Why Andrei Vasilevskiy Is A Smart Bet For Conn Smythe

The Stanley Cup Final is in full swing, and we have one of the most exciting matchups in years between the back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the odds-on favorite to win the Cup all year in the Colorado Avalanche. Both of these teams are extremely talented and have loaded rosters, so it could be anyone's game. Colorado has more depth and top-end talent, but Tampa Bay has the experience of veterans that have been here before.

So, when you look at both of these teams and how each player has done this postseason, who has been the best of the best? Someone has to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and there are four names that sit on the top of the leaderboard as favorites. There is one name that stands out to me in particular, and I think there are some great odds on him winning the award.

That is Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has been lights out since Game 7 of the Lightning's first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's currently listed at +400, or 4/1 odds, to win the Conn Smythe, which I think is ludicrous for a number of reasons.

First off, he has easily been the most consistent player on the lightning for these playoffs, with Nikita Kucherov coming in behind him. He was magnificent in their second-round series against the President trophy-winning Florida Panthers, holding the league's best regular-season offense to just three goals in a four-game sweep. That performance alone is enough to push him into the favorite slot, but his grit and toughness in the face of adversity against the New York Rangers really made him shine. After going down 2-0 to the Rangers and allowing nine goals in those games, he locked it down and only allowed five in the next four straight, in which Tampa Bay won all of them and advanced to where they are now. He is the biggest reason that Tampa is back in the Stanley Cup Final and trying to be the first team to three-peat since 1981-83.

The reason that this bet is so good, is because of the odds you are getting. Vasilevskiy is +400 to win the Conn Smythe, while the Lightning are currently just +160 to win the series. If we assume that Vasilevskiy wins the award if the Lightning win the series and the Stanley Cup, why bet the +160 when you could bet Vasilevskiy at +400? It's just a smarter bet to make because in order for Tampa Bay to win, they will need him to be incredible again against a very good offense. I would bet on Vasilevskiy instead of Lightning in the series for this reason, and I did bet it. I think Tampa pulls it off and wins their third straight Stanley Cup.