It is no surprise that Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is the favorite to again win the Rocket Richard Troiphy as the National Hockey League’s top goal scorer for the 2018-19 season. After all, Ovechkin has won the trophy in five of the last six seasons including last year. In fact, the only player to win it other than Ovechkin in that span is Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who is not even among the favorites for the 2018-19 campaign. The big question for gamblers is if Tyler Seguin, Patrik Laine, Connor McDavid, or Nathan MacKinnon are viable alternatives.
2018-19 Rocket Richard Trophy Winner for Most Goals
NHL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) 5/1
Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) 10/1
Patrik Laine (Winnipeg Jets) 10/1
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) 11/1
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) 13/1
Odds Analysis
There is no more public betting name in the NHL than Alex Ovechkin. After winning the Stanley Cup last year he has clearly emerged as the face of the league. As such its completely understandable why he is a top chalk to score the most goals again in 2019-19. Seguin and Laine are not as well-known and could bring some value. McDavid and MacKinnon are past number one overall draft picks that have plenty of name recognition with casual gamblers, especially in Canada.
Alex Ovechkin
“The Great Eight” has a total of seven Rocket Richard Trophy wins for his certain Hall of Fame career. Ovechkin is not just a player that was able to score in this more defensive era but literally saved the Capitals franchise from the abyss of anonymity. He has scored 49 or more goals every season since 2013-14. After finally winning the Stanley Cup last spring his resume is complete.
Tyler Seguin
Few players in the NHL have as much natural skill as Seguin, who is the top center of the Dallas Stars. Last year Seguin was in the hunt for the Rocket Richard Trophy all season and ended up with a career best 40 goals. At the age of 26 he looks to have nothing but upside.
Patrik Laine
Speaking of a highly skilled young player with plenty of upside Winnipeg Jets right wing Patrik Lane is certainly that and more. The 20-year-old native of Finland scored 44 goals last year in a highly successful sophomore season that came on the heels of a 36-goal rookie campaign in 2016-17. Winnipeg is one of the deepest teams in the NHL which will keep the opposition balanced and not focusing too much on Laine.
Connor McDavid
Upon being drafted number one overall in 2015, McDavid was tabbed as the “Next One” in the lineage of Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, and Sidney Crosby who were all generational super stars that transformed the NHL as forwards. Last year McDavid posted 41 goals on a team that failed to make the playoffs and lacks the depth of top contenders. With any kind of improvement from his Oilers teammates McDavid could easily burst to the forefront of top contenders for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Nathan MacKinnon
MacKinnon is 23 years old and was the NHL’s top draft pick in 2013. He was a major catalyst in the resurgence of the Avalanche last year when they went from worst to first in the Central Division. MacKinnon scored a career high 39 goals last season for what was far and away his top campaign. MacKinnon has shown much more professional maturity since a poor 2016-17 season in which he and the Avs bottomed out.
Free NHL Live Betting Odds Pick
As appealing as the younger players are the fact remains that Alex Ovechkin is the proven commodity here. Ovechkin is the dominant goal scorer of this era and shows no signs of slowing down. With that in mind he still rates the call to win yet another Rocket Richard Trophy!
NHL Betting Odds Pick for Rocket Richard Trophy: Alex Ovechkin
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