First Call: Steelers’ Super Bowl odds slip; Pirates draft options besides Kumar Rocker? NFL’s 17th game coming?

Wednesday’s “First Call” looks at where the Steelers stack up on the Super Bowl odds board. The NHL Trophy odds are out, too.

Kumar Rocker may not be a lock as the Pirates top overall pick in June after all. And that NFL 17-game schedule may soon become a reality.

But playoff bubbles won’t be.

Rolling with Rocker

According to MLB.com prospects expert Jim Callis, the Pirates are still likely to draft Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker.

He won Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series as a freshman. But according to Callis, the Pirates still may be tempted to look elsewhere.

He points to Louisiana State’s Jaden Hill or Jack Leiter (another Vanderbilt prospect) as potential top overall pitchers before June rolls around.

Hill is currently projected as the fifth pick to the Baltimore Orioles. Leiter is slated as the seventh pick to the Kansas City Royals.

Slippin’ Stillers

As the Steelers struggle, their Super Bowl odds continue to get longer.

BetOnLine.AG now has the Steelers at 12/1 to win the big game. They had been 8/1 the previous week. The New Orleans Saints also dropped from 5/1 to 8/1.

With their win in Cleveland (and the week before versus Dallas), the Baltimore Ravens moved from 25/1 to 20/1. The Browns dropped back from 35/1 to 40/1 after losing to the Ravens.

One team making a large leap is Washington. That’s after back-to-back road wins versus the Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. Washington has now won four straight and is looking at 66/1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Just last week they were 100/1.

The Kansas City Chiefs are still the NFL favorite at 9/5 to start Week 15.

While you’ve got your wallet out

BetOnLine.AG also pumped out its preseason NHL trophy awards.

At 4/1, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP. He’s followed by Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (5/1) and another Edmonton Oiler, Leon Draisaitl (8/1). Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is 20/1 and Evgeni Malkin is at 25/1.

Malkin has those same odds to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer. Crosby’s number is a little bit more narrow (16/1). McDavid is a favorite to win that one, too, at 11/4.

Kris Letang is an 18/1 shot to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. Nashville’s Roman Josi is a 4/1 favorite.

Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck are 6/1 co-favorites to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie.

Barry Trotz is a 6/1 favorite to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. Pens coach Mike Sullivan is 13th at 16/1.

‘Sweet 17’?

It sure sounds like a 17-game NFL season is coming.

No. Not this year. But soon.

According to NFL Network’s Judy Battista, NFL owners will meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss the option to increase the regular season to 17 games in 2021.

The expanded regular season is tied to a reduction of the preseason. That’s part of the new CBA that was approved in March.

Owners have the ability to increase the regular-season schedule to 17 games at any point between the 2021 and 2023 seasons.

But Battista points out actual voting may not take place on Wednesday, perhaps just further discussion.

NFL.com also reports that there will be no mandatory postseason coronavirus bubbles. Via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league informed clubs on Tuesday that they cannot require players and staff members to stay at a hotel during the playoffs other than the night prior to a game.

Teams may still provide hotel rooms for players who choose to stay in one.