McDavid and MacKinnon’s Odds to Win Hart Trophy Now Under 2-1

• BetOnline has Connor McDavid (+125) and Nathan MacKinnon (+150) in a dead heat for the Hart Trophy
  
• McDavid’s Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl is unlisted by oddsmakers despite leading the NHL in points and assists
  
• Alex Ovechkin has much longer MVP odds (+2000) than David Pastrnak (+400) despite passing the Bruins star for the goal-scoring lead
  

When writing our Hart Trophy primer in the preseason, it seemed only two things could get in the way of Connor McDavid winning MVP: a slow start due to the PCL tear he suffered late last season and the Oilers missing the postseason for the fourth time in his five years in the league.

So, with Edmonton currently holding down second place in the Pacific and McDavid sitting second in NHL scoring with 79 points, it’s no surprise to see the generational talent as a +125 favorite to win his second-career Hart Trophy.

Let’s check the latest odds at BetOnline and review whether the 23-year-old superstar is a smart bet.

THE FAVORITES: MCDAVID AND MACKINNON

McDavid received the Hart Trophy nod in the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s mid-season awards, which is notable given that six of the eight players voted as winners last year went on to win their respective awards in June.

Also boding in McDavid’s favor is that the league’s leading-scorer Leon Draisaitl is not even being considered for the Hart despite having the same number of goals (29) and four more assists (54) than his Oilers teammate. Somehow, the 24-year-old German is nowhere to be found on the board above.

Connor McDavid (27-49—76 in 49 GP) returns from St. Louis in pursuit of joining Wayne Gretzky (4x; 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84) as just the second player in NHL history to capture the Art Ross Trophy at least three times before their 24th birthday. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/prxjWJJtLt

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 27, 2020

Fourth in NHL scoring with 73 points, Nathan MacKinnon (+150) might have the best MVP case considering his teammates Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen both missed significant time with injuries earlier in the season.

While McDavid doesn’t even lead his team in points, the 24-year-old centre has 35 more points than Cale Makar, the next closest Avalanche skater.

THE SNIPERS: PASTRNAK AND OVECHKIN

Recommended at +2800 before the year, David Pastrnak was running away with the Rocket Richard Trophy until Alex Ovechkin went full cyborg. After scoring 14 goals in a seven-game stretch that saw him pass four legends (Selanne, Lemieux, Yzerman and Messier) on the all-time goal-scoring list, the 34-year-old Russian is now leading the NHL with 40 snipes.

Ovechkin is now on pace to score 61, which would be his highest total since his career-high 65 in 2007-08. Even if he doesn’t reach 60, hitting the 50-goal mark for the ninth time would tie Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most in NHL history.

David Pastrnak mic’d up is amazing pic.twitter.com/CXSkTke48u

— Alex (@bigbadbruins73) February 5, 2020

If Ovie were to win the Richard Trophy for a third-straight season and ninth time in his career, he would have an outside shot at winning his fourth-career MVP award. However, his +2000 odds aren’t too generous considering he only has 17 assists on the year and trails McDavid by 22 points.

Pastrnak meanwhile sits only four points back of the Oilers centre with eight more goals. But while McDavid’s teammate Draisaitl is getting no respect from oddsmakers, Boston’s Brad Marchand is listed at +800 after putting together another solid year (23G, 46A, 69PTS) in what’s quickly becoming a Hall of Fame career.

With another MVP candidate on his own team, the 23-year-old Czech sniper would need to overtake Ovechkin in goals and top both McDavid and MacKinnon in points to have any chance at claiming the Hart Trophy.