2025-26 Art Ross Trophy Odds: Connor McDavid early favourite to lead NHL in points

No one is surprised to see Connor McDavid as the early favourite to win the Art Ross Trophy, but what about his competition?

Today I’m looking at the Art Ross Trophy betting odds to go over the favourite as well as a value pick and a dark horse pick.

Let’s dive in.

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Art Ross Trophy favourite: Connor McDavid

With 613 points in 316 regular season games over the last five seasons, it’s easy to see why Connor McDavid is a +160 favourite to win the Art Ross Trophy this season.

McDavid’s 100 points last season were 21 less than Art Ross winner Nikita Kucherov, but the Oilers captain only played 67 games compared to 78 for Kucherov.

It was even closer in 2023-24 when McDavid finished with 132 points in 76 games, 12 back of what Kucherov did in 81 games, essentially putting them on the same point-per-game pace.

It really comes down to whether McDavid stays healthy this season.

Art Ross Trophy value pick: Leon Draisaitl

But, what about McDavid’s partner in crime, Leon Draisaitl? He won the award with 110 points in 2019-20 and he was third last season with 106 points, despite missing 11 games.

Draisaitl actually produced the same point total last season as he did the year before, but he did it with 10 less games played, so he’s output continues to increase.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch has said Draisaitl and McDavid will start the season on the same line, so I think we’re in for an early offensive explosion.

And when the two are inevitably split up, as great as Draisaitl is, it’s McDavid who will draw the tougher defensive matchups.

With the uncertainty of McDavid’s future in the air, I think this is a year Draisaitl can turn the attention on himself and dominate.

Art Ross Trophy dark horse: Mitch Marner

How about we poke the bear in Leafs Land and give former Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner an outside chance to win the Art Ross Trophy?

Marner is expected to ride shotgun on Jack Eichel’s line this season and the early results through training camp and pre-season games have been fantastic. The two are already showing chemistry and Eichel will be motivated to put up big numbers in a contract year.

And of course there’s motivation for Marner in his first season away from Toronto. He should also be more comfortable in a market where he can be under the radar.

Feeling more comfortable in his personal life and playing on a line with Eichel and a Vegas power-play that ranked second in the NHL last season could produce a career-year from Marner.

Last 10 Art Ross Trophy winners

Whoa, there’s a whole lot of Tampa Bay and Edmonton on this list. In fact, it’s been nearly a decade since a player not named Kucherov, McDavid or Draisaitl has won the Art Ross.

McDavid tops the list of recent winners with five Art Ross’ to his name, while Kucherov looks to join rarefied company and become just the seventh player in NHL history to win the scoring title four times.

The table also shows us that long shots don’t typically win this award as McDavid was the pre-season favourite four of the five times he’s won. Over the last decade, only Draisaitl (seventh-shortest odds) and Patrick Kane (13th) were outside of the top four pre-season favourites.