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Porter Martone is Favored to Win Next Season’s Rookie of the Year 

Matt Schultz

By Matt Schultz

Published:

May 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Porter Martone (94) looks on during the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
James Guillory-Imagn Images

The odds for next season’s Calder Trophy winner have been released, and Flyers phenom Porter Martone has opened as the favorite:

Porter made his NHL debut last season, but didn’t play in enough games to become ineligible for the award. Also, it’s worth noting, recent Calder Trophy winners have become some of the biggest superstars in the NHL. Look at some of the names who’ve won it over the last 15 years and the numbers they’ve put up:

Calder Winners Career Totals

Rookie SeasonPlayerRookie TeamGPGAPTS
2025-26Matthew SchaeferNew York Islanders82233659
2024-25Lane HutsonMontreal Canadiens16618128146
2023-24Connor BedardChicago Blackhawks21975128203
2022-23Matty BeniersSeattle Kraken33182114196
2021-22Moritz SeiderDetroit Red Wings41039201240
2020-21Kirill KaprizovMinnesota Wild397230245475
2019-20Cale MakarColorado Avalanche470136371507
2018-19Elias PetterssonVancouver Canucks545200308508
2017-18Mathew BarzalNew York Islanders611153381534
2016-17Auston MatthewsToronto Maple Leafs689428352780
2015-16Artemi PanarinChicago Blackhawks830330624954
2014-15Aaron EkbladFlorida Panthers804122284406
2013-14Nathan MacKinnonColorado Avalanche9504207221142
2012-13Jonathan HuberdeauFlorida Panthers962263544807
2011-12Gabriel LandeskogColorado Avalanche798262344606

Some of these guys have gone on to win multiple Hart, Norris, and Rocket Richard Trophies:

Calder Winners’ Later Awards

PlayerSeasonAward
Auston Matthews2023-24Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Auston Matthews2021-22Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Auston Matthews2021-22Ted Lindsay Award
Auston Matthews2021-22Hart Memorial Trophy
Auston Matthews2020-21Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Cale Makar2024-25James Norris Memorial Trophy
Cale Makar2021-22Conn Smythe Trophy
Cale Makar2021-22James Norris Memorial Trophy
Connor Bedard2022-23E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence
Gabriel Landeskog2025-26Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Gabriel Landeskog2025-26Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
Lane Hutson2021-22E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence
Nathan MacKinnon2025-26Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Nathan MacKinnon2023-24Hart Memorial Trophy
Nathan MacKinnon2023-24Ted Lindsay Award
Nathan MacKinnon2019-20Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Look, I know it’s early. It’s summer. It’s barely July. The NHL season is months and months away. These are just odds. It’s what the market is projecting. No one’s won anything yet. There’s a long way to go. This is all true…

But I don’t care! This is good juice! The Flyers, for once, seem to have some real offseason positivity going, and I think it’s worth basking in it for a moment here. The Flyers have a guy that sportsbooks believe is very likely to win the Calder Trophy after a season of outplaying a pretty loaded rookie class. That’s what’s up. That’s a win. I’m taking the win, the same way I did when the Sixers were favored to win the NBA Finals for like two days in 2023 after going up 3-2 against Boston in round two. That counts. That’s something worth celebrating, especially when we’re talking about our historically loser-ish franchises. You never know when things will never get better than they currently are, so when you get a W – even a small one – you gotta enjoy it.

Add this news to the story of Porter wearing his playoffs hoodie to development camp – an all-time flex letting the young prospects know that he is the unquestioned top dog of Voorhees  – and I’m beginning to feel like we’re in store for a massive Porter season. There’s just something in the air. His playoff performance was electric. He’s saying all the right stuff at development camp: 

He’s taking pictures and shaking hands with fans who came to watch dev camp like a damn presidential candidate:

He’s getting some buzz about having the stuff of a future captain: 

And he’s favored to become the first-ever Flyer to win the Calder Trophy (which is pretty nuts; how has a Flyer never won Rookie of the Year? Embarrassing!). Here are the Flyers who got closest:

Flyers Calder Results

SeasonAwardPlacePlayerTeam
2015-16Calder Memorial Trophy2Shayne GostisbeherePhiladelphia Flyers
1993-94Calder Memorial Trophy2Mikael RenbergPhiladelphia Flyers
1986-87Calder Memorial Trophy2Ron HextallPhiladelphia Flyers
1979-80Calder Memorial Trophy2Pete PeetersPhiladelphia Flyers
1972-73Calder Memorial Trophy2Bill BarberPhiladelphia Flyers

It’s Porter’s time. It’s a Porter summer. Let’s all enjoy it.

Matt Schultz

Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com

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