However there are different worthy contenders for the award. Listed below are 4:
1. Middle Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl, the betting favourite to win the Hart Trophy, per DraftKings, is just 5 factors behind MacKinnon within the factors race and leads all NHL gamers with 46 targets.
In his previous 5 video games, Draisaitl solely has two targets, however his seven assists in that span — together with two in opposition to the Oilers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday — have him three factors shy of 100 factors. With highway video games upcoming in opposition to the New Jersey Devils (Thursday), New York Islanders (Friday) and New York Rangers (Sunday), Draisaitl may simply hit 50 targets by the tip of the week.
“Draisaitl is exclusive,” Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wrote recently. “He’s a big-game expertise as a result of he’s an each sport expertise. His development as an impression participant has been stunning since he was drafted in 2014, and this is likely to be his finest season ever.”
2. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets
Goalies aren’t usually within the forefront of the Skilled Hockey Writers Affiliation voters’ minds for MVP, however Hellebuyck is giving the writers a cause to make an exception. Of the Jets 44 wins, 37 of them have come whereas Hellebuyck was within the crease. He has a 2.02 goals-against common and a .926 save share.
“He is the most effective on the earth proper now,” New York Rangers goalie Jonathan Fast told ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark in February. “One easy way to sum that up was that we played them maybe a month or two ago and we do scouting reports on every goalie we’re playing. One of the things that kept coming up is: If he sees it, he’s going to stop it.”
Per DraftKings, he has the second-best odds to win the award.
3. Proper wing Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning
Kucherov has 28 targets and 64 assists for 92 factors and can doubtless hit the 100-point mark by the tip of March. Whereas he’s not on tempo to win his third Artwork Ross Trophy, awarded yearly to the league’s main scorer, he could make a case for the Hart Trophy with a robust end-of-season run.
Per DraftKings, he has the fourth-best odds to win the award.
4. Middle Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers
Within the race to 100 factors, McDavid (82 factors) has fairly a approach to go to catch as much as MacKinnon. With 18 regular-season video games left, a few multi-point finishes will get McDavid to the 100-point mark, however is it sufficient to offer him higher competition for the Hart Trophy?
Per DraftKings, he has the fifth-best odds to win the award.
