We’re still months away from the 2026-27 NHL season, but Vegas is already releasing odds for some of the league’s major awards.
Betting on the MVP or rookie of the year at this point in the year would be kind of a wild move, but for those who have strong gut feelings about those kinds of things, it’s the perfect time to potentially capitalize on the early odds. Could a sleeper have some odds that you can’t pass up on? Absolutely, so in that case, it’s not the craziest move in the world to bet on award winners.
The early odds for rookie of the year — or the Calder Trophy — went public recently, and there’s a familiar name at the top with the best odds to win the award.
Porter Martone opens up as the Calder Trophy favorite per @BetOnline_ag pic.twitter.com/hLFICoVyk3
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 30, 2026
Porter Martone is the No. 1 candidate to win the Calder Trophy this season after bursting onto the scene during the 2026 NHL Playoffs with the Philadelphia Flyers. He went from knocked out of the NCAA Tournament just before the Frozen Four to signing with the Flyers for a playoff push, to aiding the Flyers in their first-round win over the Penguins, to now becoming the favorite to win the Calder Trophy.
What a whirlwind the past year has probably been for the young NHL star out of Michigan State.
And his time at Michigan State wasn’t too shabby either.
Porter Martone was a Spartan legend in his one year
Martone finished second all-time in goals scored as a freshman (25) and fifth all-time in total points by a freshman (50). He was the 2026 College Hockey News Rookie of the Year, and he finished second in the NCAA in goals scored per game (0.71), per his MSU profile.
The former sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft rose to stardom as he boosted the Flyers’ playoff hopes by getting hot right near the end of the season and through round one.
Michigan State fans know better than anyone that Martone is just a points machine.
It’s unfortunate that he never made a Frozen Four and had a chance to play for a national title, but he’ll now be chasing the Stanley Cup every year.
Adam Nightingale’s resume is already pretty solid but imagine what adding a Calder Trophy winner to it after coaching him for just a year.
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