2019 Calder Trophy Odds: Rasmus Dahlin Threatening Elias Pettersson

• Pettersson has seen offensive production dip following torrid debut
• Dahlin among Top 20 rearguard scorers in the NHL this season
• After fueling Blues’ return to contention, Binnington emerging as intriguing wager to win the Calder

As the NHL season enters the home stretch, the race for this year’s Calder Trophy is heating up.

The top scorer among this season’s rookie class, Elias Pettersson, continues to maintain his perch atop the odds to take home honors as this year’s top rookie, pegged as a short -250 favorite on the NHL player futures.

But with Pettersson’s scoring pace cooling off amid the Vancouver Canucks’ current 2-5-2 slide, the budding star now faces serious competition in his bid to take home the hardware, with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin now listed as a +300 second favorite.

Odds to Win 2019 Calder Trophy

*Odds taken 3/1

Dahlin Having Immediate Impact on Sabres Blue Line

Selected first overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Dahlin has had an immediate impact in his NHL debut with the Sabres.

Considered by many observers as one of the best defensive prospects in NHL history, the 18-year-old has quickly settled into a role on the Sabres top two pairing alongside Rasmus Ristolainen and Zach Bogosian

Rasmus Dahlin learning to absorb big hits, make little plays for Sabres https://t.co/GpBNOyV8Ra

— Jarl Nome (@theVikingJarl) March 1, 2019

The results have been dramatic, with Dahlin racking up 37 points through 63 appearances, ranking him 19th among NHL defenseman.

The Trollhattan, Sweden native has also seen a steady increase in ice time, hitting the ice for over 23 minutes in four of Buffalo’s past seven contests ahead of their visit to Toronto on Saturday night as heavy +221 underdogs on the NHL game line odds.

Pettersson vs Dahlin Statistical Comparison

Dahlin’s impressive emergence has been directly reflected on the Calder Trophy odds, where he has picked up considerable ground since being listed as +700 wager in December.

However, like Pettersson, Dahlin’s prospects for being named Rookie of the Year are not helped by a Sabres squad that has quickly fallen out of playoff contention, while tallying consecutive wins just once in 38 games since seeing a season-high 10-game win streak come to a close.

OK. Since I'm here.#Sabres are 1-5-1 in their past 10 and have gone from aaaaaallllll the way from 1st in the East (for a day) to 12th by going 12-20-6 since 10-game winning streak ended.

It gets worse (given the opponent: #Penguins) …

— John Wawrow 🤷‍♂️ (@john_wawrow) March 1, 2019

Dahlin has been a regular contributor since the end of the hot streak that briefly lifted the Sabres near the top of the NHL standings. Buffalo has picked up at least a point in 11 of the past 17 contests when Dahlin has appeared on the scoresheet.

Binnington Mounting Impressive Late-Season Challenge for Calder Honors

But with four of the past five Calder Trophy winners coming from teams that reached the NHL playoffs, it may be unwise to overlook Jordan Binnington, who rounds out the top of the odds board as an intriguing +400 wager to claim Calder Trophy honors.

Jordan Binnington (@StLouisBlues) has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for February after leading all goaltenders (rookies and veterans) with 10 wins and four shutouts in 11 appearances.#NHLStats: https://t.co/S2zHWzny96 pic.twitter.com/Pd9gc85p4H

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 1, 2019

A third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2011 NHL Draft, Binnington has made the most of his first NHL opportunity after toiling in the AHL and ECHL for the past five seasons.

It is no coincidence that the Blues’ stunning turnaround following a dismal start coincided with the 25-year-old netminder’s arrival to St. Louis in early December.

PROFILE | Jordan Binnington: From afterthought to 'the guy' in Blues' net. More here: https://t.co/L5oZU0ia6s @binnnasty #STLBlues #NHL @TheAHL @Chicago_Wolves @cbcsports pic.twitter.com/QgaKmXPGMV

— Doug Harrison (@harrisoncbc) February 21, 2019

Binnington has been simply spectacular while racking up a 15-2-1 record with five shutouts through his first 20 appearances, including a 10-1-0 run in February that garnered him NHL Rookie of the Month honors.

The Richmond Hill, Ontario native also leads all NHL netminders with a sparkling 1.61 goals against average and has emerged as one of the primary reasons why the Blues enter the weekend just six points back of the Nashville Predators in the central Division standings, with three games in hand.