Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire
Author: Anthony Vlahovic
Last Updated: 15 October, 2025
2025-26 NHL Rocket Richard Trophy Odds
Hockey fans love scoring, and there are quite a few players in the league who produce goals at a jaw-dropping rate. Players like Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and David Pastrnak set off the goal horn more than most players could imagine. As a result, they are in constant competition for the Rocket Richard Trophy, which goes to the leading goal-scorer each year.
In the 2023-24 season, Matthews hoisted the Rocket Richard Trophy for the third time in his career, but with a slow start and an injury, he was unable to make his way back up the odds board. Instead, Leon Draisaitl was able to separate himself as the favorite and become the league leader in goals, despite playing only 71 games. Down below, we'll keep NHL betting fans up to date on all odds movements for this award throughout the 2025-26 season.
2025-26 Rocket Richard Trophy - Best Odds Right Now
Player | Opening odds | Current best odds |
|---|---|---|
Leon Draisaitl | +300 | +370 (DraftKings) |
Auston Matthews | +400 | +400 (DraftKings) |
Kirill Kaprizov | +700 | +550 (Bet365*) |
David Pastrnak | +600 | +1200 (FanDuel) |
Nathan MacKinnon | +1200 | +1200 (DraftKings*) |
Connor McDavid | +1200 | +1600 (DraftKings*) |
Mikko Rantanen | +3000 | +2000 (Bet365*) |
Brayden Point | +3000 | +2200 (FanDuel) |
Tage Thompson | +1500 | +2200 (FanDuel) |
William Nylander | +1200 | +2200 (FanDuel) |
Kyle Connor | +10000 | +3500 (FanDuel) |
Sam Reinhart | +4000 | +4000 (FanDuel) |
Jack Hughes | +2000 | +5000 (DraftKings) |
Alex Ovechkin | +3000 | +7500 (Bet365*) |
Jake Guentzel | +5000 | +7500 (FanDuel) |
Nikita Kucherov | +10000 | +7500 (FanDuel) |
Cole Caufield | +10000 | +8000 (FanDuel) |
Filip Forsberg | +5000 | +10,000 (FanDuel) |
Brady Tkachuk | +15000 | +10,000 (DraftKings*) |
Jason Robertson | +10000 | +15,000 (FanDuel) |
Mark Scheifele | +15000 | +15,000 (FanDuel) |
Wyatt Johnston | +15000 | +15,000 (FanDuel) |
Connor Bedard | +15000 | +15,000 (FanDuel) |
Macklin Celebrini | +15000 | +15,000 (Bet365*) |
Odds as of October 15, 2025
2025-26 Rocket Richard Trophy - Top10 Contenders
Player | DraftKings | FanDuel | Bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|
Leon Draisaitl | +370 | +350 | +340 |
Auston Matthews | +400 | +350 | +375 |
Kirill Kaprizov | +450 | +550 | +550 |
David Pastrnak | +900 | +1200 | +1000 |
Nathan MacKinnon | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
Brayden Point | +1600 | +2200 | +1800 |
Connor McDavid | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
William Nylander | +2000 | +2200 | +2000 |
Tage Thompson | +2000 | +2200 | +2000 |
Mikko Rantanen | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
*Odds as of October 15, 2025
Current Favorites
Leon Draisaitl: In his illustrious career, Leon Draisaitl has crossed the 50-goal threshold four times, but last season was the first time he did it in under 80 games. Through 71 games, the Oilers' star registered a league-leading 52 goals, as he became the first Rocket Richard to record under 60 goals in three seasons. As he looks for a repeat, Draisaitl has started the 2025-26 season with two goals in three games.
Auston Matthews: Injuries derailed Matthews' 2024-25 campaign, which led to him scoring a career low 33 goals in 67 games. Just the year prior, the Leafs' star was one goal away from 70, and with health back on his side, many expect him to go back to being closer to that form. In his first four games without Mitch Marner by his side, Matthews has already picked up three goals.
Kirill Kaprizov: Fresh off signing a large contract extension with the Wild, Kaprizov has started the year with four goals in four games. Injuries would also significantly impact Kaprizov during the 2024-25 season, as he played in just 41 games. With a bigger bank account and health, Kaprizov is now in pursuit of the first 50-goal season in his career.
