2024-25 Conn Smythe odds, prediction: Connor McDavid installed as favorite ahead of Stanley Cup Final
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is set to get underway Wednesday and bookmakers are having a really tough time separating the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
The Oilers have home-ice advantage are slight -130 favorites to win the best-of-seven series at bet365, but if it were the Panthers hosting four potential games then the odds would likely be flipped.
Flip a coin.
With the odds to win the Stanley Cup so tight, it would make sense that the market for the Conn Smythe Trophy to be the same.
Connor McDavid is an even-money favorite to win the Conn Smythe, which would make the Oilers captain the fourth player to win the trophy in consecutive years but the first to do it despite being on the losing team in at least one of those years.
Leon Draisaitl has seven goals so far in the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHLI via Getty Images
McDavid currently leads the playoffs in points, assists and shots on goal.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (+250) has the shortest odds of any player on the Panthers. Bobrovsky was the only other player in last year's Final to receive a first-place vote besides McDavid.
Betting on the NHL?
Aleksander Barkov is the third choice on the board ahead of Game 1 at +550 odds.
Barkov leads the Panthers in scoring with 17 points, but will also play a pivotal role in attempting to shut down McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in this series.
Barkov's two-way game is so well respected that he doesn't need to put up eye-popping point totals to get serious consideration for this award.
Leon Draisaitl is the only other player with single-digit odds at +750. The German star is one point behind McDavid in the scoring race and is tied with Corey Perry for the team lead in goals with seven.
Conn Smythe betting odds
Player Odds Connor McDavid +100 Sergei Bobrovsky +250 Aleksander Barkov +550 Leon Draisaitl +750 Matthew Tkachuk 25/1 Sam Bennett 28/1 Stuart Skinner 33/1 Carter Verhaeghe 60/1 Brad Marchand 75/1 Odds via bet365
Conn Smythe best bet
Leon Draisaitl (+750)
The oddsmakers seem to be making a stand. They are saying that if the Oilers win this series, McDavid will be given the Conn Smythe Trophy.
While there is certainly a strong chance that it happens, McDavid is just one point ahead of Draisaitl in the scoring race, and it's the German who has more goals in his account in the playoffs.
If Draisaitl continues at his current pace and scores a couple of big goals in this series en route to an Edmonton victory, he will be neck and neck with McDavid.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Blow for Man United as Romano & Ornstein confirm managerial appointment
Bayer Leverkusen are finalising their agreement with Erik ten Hag, and it could spell bad news for Manchester United and their transfer plans. The Dutchman has been on the shelf since being sacked by the Red Devils last October following a poor start to the season. Nevertheless, he now appears destined to resume his managerial career in Germany. Advertisement In recent hours, several sources have reported an imminent accord between the 55-year-old and Leverkusen, including top journalists Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein. But unfortunately for Man Utd, this development will likely scuttle their plan to offload one of the deadwood. Man United desperate to sell Jadon Sancho Sancho has failed to impress in a Chelsea shirt. (Photo by) As reported earlier today, INEOS are aiming to raise £100 million by selling Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho. Moreover, a new report from The Independent identified Leverkusen as a potential destination for Sancho who appears unlikely to stay at Chelsea. The Blues have an obligation to buy the winger at the end of the season for £25 million, but appear intent on escaping through the back door by paying a £5 million penalty to relieve themselves of this clause. Ten Hag's appointment will close the door on Sancho's Leverkusen move Leverkusen represented a promising opportunity for Man United to offload an unwanted player. And for Sancho, this was his chance to reignite his career on German soil, having enjoyed two prosperous spells at Borussia Dortmund. Advertisement Alas, the arrival of Ten Hag will scupper the plan, as the latter had a massive public fallout with the England international during their time at Man United, particularly in September 2023. This led to the winger's omission from the squad, and subsequent return to BVB on loan in January 2024. The two were briefly reunited last summer, but the rift seemed irreparable. Hence, a happy reunion at Leverkusen is highly unlikely at this stage, which means that United will have to resume their search for a new buyer.
