Sep 14 at 2:48 p.m
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The 2022-23 NHL season starts in less than a month. That means it’s time to expand our preview content and focus on many of the prominent futures markets, such as: B. Player Awards.
Let’s take a closer look at how the Norris Trophy market is performing and where the value could be.
Note: Only listed players +8000 or less.
| PLAYER | OPPORTUNITIES |
|---|---|
| Kal Makar | +150 |
| Roman Josi | +700 |
| Adam Fox | +900 |
| Victor Hedman | +900 |
| Aaron Eichenblatt | +110 |
| Charlie McAvoy | +1600 |
| Moritz Seider | +1800 |
| Miro Heiskanen | +2000 |
| QuinnHughes | +2000 |
| Devon Toews | +2500 |
| Kris Letang | +2500 |
| Alex Pietrangelo | +3300 |
| Morgan Rielly | +3300 |
| Shea Theodore | +3300 |
| John Carlson | +4000 |
| Dougie Hamilton | +5000 |
| Jacob Slawin | +5000 |
| Jared Spurgeon | +5000 |
| MacKenzie Weegar | +5000 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | +5000 |
| Seth Jones | +5000 |
| Thomas Chabot | +5000 |
| Tony DeAngelo | +5000 |
| Brent Burns | +8000 |
| Drew Doughty | +8000 |
| Eric Karlson | +8000 |
| JustinFauk | +8000 |
| Zach Werensky | +8000 |
Kal Makar (+150)
You can’t talk about the Norris without mentioning Cale Makar. He recorded a 28-goal, 86-point campaign and led all NHL blueliners in goals above backup. Makar is beyond competent defensively, and he’s a one-man breakout who dominates the puck and creates something out of thin air in virtually every shift.
While the Colorado Avalanche lost some quality pieces this offseason, Makar will still be a big player on a team that should remain an elite team. He may be the NHL’s best power play with quarterbacks Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. He’ll rack up a ton of points again while influencing play across the ice.
As long as he stays healthy, he deserves to be the favorite.
Miro Heiskanen (+2000)
Heiskanen has quickly established himself as one of the sport’s finest defensemen and is set for a monster year with the Dallas Stars. He’s so good at neutering opposing attacks with fantastic gap control, positioning and stick work – even on the transitions.
Heiskanen is also a fantastic puck rusher, able to transport him out of trouble and safely into the offensive zone. He sees the ice well, can create looks for teammates, and makes a lot of things the stars do easier—even if the overall score doesn’t necessarily indicate it.
With John Klingberg out of the running, more offensive responsibility will fall on Heiskanen’s plate. If he can convert those opportunities into more points while staying strong defensively, we could easily be looking at a 50+ point defender controlling play at both ends of the rink. At this price there is real value.
Dougie Hamilton (+5000)
As much as people hate to admit it, you have to have high offensive performance to have any real chance of winning the Norris.
Any contender will probably need at least 50 points, if not 60, to really stand a chance. That’s one of the reasons Hamilton is screaming for value at +5000.
While he’s had a bad season with the New Jersey Devils, he’s been in the lineup all season with injuries and not in full health. It was a one year write-off.
Hamilton has proven in the past that he can score points. He had 82 points in 102 games from 2019–21. That’s 65 to 82. He also posted fantastic underlying metrics and was better defensively than anticipated.
If he can get back to his usual self in a talented and young Devils team filled with ever-improving talents like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, he could pose a serious threat.
Drew Doughty (+8000)
Doughty has everything you are looking for when betting in the Norris Trophy market. He’s a constant, plays in all situations, produces attacks and his team should be good. Putting his name with a +8000 price tag feels outrageous to say the least.
Take last season for example. Doughty accumulated 31 points in 39 games before suffering an injury late in the year. That’s a 65-point pace over an entire season, which coupled with a strong defense is more than enough for the Norris to consider.
The Los Angeles Kings — led by their five-for-five dominance — were also a playoff team, despite playing more than half the season without their best defenseman.
With Doughty healthy and a much-needed dynamic element in store with the acquisition of Kevin Fiala, the Kings should win more games – and score more goals in the process – in 2022-23.
Todd Cordell is a sportsbook writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
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