Superstars on the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites of winning the Art Ross Trophy, but what are the odds of each of them getting the title? Gary Pearson examines for BetMGM.
Three of the four Hart Trophy favorites are also competing to win the NHL's Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the player who ends the regular season with the most points.
Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are separated on top of the scoring leaderboard by five points, with the Edmonton Oilers' captain setting the pace with 96 points.
To say McDavid and Kucherov have dominated this award is the understatement of the millennium, as they have won eight of the previous nine.
Nikita Kucherov (+140)
Kucherov is the hockey odds favorite to win his third straight Art Ross Trophy.
That won't come as a surprise to anyone who has been monitoring Kucherov over the last couple of months. He was seventh in league scoring on Dec. 22, 17 points behind McDavid.
He scored 2.4 points per game in that 20-game span to cut the deficit to five points.
His recent torrid scoring streak spearheaded Kucherov's meteoric Hart Trophy ascent, with the 32-year-old now the third-most likely player to win MVP behind Macklin Celebrini and MacKinnon.
If Kucherov continues on the same trajectory he was on before the Olympic break, he would easily win his fourth Art Ross Trophy. Kucherov is scoring 1.78 points per game, more than MacKinnon (1.69) and McDavid (1.66).
However, one has to wonder whether the three-week hiatus will disrupt the locomotive-at-full-speed momentum he gained.
But even if the break negatively impacts his form out of the gate, the chance to recharge his battery should serve him well down the stretch, when the Tampa Bay Lightning will need their megastar at his best.
What tips the playing field in Kucherov's direction, though, is the litany of elite players he shares the ice with in Tampa. McDavid does not have that luxury.
Connor McDavid (+155)
McDavid isn't the type of player, no matter how heartbreaking the defeat, to let self-pity control the narrative.
He's been the runner-up in two Stanley Cup finals and the Olympics in less than two years. That might shatter the confidence and will of mere mortals, but not No. 97.
Invariably, he'll use the bitter defeat as kerosene to fuel his fire. But at what point does fatigue take a toll?
The 29-year-old has played as much as anyone since the start of the 2023-24 season, which could negatively impact his production down the stretch.
And with Kucherov in the fray, even a minor impact could prove fatal.
That said, McDavid leads the league in points despite the Oilers not yet reaching the peak of their powers. When they get hot, which they will, look for a defiant, laser-focused McDavid to increase his point production.
Nathan MacKinnon (+200)
MacKinnon will forever rue his empty-net miss in the Olympic gold medal game. But like McDavid, the Colorado Avalanche megastar will channel his frustration, anger and disbelief into motivation.
The Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard favorite struggled, at least comparatively speaking, entering the Olympic break, going without a point in seven of 15 games.
He scored only two goals in the eight games before joining Team Canada for its silver medal run.
While I expect him to get back on track quickly, I don't think he will keep up with McDavid and Kucherov's consistently prolific exploits. MacKinnon is currently second in scoring, with 93 points.