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NHL rookie camps, coaching camps, and preseason are mere weeks away, and the web page will probably be turned on the seemingly infinite offseason of 2024.
The Anaheim Ducks are within the midst of the NHL’s fourth-longest playoff drought (Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators), having missed the playoffs and been among the many backside ten groups of the NHL standings for six straight seasons.
Ducks’ Zegras learned lots of lessons in tough 2023-24 season
Like many groups on the backside of the NHL standings in 2023-24, their aim for 2024-25 is to make important strides towards competition and play extra significant hockey later within the season.
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To realize that aim, a number of roster gamers, younger and veteran, together with the teaching workers must elevate some eyebrows, flip some heads, and probably even emerge as NHL Awards candidates.
Hart Trophy
The Hart Trophy is awarded yearly to the NHL participant voted most useful to their staff.
The favorites to win the 2025 Hart Trophy are unsurprisingly Connor McDavid (+175), Nathan MacKinnon (+550), and Auston Matthews (+1000).
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When a goaltender is not nominated, Hart nominees are sometimes among the many league leaders in factors throughout a given NHL season. In 2023-24, the three finalists had been Connor McDavid (132 factors), Nikita Kucherov (144 factors), and eventual winner Nathan MacKinnon (140 factors).
Two Anaheim Geese gamers are eligible for wagers to win the 2025 Hart Memorial Trophy, in accordance with BetMGM:
Trevor Zegras (+30000)
Given the perceived standards, it is comprehensible that Zegras (23) has the best odds amongst Geese roster gamers to win the Hart. Because the roster is at the moment constructed, he has the very best manufacturing potential for the upcoming season.
His mix of elite offensive talent and hockey IQ permit him the power to diagnose and bend opposing defensive constructions to his will. His essential decision-making and execution have already translated to the NHL stage and he’ll look to take the subsequent step in his improvement in 2024-25.
He scored over 60 factors in his first two full seasons within the NHL earlier than accidents severely restricted his offensive output in 2023-24. In 211 profession video games over 4 seasons within the NHL, Zegras has totaled 55 targets and 99 assists. His 154 factors stay fourth-most amongst gamers chosen within the 2019 NHL Draft.
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If the Geese do flip the nook on their rebuild and sneak right into a playoff spot, Zegras would doubtless have supplied important contributions to that end result. It is an extremely tall activity, however to even be nominated for the Hart, he’d doubtless need to double the manufacturing of his finest season (2022-23), the place he scored 65 factors in 81 video games.
The listing of gamers with the identical odds as Zegras (+30000) to win the Hart Trophy consists of names like Filip Forsberg, Clayton Keller, Alex Ovechkin, and 21 others.
Cutter Gauthier (+50000)
Solely six rookies within the 101-year historical past of the Hart Memorial Trophy have ever been nominated. The winners embrace Nels Stewart in 1926 and Herb Gardiner in 1927. Wayne Gretzky received the Hart in his first NHL season (1979-80) however wasn’t thought-about a rookie.
For Gauthier (20) to win the Hart Trophy he’d need to ship one of many best rookie seasons in NHL historical past, if not the unquestioned best.
Gauthier was a Hobey Baker finalist in his sophomore season (2023-24) at Boston Faculty and scored essentially the most targets (38) in an NCAA season in practically 20 years.
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Earlier than stepping on the ice for his second profession NHL sport, he already has one of many league’s premier photographs and has but to seek out an angle he did not suppose he might rating from.
He is unlikely to ever hit the purpose whole essential to be thought-about for a Hart Trophy in his profession, so his likeliest path to that end result lies in his goal-scoring skill. Even then, he’d doubtless need to eclipse Teemu Selanne‘s rookie file of 76 targets in 1992-93 whereas main the Geese to a playoff start to doubtlessly be thought-about for a Hart nomination within the upcoming NHL season.
The listing of gamers, like Gauthier, with the longest odds (+50000) to with the Hart Trophy consists of names like Lucas Raymond, Evgeni Malkin, Quinton Byfield, and 23 others.
