Morning Coffee: Tkachuk a popular bet to win Conn Smythe Trophy at FanDuel

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.

With Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers not until Saturday night, their fans will have to be patient.

Both fan bases are hoping the waiting is the hardest part.

The Panthers are a -140 favourite for Game 1 at FanDuel.

Florida opened -125 to win the series and has since been bet up to -140 to win the Stanley Cup.

Per the FanDuel traders, 60 per cent of the bets have been on the Panthers to win it all since the Stanley Cup Final matchup was officially set on Sunday night.

That means the Oilers will be in the underdog role for the second consecutive series after beating the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final.

Edmonton is currently +116 to win Game 1 and +106 to lift the Stanley Cup.

While the Oilers are an underdog in the series, their captain remains the favourite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy award as the most valuable player to his team during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Connor McDavid was +1200 to win that award at the start of the postseason. He is down to +220 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at FanDuel this morning.

In addition to being the betting favourite, McDavid is also the second-most popular selection in that MVP market since the Stanley Cup Final matchup was officially set.

Meanwhile, the most popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy just happens to be a name that Oilers Nation is very familiar with dating back to his time playing in Alberta.

This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Tkachuk a popular bet to win Conn Smythe Trophy at FanDuel

McDavid enters the Stanley Cup Final leading all players with 31 points this postseason.

The Oilers captain is already the sixth player in NHL history to record 30 or more points in a single playoff run multiple times.

Now he’s the favourite to become the first Conn Smythe Trophy winner for Edmonton since Bill Ranford won the award back in 1990.

The only other Oilers to win that award are Wayne Gretzky (1985 and 1988) and Mark Messier (1984).

While McDavid is the clear favourite for Edmonton, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky had identical odds to win that award for Florida at +400 early on Monday morning.

Twenty-four hours later, Barkov is +380 as the second choice to win the Conn Smythe Trophy behind McDavid at FanDuel.

Bobrovsky is +400 as the third choice to win the award.

While a strong case could be made for each of the top three choices in the Conn Smythe Trophy winner market at FanDuel, neither one of McDavid, Barkov or Bobrovsky has been the most popular pick to win that award at FanDuel over the past 40 hours.

Since the Stanley Cup Final matchup was officially set, Matthew Tkachuk has been the most popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy with 42 per cent of the total bets in that market at FanDuel.

Tkachuk, who is currently the fourth choice to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at +600, leads Florida with 14 assists and 19 points this postseason.

His 43 points over the last two postseasons is the fourth-most in the NHL over that span behind McDavid (51), Leon Draisaitl (46), and Evan Bouchard (44).

Tkachuk’s 43 points is seven more than Carter Verhaeghe, his closest teammate in that department, during the Panthers’ last two playoff runs.

Seven players on Florida’s roster were acquired via trade.

Tkachuk, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames via trade in July of 2022, is expected to pick right up from where he left off in the Battle of Alberta as a thorn in the side of Oilers Nation.

He isn’t the only former Flame who is expected to have an impact in the Stanley Cup Final, either.

Sam Bennett has registered six goals and 10 points in 12 games this postseason.

He recorded a goal in three straight games as Florida won three in a row to beat the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.

In terms of the Conn Smythe Trophy odds, Bennett could be found a little further down the list at 200-to-1 odds.

He’s right behind Zach Hyman at 130-to-1 to win it. Bennett is also just above Stuart Skinner at 240-to-1.

With four days to go before the puck drops in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, there will be plenty to talk about before the series gets underway.

Fortunately for us, FanDuel has a long list of betting options, including game props, series specials and more up on their site right now.

McDavid is the favourite to lead the series in points at +115 and the fourth choice to lead the series in goals at +600.

The Oilers’ captain also remains the favourite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at +220.

Since the Stanley Cup Final matchup was set, 28 per cent of the bets in that market are on McDavid to win it.

Only Tkachuk has been a more popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy over that span.

Edmonton is just four wins away from its first Stanley Cup win since 1990.

The Oilers can also become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it back in 1993.

I couldn’t imagine a better finish for Oilers Nation than McDavid leading Edmonton to a Stanley Cup win as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

At the same time, I don’t think it could get much worse for Oilers Nation than Tkachuk returning to Edmonton to lead the Panthers to a championship as the playoff MVP.

Apparently, that’s exactly what the majority of FanDuel bettors are expecting, with Tkachuk now the most popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy since Sunday night.