Alex Ovechkin has won the Rocket Richard trophy so many times, he deserves partial naming rights.

The Washington Capitals winger has claimed it in six of the last seven seasons as the NHL's top goal-scorer, which is why he's got the shortest odds to win it again in 2019-20. At the pace Ovechkin is scoring it's foolish to advise against betting on him, but there's a new crop of young players emerging in the league that offer plenty of value.

Auston Matthews (14-1) - Best Bet

After scoring 40 goals as a 19-year-old in his rookie season, Matthews has yet to reach those lofty heights since, managing 34 and 37 in his two subsequent campaigns. Injuries have prevented him from making the expected jump to 50, as he's been held under 70 games in both seasons since appearing in all 82 his first year in the league.

Matthews' ice time, or lack thereof, has also been a hot issue in Toronto - the center has never been among the leaders on the Maple Leafs in that category. He was also fourth on the team among forwards in power-play time per game in each of the last two seasons. Does his ice time really need to increase for Matthews to take a run at the Rocket Richard trophy? He was scoring at a 45-goal pace over 82 games last season, and he leads the entire NHL in goals per 60 minutes since his debut in 2016. A scoring outburst feels inevitable, regardless of how Mike Babcock elects to deploy him. A career year is on the precipice provided he can keep himself on the ice.

Alex DeBrincat (21-1) - Best Bet

There's a lot to like about DeBrincat, who potted 41 goals last year in just his second NHL season and finished seventh in the league in goals per 60 minutes. His minutes only figure to increase as he becomes an integral part of the Blackhawks. He'll be playing alongside former OHL linemate Dylan Strome on the second line and getting top power-play time with Patrick Kane. DeBrincat scored 10 goals in 24 games (0.41 per game) before the team acquired Strome, and 31 in 58 after (0.53 per game). It would be surprising not to see him take another step forward in 2019-20.

Jake Guentzel (40-1) - Value Play

Guentzel had a career season last year, as the Pittsburgh Penguins winger enjoyed his first 40-goal campaign while setting new highs in assists and points at the ripe age of 24. Another 40-goal season is well within reach, especially playing alongside Sidney Crosby, but he will need an uptick in power-play time to push for 50. He averaged just 2:07 of PP time per game last season, which was 191st in the NHL. With Phil Kessel (3:14 PPT/G last season) in Arizona, there's a legitimate shot he sees his time on the top unit skyrocket.

Viktor Arvidsson (60-1) - Value Play

Unquestionably the best value on the board, Arvidsson registered 34 goals last season despite being limited to just 58 games. He was scoring at an elite rate, with his 0.59 goals per game trailing only Ovechkin (0.63) and Leon Draisaitl (0.61); He was joint-top of the NHL in goals per 60 minutes, along with David Pastrnak. His shooting percentage is in line for regression after jumping to 17.4 from a previous career high of 12.6, but at 26 years old, coming off his third full season in the NHL, there's reason to believe the jump could be sustainable. Either way, at the rate the Nashville Predators forward was scoring at last season, this price is way too high.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said he was not aware of the disorderly conduct charge against forward Auston Matthews until Tuesday.

"I just found out yesterday," Babcock said on Wednesday, according to TSN.

"You're always disappointed. I mean, as the Toronto Maple Leafs we really pride ourselves in doing things right both on the ice and off the ice and treating people (well), so it's an unfortunate situation."

Matthews is a strong candidate to be named the team's next captain. When asked if the incident will impact his ability to be a leader for the team, Babcock said "I don't think so at all."

The charge against Matthews stems from an incident that took place on May 26 in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The complainant, a security guard at a Scottsdale condo complex, stated that Matthews and a group of males tried to open her vehicle at 2 a.m as she sat inside doing paperwork.

According to the report, Matthews dropped his pants, bent over, and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. The complainant said he seemed to keep his underwear on.

The 22-year-old Matthews expressed regret in a statement following the team's skate on Wednesday.

Despite his disappointment, Babcock knows it's his responsibility to support his players as best he can.

"I went to him this morning and this is what I said: 'Are you okay?'

"That's what the coach is here for. I'm here for our players and I'm here to help them become better men and better people and better players."

Matthews is slated to play in the Leafs' preseason contest on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

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Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato is the first female pro scout in NHL history after Seattle's franchise hired her as part of its first group of scouts.

The club also announced the hiring of Ulf Samuelsson, Stu Barnes, Dave Hunter, and John Goodwin to round out the staff.

"I've had other NHL opportunities to get back into hockey," Granato said, according to NHL.com's Bob Condor. "Seattle is the right fit for me and an exciting organization to join. It lined up as the perfect opportunity."

Granato was a star talent in her playing days with the women's United States hockey program. She captained the Americans to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a silver at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

"For me as a player, I recognized hockey IQ when I would give up the puck to a teammate and it didn't go into a sort of black hole," Granato said. "That high-IQ player would make the right decisions with the puck. They know what to do with the puck and without it. They anticipate plays to be made and see peripherally."

Granato and Canadian Angela James became the first females to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews made a statement Wednesday regarding the disorderly conduct charge filed against him.

"I regret any of my actions that would ever put a distraction on the team or distress any individual," Matthews said. "I take a lot of pride in preparing myself for the season and representing the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as I can."

Matthews didn't take any questions due to the ongoing investigation.

The charge against Matthews stems from a May 26 incident in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The complainant, a security guard at a Scottsdale condo complex, stated that Matthews and a group of males tried to open her vehicle at 2 a.m as she sat inside doing paperwork.

According to the report, Matthews dropped his pants, bent over, and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. The complainant said he seemed to keep his underwear on.

Matthews wasn't arrested. He has a pretrial conference Wednesday morning but isn't required to appear in court.

The Maple Leafs begin their season Oct. 2 and have been widely expected to name Matthews as their next captain.

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The Calgary Flames have inked restricted free-agent forward Matthew Tkachuk to a three-year deal worth an average annual value of $7 million, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract gives Tkachuk the largest annual cap hit on the team. He will be a restricted free agent when it expires.

The 21-year-old will make $9 million in the third season of the contract, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. That ensures he'll receive a qualifying offer of at least that amount for a potential fourth year, should the sides fail to agree to a new deal before that time.

Tkachuk had a breakout campaign in his third NHL season in 2018-19. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native tallied career bests with 34 goals and 43 assists for 77 points. He also ranked third on the Flames with 104 hits.

The Flames now have key core pieces Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Mark Giordano, and Noah Hanifin signed through the 2021-22 campaign.

Tkachuk is the fifth high-profile player from this summer's restricted free-agent class to sign a bridge deal with their respective club. Most recently, Brayden Point inked a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.75 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Calgary now sits $658,000 above the cap with a full active roster, which means the team will need to shuffle some pieces around to become compliant before the start of the regular season, according to CapFriendly.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

In the first episode of the 2019-20 season, John is joined by former NHL forward Devin Setoguchi to discuss a variety of topics:

• Ups and downs of post-playing life
• Advice for those suffering from mental illness
• Fondest memories of NHL career, Joe Thornton
• Takeaways from stints in Europe

... and more!

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