NHL Conn Smythe Odds and Power Rankings: Scott Wedgewood is Great Dark Horse Bet

The NHL Conference Finals are set to begin tonight, which means it's time to take a look at the latest odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Unlike the NBA Finals MVP and the Super Bowl MVP, the Conn Smythe takes the entire postseason into consideration when deciding who the MVP is, instead of just the final.

With that being said, it's fair to assume play in the later rounds means more to the voters than a dominant first round, but we have an idea which players will be in contention for the award now that we're halfway through the playoffs.

Remember, it is possible for a member of the losing team to win the Conn Smythe. Connor McDavid won it as part of the losing Oilers team in 2024, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere won it for the Mighty Ducks in 2003. With that being said, you should probably stick to betting on players who you think will be on the Stanley Cup-winning team.

In this article, I'm going to power rank the top 10 players that I think have the best betting value ahead of the conference finals.

1. Frederik Andersen +420

There's no denying who the best goalie so far in the NHL Playoffs has been. Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes has a spotless 8-0 record with a 1.12 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. If the Hurricanes win the Cup and he keeps playing at that level, he'll become the first goalie to win the award since Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2021.

2. Taylor Hall +1400

Taylor Hall, being my second favorite bet, is counterintuitive to my pick above, but the race for the Conn Smythe could be wide open right now if it is the Hurricanes who end up winning it all. After back-to-back 4-0 sweeps, no player on their team has separated from the pack in terms of points. If they now have to drag the Canadiens and the winner of the Western Conference into long series, there's a great chance that there's a player who's going to make a statement. That's why Hall is an interesting look at 14-1. He's leading them with points this postseason with 12.

3. Nathan MacKinnon +170

You may not think there's much value in a player to win the Conn Smythe at +170, but considering the Avalanche are +140 favorites to win it all, I think Nathan MacKinnon makes a ton of sense at his current price tag. He's leading the team with seven goals and 13 points. If any skater on the team wins it, it's going to be him, but is there a goalie who could steal it from him?

4. Scott Wedgewood +25000

If you want a crazy long shot, I see no reason why you shouldn't sprinkle on the Avs' goaltender, Scott Wedgewood, at 250-1. He has a 2.21 goals against average and a .910 save percentage so far in the playoffs, and will likely be their full-time starter moving forward after getting put in the game after being down 3-0 to the Minnesota Wild in Game 5, allowing the Avs to come back to win the game in overtime. If he shuts the door and plays in every game the rest of the way, he's going to be in the mix to win the Conn Smythe.

5. Mitchell Marner +1200

This would be every Maple Leafs fan's worst nightmare, but Mitchell Marner winning the Conn Smythe Trophy is very much in the mix right now. He's leading the NHL Playoffs in points with 18, three more than any other player. The tough aspect of betting on any player on the Golden Knights or Canadiens is that they have an extremely tough road ahead of them, but if the Golden Knights get the job done, Marner is likely going to win this award.

6. Lane Hutson +2200

The Montreal Canadiens are huge underdogs in the Eastern Conference Final and will be underdogs to whoever they meet in the Stanley Cup Final if they make it there, but if they cap off their improbable run, Lane Hutson seems like the obvious choice to win the award. Not only has he been a dominant force on defense, but he's leading the team in points at this point of the playoffs with 14.

7. Logan Stankoven +1400

As I wrote above, if Andersen doesn't keep playing at an extremely high level for the Hurricanes, there's room for someone else to win the Conn Smythe Trophy if they win the Stanley Cup. Logan Stanjoven is another interesting name. He only has eight points so far in the playoffs, but seven of those have been goals. If he continues to be their leading goal-scorer, he's going to end up being a solid bet at 14-1.

8. Martin Necas +7000

I'm fairly confident that if a skater on the Avalanche wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, it'll be MacKinnon, but if I had to bet on someone else, I'd look at Martin Necas. He's second on the team in points with 11, playing as MacKinnon's winger, and he's on their first power-play unit too. It's still a long shot bet, but it could be worth a sprinkle at 70-1.

9. Jakub Dobes +1900

The Canadiens' only chance of winning the Stanley Cup is by getting outstanding play between the pipes from Jakub Dobes. He has a solid 2.52 goals against average and a .910 save percentage, but if he can steal the next two series, he'll be named MVP of the playoffs without a doubt.

10. Pavel Dorofeyev +5000

Mitchell Marner leads the Golden Knights in points, but it's Pavel Dorofeyev who leads them in goals with nine. He'll need to rack up some assists to keep pace with Marner, but if the former Maple Leaf falls off, Dorofeyev may be the guy to lead the Golden Knights through the next two series.

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