As NHL training camps open this week, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid leads the way as the +150 favourite on the odds to win the Hart Trophy again this season at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
McDavid lived up to immense expectations last season, leading the NHL in scoring for the first time in his career, tallying 100 points to also take home both the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.
The 20-year-old’s breakthrough performance played a critical role in the Oilers’ return to the NHL playoffs for the first time in a decade, and has fueled Edmonton’s steady climb up the Stanley Cup odds to +900.
While McDavid has quickly emerged as perhaps the best young hockey player in the world, he will face stiff competition in the Hart Trophy race from Sidney Crosby, who closely trails at +250 on the odds board.
Crosby turned 30 on Aug. 7, but showed no signs of slowing down last season while leading his Pittsburgh Penguins to their third Stanley Cup victory since 2009. The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner finished second to McDavid in last season’s scoring race with 89 points, and added 27 points in 24 playoff contests.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews then follows Crosby at +850, while Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals rounds out the top of the Hart Trophy odds at +900.
The arrival of Matthews last season gave Leafs fans something to cheer about for the first time in over a decade. Selected first overall at the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews didn’t disappoint in his NHL debut, reaching the 40-goal plateau en route to a 69-point campaign.
Ovechkin is coming off a disappointing season as his Washington Capitals failed to advance past the second round of the post-season for the 12th time since last reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.
The 31-year-old’s 69 points also marked his lowest point production in a full season since 2012. However, Ovechkin continues to lead a stacked Capitals squad that has claimed Presidents’ Trophy honours in each of the past two seasons, and enters camp with a league-leading OVER/UNDER win total of 50.5.
Patrick Kane, the 2016 Hart Trophy winner, leads the middle of the pack on the NHL MVP odds at +1400, ahead of St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko at +1500, and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin at +1800. Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price joins New York Islanders captain John Tavares at +2000.
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