Opening Art Ross Trophy Odds for 2020-21 NHL Season – Oilers’ McDavid, Draisaitl Top Two Favorites
By Robert Duff in NHL Hockey
Published:
- Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is the +275 favorite to win the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion
- Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl, last season’s winner, is the +500 second betting choice
- See odds for all skaters contending to win the 2021 Art Ross Trophy below
Edmonton Oilers teammates Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid ran 1-2 in the NHL scoring race last season. Oddsmakers think they’ll be dueling for the Art Ross Trophy again this season.
However, they see the order of the finish flipping.
Draisaitl won his first Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20, posting a career-high 110 points. McDavid (97 points) was the runner-up.
The Art Ross winner in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the betting lines are favoring Edmonton captain McDavid adding a third trophy to his collection this season. He’s the +275 favorite in the Art Ross Trophy odds.
Draisaitl is the +500 second betting choice. Nathan MacKinnon (+600) of the Colorado Avalanche is the non-Oiler given the best betting line to win the scoring chase.
2021 Art Ross Trophy Odds
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid (Oilers) | +275 |
| Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) | +500 |
| Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche) | +600 |
| Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) | +1000 |
| Artemi Panarin (Rangers) | +1200 |
| Sidney Crosby (Penguins) | +1600 |
| Auston Matthews (Leafs) | +2000 |
| Brad Marchand (Bruins) | +2000 |
| David Pastrnak (Bruins) | +2000 |
| Mitch Marner (Leafs) | +2000 |
| Sebastien Aho (Hurricanes) | +2000 |
| Steven Stamkos (Lightning) | +2000 |
| Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) | +2500 |
| Jack Eichel (Sabres) | +2500 |
| Patrick Kane (Blackhawks) | +2500 |
Odds as of Dec. 15th
Since 2001, McDavid is the only player to win consecutive Art Ross Trophies.
McDavid A Picture Of Consistency
Last season, McDavid finished with 97 points. That was his lowest production since his rookie season.
It was also the first time in four seasons that he didn’t reach the 100-point plateau. He’s averaging 1.33 points per game over his NHL career.
There are a lot of great players in the NHL.
Connor McDavid though…is the best of them!
For 4 straight seasons he has been top-2 in NHL scoring.
He will head into this season healthy.
I wouldn't underestimate him. pic.twitter.com/2qvniYlubC— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) December 13, 2020
At that pace over the 56-game schedule that the NHL is proposing, it works out to 75 points. Then factor in the NHL’s plan to go with an all-Canadian division.
McDavid has been a dominant performer against all of the NHL’s Canadian clubs. He’s averaging over a point per game versus all six teams.
McDavid has posted 1.67 points per game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and scored 15 goals in 20 games when facing the Calgary Flames.
Can Draisaitl Do It Again?
With his 2019-20 Art Ross Trophy, Draisaitl took a step up from a very good player into the stratosphere of the NHL elite. However, it was also his second straight 100-point campaign, so that certainly suggests he’ll be taking up residence at this level of performance.
Since the 2001-02 season, there have been 14 first-time winners of the Art Ross Trophy. Of that group, just three – McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin – managed to win a second NHL scoring title.
"Not every elite player can play and produce at a high level [with] those kind of minutes.
Leon Draisaitl can! @EdmontonOilers | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/CP1WoqcjeO
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) December 6, 2020
A big factor in Draisaitl’s rise to the top is his ability as a playmaker. Last season saw him posting a career-high with an NHL-leading 67 assists.
His previous high for helpers was 55 in 2018-19. Much of this uptick was achieved on the power play. Draisaitl dished out 28 assists while Edmonton was enjoying the man advantage. His previous career-high was 17.
Count These Guys Out
There are some players on this list that for a variety of reasons simply aren’t worth the price of a wager. It’s been six years since Crosby’s last Art Ross win. The Pittsburgh Penguins are trending downward as a team.
Boston’s Brad Marchand underwent sports hernia surgery in October. It’s not certain whether he’ll be ready in time to start the season. Ditto for his Boston teammate David Pastrnak (torn labrum).
Bruins say Brad Marchand had sports hernia surgery Sept. 14 and is expected to be out 4 months from that time, David Pastrnak had surgery to repair torn labrum in hip Sept. 15, out 5 months from that and Charlie McAvoy had knee scope and should be good for offseason activity.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 13, 2020
Toronto’s Auston Matthews is an elite goal scorer. Feel free to bet him to win the Rocket Richard Trophy, but he’ll never garner enough assists to be a scoring champ. His career-high in helpers is 36, and his best points output is 80.
MacKinnon Looms Large
As noted, the trend of late is for first-time winners. That’s why your money should be going on MacKinnon.
The Colorado star turned in another fantastic performance in the playoffs. MacKinnon racked up 25 points in 15 games.
Last year Nathan MacKinnon (@Mackinnon9) and @GabeLandeskog92 were a dynamic duo.
Here's one example how… pic.twitter.com/0HyL3oo6dO
— NHL (@NHL) December 13, 2020
That works out to 1.667 points per game. Project that over a 56-game season, and it adds up to 94 points.
Colorado is the +733 chalk in the Stanley Cup odds. Getting +600 on MacKinnon to lead the league in scoring is the kind of value you don’t turn down.
Pick: Nathan MacKinnon (+600)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
