A Dive Into The Race For The 2023 NHL Hart Trophy: It’s Connor McDavid’s To Lose

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There’s still a long way to go, but at this time, it’s hard to argue that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid isn’t the heavy favorite to win the 2023 Hart Trophy.

Center Connor McDavid (#97) of the Edmonton Oilers

Each year, the NHL awards the Hart Trophy “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team” by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Past the quarter point of the 2022-23 season, McDavid already looks poised to win it for the fourth time in his career.

Last year, Toronto Maple Leafs All-Star sniper Auston Matthews after tallying a league-leading 60 goals — becoming the first player to hit that mark since Steven Stamkos did so for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011-12.

Over Edmonton’s first 27 games of 2022-23, McDavid comfortably led all NHL players with 52 points. The next closest through Dec. 7? None other than teammate Leon Draisaitl, who had 44 points.

Through the many Ontario sports betting sites, customers in the province can place all sorts of NHL wagers — including award winners, division winners and the Stanley Cup champion.

At DraftKings, McDavid is the heavy favorite to win the Hart Trophy at +120. Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars has the second-highest odds at +425, followed by Matthews (+1200), Draisaitl (+1600), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild, +1600) and David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins, +1600).

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McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2017 and 2020, also taking home the Art Ross Trophy (given annually to the league’s leading points leader) those two years. No. 97 also won the scoring title in 2018 and 2022. If Edmonton had made the playoffs in 2018, perhaps McDavid would have won the Hart Trophy then as well.

Fair or not, McDavid’s Oilers will probably have to make the playoffs for him to win the Hart Trophy. If they do that, it’s going to be tough to make a case that someone else is more deserving of it — especially if McDavid runs away with the scoring title.

Jason Robertson Is McDavid’s Biggest Challenger

With all due respect to Matthews, Draisaitl, Kaprizov and Pastrnak, Robertson is far-and-away McDavid’s biggest threat to winning the Hart Trophy.

(source:https://twitter.com/JasonRob1999/status/1228453635379662848)

Draisaitl is arguably the NHL’s second-best forward, but he’s not going to beat out his teammate for the award if McDavid finishes well ahead in the scoring race. Matthews is one of the Leafs forwards that’s playing around a point-per-game level, along with John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner.

Pastrnak is the Bruins’ MVP up to this point, but he plays on one of the league’s elite teams and alongside fellow superstars Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. It’s hard to argue that Pastrnak is a more valuable player than McDavid. You can easily argue that Marchand or Bergeron are more valuable to the Bruins than Pastrnak.

The Wild wouldn’t be in playoff contention without Kaprizov, but again, can a player who’s well behind McDavid in the scoring race realistically garner more votes?

Robertson, on the other hand, is carrying a Dallas team that doesn’t have the same star power clubs like Toronto, Boston or Minnesota. Joe Pavelski.

The 23-year-old Robertson racked up 23 goals and 18 assists through the Stars’ first 26 games this season, and he has them in the running with Minnesota and the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division — a crown that the Colorado Avalanche were widely expected to run away with.

Robertson most likely won’t catch McDavid for the scoring title. But if the Oilers do miss out on the postseason, and if the Stars get in (they already feel like a virtual lock), the Hart Trophy would likely go to Robertson.

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But there is still plenty of hockey left to be played. We aren’t even close to the halfway point of the 2022-23 regular season, so there’s lots of time for the likes of Matthews, Kaprizov and Pastrnak to push their way back into the race.

McDavid’s track record suggests he’s not going to slow down at all. If Robertson experiences an unexpected and lengthy regression, this could end up being a one-horse race for the Hart Trophy.

We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out. But for now, it’s safe to say that if the season ended today, McDavid and Robertson would be the two front-runners for the Hart Trophy. But of course, No. 97 in Edmonton would be the runaway favorite.