2027 Rocket Richard Trophy Betting Odds, Prediction: Nathan MacKinnon favoured to repeat

Last year’s Rocket Richard Trophy race finished with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon in first at 53 goals, followed by Montreal Cole Caufield in second at 51 goals.

That’s why it should be no surprise to see the two snipers start this season as the top favourites to win the Rocket, with former Rocket Richard winner Leon Draisaitl rounding out the top three.

Today’s focus will be on the Rocket race as we go over the favourites, give a prediction and look at some betting trends.

Let’s get into it.

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Rocket Richard Trophy favourites

It’s a tight group at the top of the Rocket Richard Trophy list to begin the year, with six players boasting odds shorter than +1000, led by MacKinnon (+475), Caufield (+550) and Draisaitl (+550).

MacKinnon was an absolute beast last season, leading the league in goals (53) and even strength goals (42). What’s encouraging about MacKinnon’s chances to repeat, is the fact he had only 11 power play goals last season, tied for 20th in the NHL. If MacKinnon produces near the same rate at even strength and the Avs improve their play on the man advantage, there’s every reason to believe the Dogg will find the back of the net even more than last season.

Caufield was the only other 50-goal scorer in the NHL last year and there’s no reason to think he’ll slow down in 2026-27. The 25-year-old has increased his goal total in each of his five NHL seasons, including a 14-goal jump last year. The Habs will also continue to rely heavily on Caufield in clutch moments after a season in which he led the NHL in both overtime goals (five) and game-winning goals (12).

Draisaitl had a down-year last season by his standards with 35 goals, but it’s important to remember that injuries limited him to just 65 games. The German star is fully healthy and Edmonton will continue to lean heavily on him and Connor McDavid. Keep in mind, Draisaitl is a four-time 50-goal scorer and he’s only one season removed from leading the league with 52 snipes.

Here’s the top-10 favourites to win the Rocket Richard Trophy this season:

1. Nathan MacKinnon (+475)
2. Cole Caufield (+550)
3. Leon Draisaitl (+550)
4. Kirill Kaprizov (+850)
5. Macklin Celebrini (+950)
6. Jason Robertson (+950)
7. Auston Matthews (+1000)
8. Connor McDavid (+1400)
9. Nikita Kucherov (+1600)
10. Wyatt Johnston (+1600)

Rocket Richard Trophy prediction

As of this publication, Evan Bouchard, Paul Cotter and Nick Schmaltz share the NHL-lead with four goals apiece. However, it’s safe to say those Oct. 6 numbers won’t hold up until April.

I see the best value on the Rocket Richard list as Dallas’ Jason Robertson at +950. The noise is constant around Robertson’s future as he plays on a one-year deal after he reportedly nixed at least two trades in the off-season.

Not only is Robertson playing for a new contract and a huge payday, he also has the motivation to stick it to a Stars management group that passed on signing him to what likely would have been a much cheaper contract before this season’s explosion in salaries.

Coming off a 45-goal campaign, Robertson hasn’t missed a game in four years and that durability combined with his motivation make him a prime candidate for a significant breakout season.

Rocket Richard Trophy betting trends

• Alexander Ovechkin has won the Rocket Richard Trophy a record nine times.
• The lowest goal total to ever win the Rocket Richard was 41 (Auston Matthews in 2020-21 and Rick Nash, Ilya Kovalchuk and Jarome Iginla in 2003-04).
• The Rocket Richard can be awarded to multiple players in the same season if there is a tie. This has only happened twice since the award was established for the 1998-99 season (Nash, Kovalchuk, Iginla in 2003-04 and Ovechkin and David Pastrnak in 2019-20).
• No defenceman has ever won the Rocket Richard.
• The Rocket Richard winner has won the Hart Trophy in the same season six times, with Ovechkin doing it three times.

Last 10 Rocket Richard Trophy winners

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