2024-2025 NHL Rookie Of The Year Odds & Best Bet

Uncertainty Abound

When you take a look at the current NHL Rookie of the Year odds at most sportsbooks, no one really seems to know who is the clear-cut favorite. Many times, the No. 1 overall selection is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder, but that is not the case this season.

Macklin Celebrini is 5/1 to win the award, but Matvei Michkov has better odds right now at 4.5/1 in a lot of places. While he was the seventh overall selection, many see him as one of the more "veteran" rookies in the league with the most experience. He has played in the KHL since 2021, which is a very competitive league overseas, and comes in already with a lot of professional knowledge. He might not be as talented as Celebrini, but he has played much better competition and is more pro-ready.

Odds Board

These are the top-10 players on the odds board to win the Calder Trophy, per DraftKings.

1. Matvei Michkov +450
2. Macklin Celebrini +500
3. Logan Stankoven +550
4. Cutter Gauthier +650
5. Will Smith +700
6. Dustin Wolf +1000
7. Lane Hutson +1000
8. Mavrik Bourque +3000
9. Jesper Wallstedt +3500
10. Fabian Lysell +5000

Best Bet

As you can see from that board, no one is the obvious choice. There isn't any Connor Bedard or McDavid that is a huge favorite over everyone else. However, I see this as coming down to just a couple of guys. While Celebrini is going to be a popular pick since he was the first overall selection, I agree with the market that Michkov should be the favorite here.

Not only does he already have some serious professional experience playing in Russia with some talented players, but he is 19 years old and likely will be playing with the Flyers immediately. Some of these players have a risk of reduced playing time, but I expect Michkov to come right in and be a contributor immediately.

I was able to sneak in a bet on him at +550 about a month ago, and that has moved to +450 as people start to recognize his chances of winning it are quite high.