2025 Rocket Richard Winner - Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
With Connor McDavid having to miss time with an ankle injury, the Oilers needed to rely heavily on Draisaitl to produce much of their scoring. Draisaitl answered that call when McDavid was on the shelf, and he continued his impressive scoring pace even when McDavid returned to the lineup. By putting away 52 goals in 71 games, seven goals more than the closest challenger, William Nylander, Draisaitl set an NHL record for the most games missed in a season by the Rocket Richard winner, with 11 games missed.
NHL top goal scorers of the 2024-25 regular season
Leon Draisaitl: 52 goals
William Nylander: 45
Alex Ovechkin: 44
Tage Thompson: 44
David Pastrnak: 43
Brayden Point: 42
Jake Guentzel: 41
Kyle Connor: 41
Mark Scheifele: 39
Sam Reinhart: 39
Dissecting Leon Draisaitl's Rocket Richard Season
Draisaitl's stat | Rank | Contenders' stats |
|---|---|---|
52 goals | 1st | William Nylander (45) |
31.4 expected goals | 19th | Auston Matthews (41.1) [1st] |
36 even strength goals | 2nd | Tage Thompson (37) [1st] |
16 power-play goals | 2nd | Jake Guentzel (17) [1st] |
15 wrist shot goals | 38th | Nazem Kadri (28) [1st] |
23 snapshot goals | 1st | Seth Jarvis (18) |
4 slap shot goals | 33th | Kevin Fiala (11) [1st] |
6 backhand goals | 5th | Brayden Point (8) [1st] |
2 goals tipped | 141th | Alex Tuch (12) [1st] |
1 goal deflected | 82th | Will Cuylle (4) [1st] |
417 shot attempts | 53rd | Zach Werenski (638) [1st] |
240 shots on goal | 20th | Nathan MacKinnon (320) [1st] |
21.7% shooting percentage | 3rd* | Brayden Point (22.2%) [1st] |
62 power-play shots | 15th | Brady Tkachuk (79) [1st] |
72 wrist shots | 163th | Nathan MacKinnon (198) [1st] |
116 snapshots | 1st | Cole Caufield (103) |
14 slap shots | 187th | Evan Bouchard (106) [1st] |
23 backhand shots | 26th | Anders Lee (37) [1st] |
9 shots tipped | 227th | Anders Lee (42) [1st] |
4 shots deflected | 103rd | Anders Lee (15) [1st] |
* Leon Draisaitl ranked 3rd in shooting percentage among all players with +100 recorded shots in the 2024-25 regular season. From this group of players, the shooting percentage leader, Brayden Point (22.2%), recorded a total of 189 shots throughout the season.
Past Rocket Richard Trophy Winners & Odds
Season | Player (Goals) | Team | Opening odds |
|---|---|---|---|
2024-25 | Leon Draisaitl (52) | Edmonton Oilers | +750 |
2023-24 | Auston Matthews (69) | Toronto Maple Leafs | +300 |
2022-23 | Connor McDavid (64) | Edmonton Oilers | +1200 |
2021-22 | Auston Matthews (60) | Toronto Maple Leafs | +350 |
2020-21 | Auston Matthews (41) | Toronto Maple Leafs | +450 |
2019-20 | Alexander Ovechkin & David Pastrnak (48) | Washington Capitals & Boston Bruins | +550 & +1600 |
2018-19 | Alexander Ovechkin (51) | Washington Capitals | +650 |
2017-18 | Alexander Ovechkin (49) | Washington Capitals | +500 |
2016-17 | Sidney Crosby (44) | Pittsburgh Penguins | +1400 |
Power Play Prowess: How PP1 Usage Skews Richard Trophy Value
Shooting percentage and past goal totals are only half of the equation when it comes to finding value in the Rocket Rochard Trophy market. Sure, ice time is a part of the equation as well, but sometimes an overlooked aspect of the handicapping process is power play opportunity, more specifically, PP1 usage.
Power-play goals go a long way in helping a player separate themselves in the race for the most goals, so being on the ice during the man advantage is extremely valuable to both players and the bettors who are backing them. There are plenty of scoring threats around the league that end up on PP2 due to deeper rosters or to keep more balance in the units, and that subtle drop in volume could be the difference in staying alive in this race.
Players with substantial 5-on-5 shooting numbers may look appealing, but if they are only getting partial PP1 usage, they will be more of a pretender. Take Nikita Kucherov, for example, when the 2024-25 season started, Kucherov got off to a hot start and was surging up the odds board after opening at (+3000). However, Kucherov was primarily on the PP2 unit, leading to eight power-play goals, as opposed to the 16 that award-winner Leon Draisaitl had.
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