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Oddsmaker: Crosby favorite for Hart, Kessel high on Rocket Richard list

Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel

AP

It seems online bookmaker Bovada is a big believer in the idea that Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel are going to make for a great duo. That’s at least one way of interpreting their new odds for the 2015-16 award winners.

Crosby stands out from the crowd as the favorite to win both the Hart Trophy (7/2) and Art Ross Trophy (3/2) after he fell short of both of those honors for the 2014-15 campaign. However, his projected linemate was given very favorable odds as well.

Kessel was tied with Steven Stamkos for the fourth best odds to win the Art Ross Trophy (17/2) and was third (8/1) after only Alex Ovechkin and Stamkos (5/2 each) in the Rocket Richard race. With the exception of 2014-15, when Kessel struggled along with the rest of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he has been a consistently great sniper for a while now. Kessel has never scored more than 37 goals in a single campaign, but he also hasn’t had a center like Crosby to work with until now.

It’s worth noting that teammate Evgeni Malkin was given 20/1 odds for either of the Art Ross and Richard Trophies, although he does have 15/1 odds for the Hart while Kessel wasn’t on that list at all.

When it comes to the Calder Trophy, it’s expected to be a battle between Connor McDavid (4/7) and Jack Eichel (4/1), with McDavid being the clear favorite. Sam Bennett (7/1), Sam Reinhart (9/1), and Max Domi (12/1) round out the top-five.

While Price isn’t the favorite to repeat as the Hart Trophy winner (10/1), he is projected to win his second straight Vezina (7/2), although Henrik Lundqvist isn’t far behind in the odds (9/2).

Drew Doughty (7/2) is the favorite to win the Norris over the last three winners; Erik Karlsson (4/1), P.K. Subban (9/2), and Duncan Keith (13/2).