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Two sleeper picks worth betting to win NHL’s Norris Trophy over clear favorite Cale Makar

Which sleepers are worth a bet to be named the league’s best defenseman?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 06: Evan Bouchard #2 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Two of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Oilers defeated the Golden Knights 5-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 06: Evan Bouchard #2 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Two of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Oilers defeated the Golden Knights 5-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Read moreEthan Miller / Getty Images
    by Michael Leboff, Action Network
    Published 

Although he’s not quite an odds-on favorite, it’s pretty clear that the betting market views the Norris Trophy as Cale Makar’s to lose in the upcoming 2023-24 NHL Season.

Makar, who won the award in 2021-22 and finished third in voting last season, is currently sitting at +160 to win the Norris, putting him in a tier of his own ahead of Adam Fox (+700) and Rasmus Dahlin (+700).

Even though Makar is the clear and consensus favorite to win the Norris doesn’t mean this will be a straightforward race to handicap. Very few people saw a resurgent season coming from Erik Karlsson in 2022-23 and there have been other surprising winners like Mark Giordano in 2019.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the odds and see if we can find some value in this market for the 2023-24 NHL Season.

» READ MORE: Is there long shot value to bet against Connor McDavid winning the 2023-24 Hart Trophy?

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2023-24 Norris Trophy Odds

  1. Cale Makar +160

  2. Adam Fox +700

  3. Rasmus Dahlin +700

  4. Charlie McAvoy +1500

  5. Quinn Hughes +1500

  6. Roman Josi +1500

  7. Miro Heiskanen +1500

  8. Erik Karlsson +2000

  9. Dougie Hamilton +2200

  10. Jakob Chychrun +3000

  11. Joshua Morrissey +3000

  12. Moritz Seider +3000

  13. Victor Hedman +3000

  14. Evan Bouchard +4500

  15. Owen Power +5000

  16. Brent Burns +5000

  17. Brandon Montour +5000

  18. Devon Toews +5000

  19. Luke Hughes +5000

  20. Alex Pietrangelo +7500

  21. Zach Werenski +10000

  22. K’Andre Miller +10000

  23. Thomas Chabot +10000

  24. Kris Letang +10000

  25. Noah Dobson +10000

  26. Mikhail Sergachev +10000

Norris Trophy Sleeper picks

Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers (+4500)

Perhaps no defenseman has a higher ceiling than Bouchard this season. The 23-year-old will quarterback the top power play for the Edmonton Oilers, meaning he will be able to rack up points playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Bouchard took over, and excelled in, that role down the stretch in 2022-23 after the Oilers traded away Tyson Barrie and faces very little competition for it coming into the new season.

Bouchard will need to double his 40-point output from 2022-23 to have a chance to upset the odds and win the Norris, but he’s in a great spot to do just that and tallied 19 points in his last 21 games of the regular season after Barrie was sent packing.

You can expect Bouchard to be a trendy pick in this range and his price has already shortened, but it’s still fine at any number above +4000.

» READ MORE: Connor Bedard, the new face of the Blackhawks, is odds-on favorite to win Calder Trophy

Mikhail Sergachev, Tampa Bay Lightning (+10000)

Just like Bouchard, Mikhail Sergachev finds himself in a great spot for the upcoming season. The Russian defenseman has taken over the reins from Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay and will likely be the quarterback of a dynamic power play that includes Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point. Sergachev jumped from 38 points to 64 in 2022-23, but that could just be the beginning of his ascent.

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