Auston Matthews may have been the most valuable player in the NHL last season. But the two-time reigning goal-scorer is not considered the favourite to win the Hart Trophy.
That honour goes to Connor McDavid, who covers.com has as a +250 favourite heading into the season. It makes sense, since the Edmonton Oilers captain led the league with 123 points last season and has twice won the Hart Trophy.
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Auston Matthews (+400) is ranked second, followed by McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl (+800), Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (+1,000) and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov (+1,200). Somewhat surprising is that Cale Makar, who won the Norris Trophy as the best defenceman and Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season, is outside the top-5 with +1,500 odds.
“I think Makar’s the best player in the league,” said Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger. “He’s the biggest offensive threat as a D in the league. It all kind of runs through him. He’s just kind of like a quarterback — he pretty much does everything. He’s got his hand in everything.”
— Michael Traikos, Postmedia