Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Sidney Crosby are the faces of the NHL. They also happen to be the front-runners to capture the 2017-18 league MVP award - if you ask Las Vegas oddsmakers, anyway.
All three players had exceptional years last season, earning the right to be called Hart Trophy favorites.
Crosby is coming off his third Stanley Cup win in nine years, Matthews buried 40 in his rookie campaign, and McDavid led the league in scoring with 100 points. And the list is stilplenty impressive below the trio, with more than a few others considered legitimate contenders for league's most prestigious award.
Here's how the odds shake down for the 2017-18 Hart winner:
There's obvious value in laying wagers on guys like Benn, Malkin, and Tarasenko. But, if you ask us, no player outside the top five has a real shot at bringing home the award in 2017-18.
The 40-year-old opted to against chasing a third straight Stanley Cup with the Penguins, and Cullen admitted Wednesday it was difficult to call Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford with the news because he owes him a lot, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
In the end Cullen insists it was a family decision, but it was still diffcult.
"It was not an easy decision. Minnesota is home and a special place for me," Cullen said. "It's not easy to say goodbye."
Cullen said it wasn't easy calling Sidney Crosby and Mike Sullivan
The 40-year-old will return for a 20th season, signing a one-year, $1-million contract with the potential to earn another $700,000 in performance bonuses, the team announced.
Cullen has remained a productive player despite his age, tallying 29 goals and 63 points over his last two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While Cullen could've had the chance at a third straight Stanley Cup with the Penguins, he joins the Wild for a second stint. He played three seasons in Minnesota between 2010-11 and 2012-13 when he scored d 33 goals and added 101 points in 193 games.
Draisaitl is coming off an impressive 2016-17 season in which he announced himself as one of the elite scorers in the NHL, tallying 29 goals and 48 assists for 77 points - good for eighth in the league scoring. He can also score when it matters most
New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist looks to be fully healthy following an offseason spent rehabbing a knee injury suffered at the World Championship in May.
In a workout video posted Wednesday, King Hank shows off some silky footwork while sending a subtle message to his haters that he his indeed healthy and ready to be the Rangers' No. 1 guy in the blue paint next season.
Despite coming off a campaign in which he posted his career-worst save percentage (.910) and goals-against average (2.74), the 35-year-old will be counted on to lead New York back to the postseason for an eighth year in a row.
The news comes after Marchenko's agent confirmed his client would return to Russia after the Maple Leafs placed the 25-year-old on waivers Tuesday.
Marchenko played just 11 games with the Maple Leafs after being picked up on waivers in February. Prior to that, he played three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings who drafted him in the seventh round in 2011.
Prior to be drafted, Marchenko spent four years with CSKA Moscow, tallying four goals and 11 points in 83 games.
Butcher was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round in 2013. After playing out his four years at the University of Denver - capping off his NCAA career by winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey - he elected not to sign with the Avalanche and became an unrestricted free agent.
Jack Eichel believes the Buffalo Sabres are bound to take a big step forward after last season's disappointment.
Despite bringing in Kyle Okposo and Dmitry Kulikov last summer, the Sabres finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Eichel insists the Sabres are still confident in themselves and expects this offseason's changes at the top to help.
"We think we can be really good," Eichel said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "We think we can be a playoff team. That's what's important. We have to go into training camp with the right mindset, get the season off and running, put our best foot forward."
The Sabres fired general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma in April, replacing them with Jason Botterill and former Nashville Predators assistant coach Phil Housley, respectively.
"We have a new GM, new coaches, so it's a new situation for all of us and we have to look at it with the right mindset," Eichel said. "No bad relationships. No opinions. It's important for a lot of guys who might have been on the wrong foot."
At the time of the firing, there were reports that Eichel told management he wouldn't sign an extension if Bylsma remained the team's head coach, though Eichel denied the report.
Last season, NHL viewers were blessed with an extraordinary rookie class. Right from the get-go, 2016 top picks Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine led the way while emblazoning their identities as superstars.
And although 2017's top draft choices, Nico Hischier (New Jersey) and Nolan Patrick (Philadelphia), will surely garner their fair share of buzz in the Rookie of the Year race, we're going to devote our attention - for now - to five candidates capable of leapfrogging the favorites.
Clayton Keller - Arizona Coyotes
After notching 45 points in 31 games with Boston University last season, Keller played a three-game stint with the Coyotes, recording two assists.
The 19-year-old continued his stellar developmental year with Team USA at the World Championship, scoring five goals and adding two assists in eight contests.
The ultra-dynamic winger oozes skill, and a full NHL campaign on a seemingly improved Coyotes roster could put the 2016 seventh overall pick firmly on the map.
Charlie McAvoy - Boston Bruins
Another Boston University product, McAvoy showed promise on several platforms in his first year as Bruins property.
First, the 19-year-old anchored Team USA's blue line at the world juniors, where he played a pivotal role in capturing the gold medal. From there, he virtually assured himself a spot on the Bruins' roster with a promising showing in the first round of the playoffs, during which he averaged an astonishing 26:12 of ice time per night.
McAvoy showed incredible poise in his first taste of the pros, and should put voters on notice in his official rookie season.
Tyson Jost - Colorado Avalanche
Jost earned a six-game stretch with the hapless Avalanche as last season concluded, tallying one goal.
The forward also recorded 35 points in 33 games as a rookie with North Dakota in 2016-17, and should play a prominent role in Colorado's offense.
Jost possesses legitimate offensive talent and a developing two-way game. He could very well be the centerpiece that helps Joe Sakic and Co. turn things around in Denver.
Thomas Chabot - Ottawa Senators
While McAvoy walked away with the gold, Chabot earned MVP honors and the top defenseman award at the 2017 world juniors, leaving Senators supporters salivating at the idea of their prized prospect teaming up with Erik Karlsson for years to come.
Chabot, a 2015 first-rounder, has all the makings of an NHL workhorse, and looks to have outgrown the junior level, where he recorded 45 points in 47 games with Saint John last season.
Mikhail Sergachev - Tampa Bay Lightning
As one of the top defensive prospects in the NHL, Sergachev has a tremendous chance to make an immediate impact on the league should he shine with the Lightning - a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
He was the main piece in Tampa Bay's return for Jonathan Drouin, and a campaign alongside - or even just learning under - All-Star Victor Hedman could easily fast-track his development.