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Joining the Florida Panthers' ‘revitalized' Seth Jones. The next goal: Win a Stanley Cup
Seth Jones felt the emotions rush through him Wednesday as he took the ice for pregame introductions ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. It's a moment he was waiting for his whole career. The nerves were already there. And then he saw the Stanley Cup rolled onto the ice at Edmonton's Rogers Place. That's when it hit him that this is actually happening. 'That's a special moment,' Jones said. 'I'm just trying to take it all in. Obviously the energy in the building was fantastic. Speaking to the guys about last year, it was one of the loudest buildings they played in last year. Very intense, everything leading up to it.' And then the puck dropped, and the focus was solely back to hockey. 'Really trying to focus on what you can do each shift for the game, kind of visualize and try to keep your heart rate down, really, before the game starts,' Jones said. 'Once that first shift happens, though, you kind of get settled in and just trying to play my game and make plays out there.' Jones has been making big plays for the Panthers since he joined the team in March after being acquired via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a swap of draft picks (Florida getting Chicago's fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft; Chicago getting a conditional 2026 first-round pick from Florida). The defenseman, a five-time All-Star in his 12th NHL season, is a big reason the Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year. He fortified their back end, is running the top power play and has shown a knack for making big plays at big times. The change of scenery from a Chicago team deep in the rebuilding stage to a perennial contender in Florida has paid dividends. Seeing the success up close has been a game-changer. Knowing he has a chance to be a contributor to that perennial contender for years to come — Jones is under contract through the 2029-30 season — only helps. 'Definitely revitalized,' Jones said. 'Winning cures all at the end of the day. This team just understands how to win. They understand their system, they understand what they need to do to be successful. It's not going to be perfect; it never is, but we want to give ourselves a chance to win every night and I think we understand how to do that.' It's why Jones and the Panthers are still confident heading into Game 2 against the Oilers despite dropping Game 1 4-3 in overtime. Florida has been in this position before. It has trailed in a series. But there's an understanding that if Florida can play to its strengths — being aggressive on the forecheck, suffocating the opponent in the neutral zone, executing when chances come to them in the offensive zone — that they can flip the series back in their favor. They did that in spurts on Wednesday — particularly in the second period — but got away from it down the stretch. 'I thought we did a lot of good things,' Jones said. 'We went through some video and see the things we can do better through the neutral zone. Maybe a little bit more offensive zone time, some things we look at, but they played a good game. They were solid defensively. They blocked a lot of shots. And we kind of knew that coming in there's not a lot of space out there, not a lot of plays to be made, really. So when we do get those opportunities, try to hold on to the puck and capitalize.' Jones has capitalized this postseason. He has three goals and seven points while being a plus-10 overall through 18 postseason games entering Game 2. He's averaging a team-high 25:16 of ice time per game while contributing both on the power play and the penalty kill in addition to pairing with Niko Mikkola on defense at five-on-five. 'He's been unreal,' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. 'He's so good moving the puck and he's a good skater. Obviously on our power play he's a big key, but defensively he's good. He's got a big frame and good stick. He's been awesome for us.' It took some time to get acclimated to the Panthers' system, especially coming in toward the end of the season when practice time was minimal. A lot of times early on — and even sometimes still — he relied on instinct and muscle memory to make plays and get in the right position. 'Game reps always help, of course, and instinct,' Jones said earlier this season. 'A lot of the situations I've seen them 1,000 times, hundreds of thousands of times probably at this point. But I think it's just about knowing where everyone's at and what's expected of you on the ice so everyone can read off you.' The Panthers did their part to get Jones acclimated. Teammates showed him the way. Panthers coach Paul Maurice assured him he didn't have to do too much to fit in — just play his game, keep it simple. He fit in from the start and is ready to keep the momentum going. 'The first day I came in, talking to Paul and walking around the room on a practice day, you could feel something was different,' he said. 'Everyone understands their task every day, has a goal every day and everyone's really working toward something bigger than just the regular season or an individual game or a goal or a point or something like that. Being in the Final the last two years, they understood what it took to get back here and what it takes to win. Just walking around, it's just special being in that room and being in that environment.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump quietly pressuring Senate to weaken Russia sanctions, WSJ reports
The White House is urging Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften his sanctions bill against Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 6, citing congressional staffers. The bipartisan sanctions bill, introduced on April 1 by Graham and Senate Democrat Richard Blumenthal, seeks to impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials. In recent weeks, Trump administration officials have contacted Graham's office with requests to water down the legislation, congressional aides told the WSJ. The White House reportedly asked Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may." Removing the mandatory language from the text would essentially defang the bill, staffers said. Blumenthal confirmed that negotiations with Trump officials were taking place behind the scene but did not comment on the substance of the talks. "We're moving ahead and the White House is included in our conversations," he told the WSJ. Read also: 'Find and destroy' – how Ukraine's own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Earlier, Republican Senator Roger Wicker on June 4 said that Trump had asked the Senate to postpone voting on the bill, which had been scheduled to come to the floor this week. In a joint press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5, Trump said lawmakers were waiting for his approval before advancing the sanctions bill. "They'll be guided by me. That's how it's supposed to be," Trump said. "They're waiting for me to decide on what to do." In the same briefing, Trump said that he had a deadline in mind for when he would enforce new sanctions on Russia but did not give specifics, saying only that sanctions would be imposed when it became clear that peace talks were not moving forward. He also said that sanctions could apply to both Russia and Ukraine. "It takes two to tango," he said. During the June 5 press conference, Trump compared Ukraine and Russia — which launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022 and partially occupies four Ukrainian regions in addition to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula — to children fighting on a playground. "Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," he said. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if he does not see progress in peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. He has never followed through on any of these threats. Read also: UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
