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Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34). Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NHL futures: Why Auston Matthews is a good bet to win the Hart Trophy

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 3/4/24

The NHL's finest are putting their best feet forward as teams make their final pushes for playoff spots, and you know what that means -- the race to win the Hart Trophy is as tight as ever. So who should you be putting your money on to win hockey's coveted MVP award?

The race is tight at the top, but Auston Matthews has recently emerged as the favorite at DraftKings to win the Hart Trophy at +195 odds. The Toronto Maple Leafs' top-line center has company on the favorites list: Colorado Avalanche speedster Nathan MacKinnon is listed at +205, NHL points-leader Nikita Kucherov comes in at +280 and three-time Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid comes in at +370.

All four players are superstars on their team's rosters and have varying reasons why they should be in consideration for this end-of-the-year award. But while the odds are bound to ebb and flow as the regular season winds down, we can comfortably say that Matthews is as good a bet as any to win his second-ever MVP award.

Here's why.

AUSTON MATTHEWS HAS 50 GOALS IN 54 GAMES!

We are truly witnessing something special. pic.twitter.com/gyPVh75eQ5
— NHL (@NHL) February 22, 2024

There is no denying Matthews's goal-scoring prowess. While Kucerov and McDavid lead the NHL points race thanks to the high level of goals they set up, Matthews has earned his spot atop DK's favorites list by scoring them himself. The San Ramon, California, native entered the month of March with a league-leading 53 goals in 58 games which, as Covers calculates, comes to him scoring on average 0.9 goals a game. While he has only scored twice over his last five games, the over/under for him to score 0.5 goals a game has hit the Over in six of his last 10 tilts.

Matthews' scoring consistency has been a boon for the Maple Leafs, which could also be helping his favorable odds. Toronto is 9-1-0 in their last 10 while both MacKinnon's Avalanche and Kucherov's Tampa Bay Lightning have gone 5-4-1. The Edmonton Oilers have gone 6-3-1 and won four straight, but McDavid is in a scoring slump and hasn't had the same consistency this season that Matthews has had.

Matthews and the Leafs have some big matchups coming up in the final month-plus of the regular season, including bouts with the Oilers and the Lightning. If Matthews can stay consistent against his brethren in the Hart Trophy race, he will further prove that he isn't just worth being the favorite at sportsbooks -- he will also show that he is worth your bet to snag MVP honors this season.

He has already shown this season that he is worth being a favorite to win the Hart Trophy hunt. Now, it's just a matter of putting a wager down for him to win it.

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