NHL Odds to Win Calder Trophy 2026: Waiting Game for Matthew Schaefer

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The NHL season has resumed, and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is -6000 on the Calder Trophy odds board. 

Barring a miracle, Schaefer will become the first Islander to win top rookie honors since Matthew Barzal in 2018.

Odds to win 2026 Calder Trophy

Player		Movement
Matthew Schaefer	-6000	▲
Ivan Demidov	+3500	▼
Beckett Sennecke	+3300	▼
Jesper Wallstedt	+20000	▼

Odds as of 3-4. Odds from BET99, one of our best betting sites. Sign up with our BET99 promo code, or get one of our other sportsbook promos.

Odds movement

Matthew Schaefer went into the break at -1000 and has since responded with four goals in three games since returning from the Olympic break. Schaefer took the league by storm and seemed to have this award wrapped up before Christmas, but now it's pretty much a given.

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Understanding NHL Calder odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When the regular season is nearly finished and a consensus has emerged, you might see a player with a minus sign (-) ahead of his odds, like this:

• Matthew Schaefer -600

The (-) means that Schaefer is the odds-on favorite, and a bettor would need to wager $6000 to win $100. Other contenders in the Calder race might have plus (+) odds to win.

• Ivan Demidov +3500

Here, a bettor stood to profit $3500 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

Calder Trophy betting splits

• Highest ticket percentage: Ivan Demidov (16.6%)
• Highest handle percentage: Matthew Schaefer (30.8%)
• Biggest liability: Matthew Schaefer

Data courtesy of BetMGM.

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NHL Calder Trophy trends

• Only eight No. 1 overall picks have gone on to win the Calder Trophy.
• Only 16 goaltenders have ever won the Calder Trophy, with Steve Mason being the last netminder to capture the award (2009).
• In 1990, Sergei Makarov became the oldest player to win the Calder at 31 years old.

Calder Trophy history

A quick look at recent NHL Calder Trophy winners and the teams they played for.

Season	Player	Team
2024-25	Lane Hutson	Montreal Canadiens
2023-24	Connor Bedard	Chicago Blackhawks
2022-23	Matty Beniers	Seattle Kraken
2021-22	Moritz Seider	Detroit Red Wings
2020-21	Kirill Kaprizov	Minnesota Wild
2019-20	Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche
2018-19	Elias Pettersson	Vancouver Canucks
2017-18	Mathew Barzal	New York islanders
2016-17	Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs
2015-16	Artemi Panarin	Chicago Blackhawks
2014-15	Aaron Ekblad	Florida Panthers
2013-14	Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche
2012-13	Jonathan Huberdeau	Florida Panthers
2011-12	Gabriel Landeskog	Colorado Avalanche
2010-11	Jeff Skinner	Carolina Hurricanes
2009-10	Tyler Myers	Buffalo Sabres
2008-09	Steve Mason	Columbus Blue Jackets
2007-08	Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks
2006-07	Evgeni Malkin	Pittsburgh Penguins
2005-06	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals
2003-04	Andrew Raycroft	Boston Bruins
2002-03	Barret Jackman	St. Louis Blues
2001-02	Dany Heatley	Atlanta Thrashers
2000-01	Evgeni Nabokov	San Jose Sharks
1999-00	Scott Gomez	New Jersey Devils

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