating, each award has at least two viable front-runners with a solid chance of securing the individual honor. Nathan MacKinnon remains well ahead of the chasing pack, but the Hart Trophy race is closer than the odds indicate. Here are my thoughts on each prospective winner.
🥇 NHL award predictions 2026
Here are my NHL award predictions, using the NHL odds from our best sports betting sites.
| Award | Bet | Odds | Units | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hart Trophy | Nikita Kucherov | +650 via FanDuel | 1u -> 6.5u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Norris Trophy | Zach Werenski | -115 via DraftKings | 2u -> 1.74u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Vezina Trophy | Andrei Vasilevskiy | +130 via Caesars | 2u -> 2.6u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Calder Trophy | Matthew Schaefer | -1000 via DraftKings | Not enough value to make bet | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Total wagered: 4 units | Max profit: 10.84 units | Each unit represents $10
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❤️ Hart Trophy prediction: Nikita Kucherov
Macklin Celebrini is the most valuable player to his team, and nobody can tell me otherwise. However, the Sharks are over-reliant on the 19-year-old, so much so that they won't make the playoffs.
Nikita Kucherov, meanwhile, will not only make the playoffs, but he also has an excellent chance to propel the Tampa Bay Lightning, receiving the second-shortest Stanley Cup odds, to its third Stanley Cup since 2020.
The Lightning megastar has been the best player in the league by a country mile in the last two months, and he's quickly gaining ground on Hart Trophy odds front-runner MacKinnon. I also prefer Kucherov's supporting cast.
Our Dustin Saracini explores whether Celebrini and Connor McDavid are providing value after the Olympics.
Kucherov's scoring since Dec. 22
| Games | Points | Points per game | Multi-point games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 48 | 2.4 | 16 |
💡 Hart Trophy betting tip
Only three players since 1924, the first time the Hart Trophy was awarded, won the award while failing to secure a playoff berth: Al Rollins (Blackhawks, 1954), Andy Bathgate (Rangers, 1959), and Mario Lemieux (Penguins, 1988).
🛡️ Norris Trophy prediction: Zach Werenski
Quite simply, it's Zach Werenski's time. The blue-liner has been outstanding during the Columbus Blue Jackets' exceptional run, even overtaking Cale Makar as the Norris Trophy odds favorite.
Our Liam Fox analyzed the comparison between Makar and Werenski. While his significant impact in helping Team USA win its first Olympic gold medal in 46 years has no direct bearing on the Norris Trophy, the confidence he'll take from that tournament can only bode well down the stretch.
Werenski finished as last season's runner-up behind winner Makar, but as long as he takes the Blue Jackets to the playoffs, I believe he will secure his first Norris Trophy.
Werenski has 62 points, one behind the leader among defensemen, Evan Bouchard. Werenski notches a point on 36% of Columbus' goals. Compare that to Makar's 27% overall contribution.
💡 Norris Trophy betting tip
Adam Fox is the only Norris Trophy recipient to win the award despite not making the playoffs. For Werenski to win the award, he will likely have to lead the Blue Jackets to the postseason.
🥅 Vezina Trophy prediction: Andrei Vasilevskiy
While Ilya Sorokin remains the Vezina Trophy odds favorite, Andrei Vasilevskiy has almost completely erased the deficit. The Lightning ace is 18-2-1 since returning from a lower-body injury, and he's among the leaders in several key statistical categories:
- Tied for the most wins (27)
- Best save percentage with at least 20 starts (.920)
- Best goals-against average (2.11)
- 2nd-best goals saved above expected (21.1)
Fox compared some of Sorokin's and Vasilevskiy's stats in his recent Vezina Trophy odds 2026 piece.
I'm not backing Sorokin for various reasons, but the most important is the New York Islanders' somewhat precarious position in the standings. They are third in the Metropolitan Division, four points up on Columbus and Washington, and I'm not confident in their playoff chances.
💡 Vezina Trophy betting tip
Since 1981-82, when hockey writers or general managers started voting on the Vezina winner, only one goaltender (Sergei Bobrovsky in 2013) won without making the playoffs.
👦 Calder Trophy prediction: Matthew Schaefer
This is the easiest pick of them all, with Matthew Schaefer well ahead of the field on the Calder Trophy odds leaderboard. The problem is that there is no value in backing the 19-year-old phenom, whose -1000 odds would profit just $1 on a $10 wager.
There is a bevy of reasons Schaefer should be anointed rookie of the year now, and I can't see Ivan Demidov or Beckett Sennecke, the other two viable contenders, preventing the generational talent from taking the honours.
❓ NHL award 2026 FAQs
When will the Norris Trophy be awarded?
Votes from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association must be filed before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. The 2025 Norris Trophy was named on June 11, 2025. Expect a similar timeframe for the 2026 Norris Trophy.
When will the Hart Trophy be awarded?
Last season's Hart Trophy winner was announced June 12, 2025 at the NHL awards show. The Hart Trophy winner is always announced after or during the Stanley Cup Final, so a similar timeline is expected for the 2025-26 winner.
When will the Vezina Trophy be awarded?
The 2025 winner was announced on June 12, 2025, so expect a similar timeline.
When will the Calder Trophy be awarded?
Votes from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association must be filed before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. Last year's Calder Trophy was announced on June 11.
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