The 2020-21 NHL Season is finally here. Fans and gambling sites alike are talking about hockey coming. It will be a season like no other. Sites like Sports Interaction immediately put up early odds for teams to win the Stanley Cup to go along with different prop bets for each individual award. Puck drop on the new season happening on January 13th, lets take a look at some of the way too early favourites for the Hart Trophy with Connor McDavid leading the way.
Connor McDavid Favourite To Win Hart Trophy
Odds Courtesy of SportsInteraction
Connor McDavid +387
Should it come to anyone’s surprise that Connor McDavid is listed as the early favourite to win the Hart Trophy? Not really no. He is always in the conversation as one of the NHL’s top players. And quite frankly McDavid could win the Hart Trophy every season. Unfortunately, that is not the case. He came up short last season as teammate Leon Draisaitl (+1000) won the Hart Trophy last season. By the way, Draisaitl is a sneaky good play to go back to back. In such a shortened season, the Edmonton Oilers will rely on Connor McDavid even more, especially with some deficiencies in between the pipes. Look it is always good to go with the favourite, but there might be some other players out there you want to keep tabs on.
Smart Value Plays
Nathan MacKinnon +419
A guy that has great value is Nathan MacKinnon. Twice now he has finished second in the Hart Trophy voting. And both times he clearly could have won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player. And by definition without him, the Colorado Avalanche are in no position to compete for a Stanley Cup. Every time MacKinnon has been passed over in Hart Trophy voting, he has come out on a mission to prove he was the real winner of the Hart Trophy from the previous season. Look for that to be the case this season. If you are smart to take a flyer on MacKinnon.
Auston Matthews +800
Here is another smart value play. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews. Matthews is only getting better and better with each passing season. He plays in what some call the centre of the hockey world Toronto. Last season, Matthews led the Maple Leafs in goals and assists. He did that in an 82 game season. Just imagine what he is going to do in a shortened season. This is another smart value play.
Sneaky Good Plays
Artemi Panarin +1200
Outside the favourites, you want to place your money on some players that you know will have a chance. First on that list is New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin was up for the Hart Trophy last season. He fell short of winning it. If the season wasn’t paused he just might. At +1200 Panarin is a sneaky good play to do it again. Panarin was the Rangers best player last season and that hasn’t changed heading into this year.
Elias Pettersson +1400
Another sneaky good play is Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson. He won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season. Last season, he was on pace to break his rookie records before the season was paused. While J.T. Miller led the team in points, the Canucks most dynamic player is Pettersson. Everything offensively goes through him. Pettersson is the definition of sneaky good.
Brayden Point +1800
Another player you will want to take a flyer on is Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With no Nikita Kucherov in the lineup and Steven Stamkos‘s health a big question mark, the offence will run through Point. The Lightning are a favourite to win the Central, but everything will have to go through Point. Like it did during the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup.
Worth a Shot
Other players you may want to look at are Sidney Crosby (+2000) of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Patrick Kane (+2700) of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Connor Hellebuyck (+4200) of the Winnipeg Jets.
The choice is yours and yours alone, but these are some helpful tips to guide you through the 2020-21 NHL Season.
Main Photo:
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