NHL Futures: Can New Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Win His Second Hart Trophy?

It seems like just yesterday that we were placing our final player prop bets of the year after a fun postseason run that ended in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

However, it's time to start looking ahead to the future and a blank slate of NHL bets in 2024-25. Some of the biggest news of the offseason since the free agent frenzy happened on Monday night when news broke that Auston Matthews would be the new captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Wearing the "C" for the Maple Leafs is one of the biggest honors in the sport, so it'll be intriguing to see if Matthews can handle the added pressure. Matthews obliterated his career-high in goals last season when he tallied 69 goals but finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting thanks to stellar seasons from Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid.

MacKinnon won the trophy with 51 goals and 89 assists in 82 games. Kucherov came second after winning the Art Ross Trophy with 144 points, while McDavid was third with 132. Some argued whether McDavid was the worthy winner after his incredible run to get the Oilers back into the playoff race. However, the voters couldn't go wrong with whoever they chose.

Auston Matthews Hart Trophy Winner +850 (FanDuel)

I believe the recent news of Matthews becoming the Leafs captain will help his Hart Trophy case rather than hurt it. We all know that the eyes of the hockey world are always on Toronto thanks to their media presence, and it'll be even more severe with Matthews' promotion and John Tavares' demotion.

Matthews has never shown that he would crumble under the pressure of the regular season, and you can expect him to build on his 69-goal performance from last season. Matthews and his teammates did everything to get him over the illustrious 70-goal benchmark but ultimately came short in the final game.

Coming up short should only fuel Matthews' fire to continue his quest to be the top goal-scorer in NHL history. The voters will also look at Matthews fondly if he helps the Maple Leafs reach heights they couldn't get with Tavares as the captain. They'll also likely give him more recognition if he beats the pressure and has a career year in his first season as the leader.

Auston Matthews will be the most talked-about player in the NHL this season, and his value to win the Hart Trophy as MVP is too good to ignore.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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