2027 Calder Trophy Betting Odds, Prediction: Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone early front-runners

If there’s one thing to take away from some of the recent contracts signed in the NHL, it’s that young players can have major impacts right away.

As recently as a few days ago, the Anaheim Ducks signed 22-year-old defenceman Tristan Luneau to a $43.2 million contract extension with just 14 NHL games of experience. That shows you how the league values young players and expects them to be difference-makers right away.

To that end, today’s focus is on the young guns as we look at this season’s Calder Trophy odds for Rookie of the Year.

Let’s get into it with the Calder favourites, our prediction and some betting trends.

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Calder Trophy Favourites

The early-season Calder Trophy odds have Philadelphia’s Porter Martone and Toronto’s Gavin McKenna as the front-runners, followed closely by San Jose’s Ivar Stenberg.

Martone is the early Calder Trophy-favourite after impressing with the Flyers at the tail end of last season. The then-18-year-old immediately made his presence known with 10 points (4G, 6A) in nine regular season games before adding another five points (2G, 3A) in 10 playoff games. However, Martone remains pointless with just two shots in Philadelphia’s first two games this season.

It’s no surprise to see McKenna near the top of this list as the 18-year-old was the first overall selection in June’s NHL entry draft. McKenna has had a bit of a slow start with no points and a minus-three rating in three games for the Maple Leafs, but he also had a slow start at Penn State last season before going on to win the Big Ten scoring title with 51 points (15G, 36A) in 35 games.

Selected second overall, Ivar Stenberg was thought to be the most NHL-ready of the 2026 draft class after spending the last two seasons playing for Frolunda in Sweden’s top men’s league. Stenberg recorded his first career point, an assist, in his second game as he continues to adjust to the smaller North American ice surface.

Here’s the top-10 favourites to win the Calder Trophy this season:

1. Porter Martone (+275)
2. Gavin McKenna (+280)
3. Ivar Stenberg (+500)
4. Cole Hutson (+900)
5. Roman Kantserov (+900)
6. Anton Frondell (+1000)
7. Konsta Helenius (+1500)
8. James Hagens (+2000)
9. Ilya Protas (+2500)
10. Nikita Klepov (+2500)

Calder Trophy Prediction

The best value in my mind is on Stenberg at +500. A player like McKenna will be sheltered with a deeper roster in Toronto, while Stenberg will be a key contributor for the Sharks right away.

Stenberg has already played two seasons against men, so the physical adjustment should be smoother than McKenna, who is coming from college.

With a 20-year-old captain in Macklin Celebrini, this San Jose team is built around youth and Stenberg will benefit from that.

Calder Trophy Betting Trends

• Since the NHL entry draft was established in 1963, only 10 No. 1 overall selections have gone on to win the Calder Trophy (including Matthew Schaefer last season).
• Only 16 goaltenders have won the Calder Trophy. Steve Mason was the last goalie to win the award with Columbus in 2009.
• In 1990, Sergei Makarov (Calgary Flames) became the oldest Calder winner at 31-years-old. The rules were changed the next season, requiring players be 26 or younger to win the award.

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