Can the Edmonton Oilers have a winner of the Hart Trophy (presented to their team’s most valuable player) for the third year in a row?
It could happen as Connor McDavid (+175) and Leon Draisaitl (+650) are among the betting favorites to win the Hart Trophy on FOX Bet.
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The Oilers dominated the NHL in the Wayne Gretzky-Mark Messier glory days, winning five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990.
Forwards McDavid and Draisaitl are the latest iteration of Edmonton’s dynamic duo, having won the Hart Trophy the previous two seasons (McDavid last season, Draisaitl in 2019-20).
Edmonton currently sits in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
“They will certainly keep their favorite spot if the Oilers find their form,” FOX Bet sportscaster Olegs Nikolajevs said.
Three players are ahead of the pack in the NHL scoring race this season.
McDavid, the first pick in the 2015 draft, and Draisaitl, the third pick in 2014, are tied with 73 points.
The 25-year-old McDavid, a five-time All-Star, has 28 goals and 45 assists this season and won his first Hart Trophy for the 2016-17 season.
Draisaitl, 26, has a league-high 35 goals and 38 assists and is a three-time All-Star.
Just behind the Edmonton duo is Florida Panthers left end Jonathan Huberdeau, the third pick in 2011 and a two-time All-Star. Huberdeau, 28, easily leads the NHL with 55 assists and 17 goals (72 points).
Voters are impressed by the player who puts the puck into the net, not the player who scores the goal, Nikolajevs explained.
“The lack of scoring goals can cost him even if the Florida Panthers continue to hold first place in the East,” he said.
The sentimental favorite may be Washington Capitals veteran left wing Alex Ovechkin, the first pick in 2004. He’s tied for sixth in scoring (31 goals, 31 assists, 62 points).
Ovechkin, 36, has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (top scorer) a record nine times. Ovechkin has won the Hart Trophy three times (2008, 2009, 2013) and is a 12-time All-Star.
Ovechkin, with 761 career goals, is five behind former Pittsburgh Penguins star Jaromir Jagr for third place all-time.
“In such a close race and with no obvious candidate, they can create a good story by giving it to the ‘Big Eight’ this season,” Nikolajevs said.
ODDS OF WINNING THE HART TROPHY (via FOX Bet)*
Connor McDavid, center for the Edmonton Oilers +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50)
Alexander Ovechkin, left wing for the Washington Capitals +350 (bet $10 to win $45)
Jonathan Huberdeau, left wing for the Florida Panthers +650 (bet $10 to win $75)
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers center/left wing +650 (bet $10 to win $75)
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs center +750 (bet $10 to win $85)
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild left wing +2200 (bet $10 to win $230)
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche center +3000 (bet $10 to win $310)
Aleksander Barkov, center for the Florida Panthers +4000 (bet $10 to win $410)
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche right wing +4000 (bet $10 to win $410)
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche defenseman +4000 (bet $10 to win $410)
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning goalie +5500 (bet $10 to win $560)
David Pastrnak, right wing for the Boston Bruins +6600 (bet $10 to win $670)
Artemi Panarin, left winger for the New York Rangers +7000 (bet $10 to win $710)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins center +7500 (bet $10 to win $760)
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins left wing +7500 (bet $10 to win $760)
Steven Stamkos, center Tampa Bay Lightning +7500 (bet $10 to win $760)
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes center +8000 (bet $10 to win $810)
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings center +8000 (bet $10 to win $810)
Adam Fox, New York Rangers defenseman +8000 (bet $10 to win $810)
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning center +9000 (bet $10 to win $910)
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman +9000 (bet $10 to win $910)
* Fees as of 02/24/2022
Here are the last 25 Hart Trophy winners:
2021 Connor McDavid, center for Edmonton Oilers
2020 Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers center
2019 Nikita Kucherov, right wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning
2018 Taylor Hall, left wing for the New Jersey Devils
2017 Connor McDavid, center for the Edmonton Oilers
2016 Patrick Kane, right winger for the Chicago Blackhawks
2015 Carey Price, goalie for the Montreal Canadiens
2014 Sidney Crosby, center for Pittsburgh Penguins
2013 Alexander Ovechkin, left wing for Washington Capitals
2012 Evgeni Malkin, center for the Pittsburgh Penguins
2011 Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
2010 Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks center
2009 Alexander Ovechkin, left wing for the Washington Capitals
2008 Alexander Ovechkin, left wing for the Washington Capitals
2007 Sidney Crosby, center for the Pittsburgh Penguins
2006 Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins/San Jose Sharks center
2005 Not awarded due to lockout
2004 Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning right wing
2003 Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche Center
2002 José Theodore, goalie for the Montreal Canadiens
2001 Joe Sakic, Colorado avalanche center
2000 Chris Pronger, defenseman for St. Louis Blues
1999 Jaromir Jagr, right wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins
1998 Dominic Hasek, goalie for the Buffalo Sabers
1997 Dominic Hasek, goalie for the Buffalo Sabers
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