The race for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, is opening up. For the first few months of the season, it looked like a foregone conclusion that Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken would run away from the pack.

And while Beniers still leads all rookies in scoring with 25 points in 35 games, he’s only got four in his last 12 contests, and that slump has opened the door for some other contenders to emerge.

The most notable challenger is Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, who was just named Rookie of the Month in December. Beniers is still the favorite to win the award at +200, but Kochetkov’s incredible form has him currently sitting at +275.

Perhaps the most notable thing that Kochetkov’s hot streak has shown us from a betting standpoint is that this race is far from finished. It took one month for Kochetkov to go from long shot to second-favorite and there are a couple of players at long odds at Caesars Sportsbook who could pull off a similar feat:

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Calder Trophy odds, picks, predictions

Wyatt Johnston, Stars (20/1, Caesars)

Johnston’s impressive debutante season is kind of flying under the radar compared to other players on this list. Currently tied with Beniers for the rookie lead in goals with 11, Johnston has been a pivotal player for the division-leading Dallas Stars in 2022-23. Although he lags behind Beniers in point total, Johnston has a very good chance at eclipsing the 20-goal mark for a team that could win its division. Johnston’s price will begin to crater as he gets closer to the 20-goal plateau.

Stuart Skinner, Oilers (25/1, Caesars)

The Oilers are in a funny spot with their goaltending. The team just committed to Jack Campbell in the offseason, but rookie netminder Stuart Skinner has been much better than Campbell this season. With the team sitting just outside the playoff picture in a season where they were supposed to contend for a Stanley Cup, there’s no debate about which goalie should get the lion’s share of the minutes as we head down the stretch.

Skinner’s statistical portfolio — he currently sports a 12-9-1 record with a .917 save percentage and +3.5 Goals Saved Above Expected (per MoneyPuck) in 23 games — isn’t up to par with Kochetkov’s right now, but it’s hard to imagine that the Russian won’t come back down to earth at least a little bit and leave the door open for another goalie to charge up the board. Skinner could do just that if he backstops the Oilers to a playoff spot.

Betting on the NHL?

Noah Cates, Flyers (50/1, Caesars)

This is a true dart throw on a player that should continue to get more and more playing time as the season wears on. The Flyers will be sellers at the deadline and that should lead to more opportunity for Noah Cates, who currently is centering Philadelphia’s second line, to pad his point total. The 23-year-old only has 14 points to his credit this season, but there’s still half a season to go and the rookie leader (Beniers) has 25. That’s not an insurmountable gap for a player who will play more and more as the Flyers turn the keys over to the kids down the stretch.