There’s company at the top.
Both led by Canadians, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Colorado Avalanche have the inside track to a title this season.
There has been no championship hangover for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder to start the season. OKC has opened with 21 wins in 22 games, and the team is beginning to draw comparisons to some of the best regular-season squads ever.
Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche appear to be inspired by the group’s first-round exit last season and, as their team’s name suggests, once this group started running downhill, their momentum has only gotten stronger.
Both Canadians are overwhelming favourites to win MVP in their respective leagues. A parlay of Gilgeous-Alexander to win the NBA MVP and MacKinnon to win the Hart Trophy is currently +276 on FanDuel.
If both Canadians win the awards, it’ll be just the second time that a Canadian player has won NBA MVP and the Hart Trophy in the same year, since Steve Nash and Joe Thornton managed the feat in 2005-06.
Let’s take a look at some betting markets around these two star Canadians and their teams and get some thoughts from TSN’s Martin Biron on which team’s hot start has been more impressive.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Record21-1Odds to win Western Conference-125Odds to win NBA Championship +130Odds to win 74+ regular season games (NBA Record) +520
After winning the franchise’s first NBA title last season, SGA and his Thunder appear primed to capture another this season.
Sitting at 21-1, the Thunder are -2000 to finish with the best regular-season record. That number comes with an implied probability of 95.24 per cent.
Averaging 32.4 points and 6.5 assists per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is +155 to win NBA MVP after becoming the second Canadian to win the award last season.
At +130, OKC is the only team priced shorter than 7-1 to win the NBA title as they try to become the first team to repeat since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18.
The Thunder are currently +520 on FanDuel to set the NBA record for most wins, needing 74 to leapfrog the 2015-16 Warriors.
Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon (David Zalubowski) Record19-1-6Odds to win Presidents’ Trophy-210Odds to win Western Conference+200Odds to win Stanley Cup+390
Sitting with just one regulation loss through their opening 26 games of the season, the Avalanche are atop the NHL standings, three points clear of the Dallas Stars in second, with eight points separating them from the third-place Washington Capitals.
The eight-point difference between Colorado in first and Dallas third is the same as the difference between the Minnesota Wild in fourth (35) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (27) in 25th.
Similar to OKC, the Avs are the only team in the NHL priced shorter than 7-1 to win the Stanley Cup this season. At +390, that number comes with an implied probability off 20.41per cent.
While the Avalanche have separated themselves in the standings, MacKinnon also stands alone in odds to win the Hart Trophy.
Sitting at -210, only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (+340) is shorter than 15-1 to win the Hart Trophy this season.
MacKinnon leads the NHL with 46 points, six clear of Macklin Celebrini in second, and his 22 goals lead the league as well and is +150 to win the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Since 2000, a player has won the Hart and Rocket in the same season only six times. The most recent player was McDavid in 2022-23.
Biron on Avs and Thunder
TSN Hockey analyst Martin Biron shares his thoughts on which team is having the more impressive season.
“In hockey, the parity is so strong that it’s hard not only to have a great season, but to have multiple great seasons in a row.” He added, “I feel like there are so many nights in basketball when we know which team is going to win. With hockey, I think we can flip a coin more nights than not and you’d be right.”
Biron, who played on the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres that started 10-0-1, added that he sees a different mindset from this Colorado team.
“Everyone in that locker room knew that at some point we were going to lose games, and it was going to happen. But I think the Avalanche are taking the approach of ‘No, we can win every night, we’re not losing.’
“For me, the parity and level of competitiveness make what the Colorado Avalanche are doing most impressive.
