Elite point production is a major part of winning the Hart Trophy, but having the most points isn’t everything.
In the past 10 seasons, the NHL’s top point-getter has won MVP five times. In the years that didn’t happen, the player who took home the hardware made a compelling case by dragging his team beyond where it otherwise belonged.
Take Taylor Hall’s 2017-18 season for instance. The Devils had made the playoffs for the first time in five years by squeaking into a wild card spot on the back of Hall’s 93 points, which led the roster by 41 points.
Hall finished sixth in overall scoring that year.
His 5.34 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was fourth overall, and while Connor McDavid led in both those categories, Hall carried an undermanned roster into the playoffs.
While a defenseman hasn’t earned the award since Chris Pronger in 1999-00, a goaltender has claimed it three times this century, including Connor Hellebuyck just two seasons ago.
2026-27 Hart Trophy picks, best bets
Jack Hughes (25/1, DraftKings)
Much like Hall, Hughes is the catalyst for the Devils’ postseason hopes. New Jersey has a 30/1 tag to win the Stanley Cup and is priced with the third-best odds to win the Metropolitan Division.
The Devils have missed the playoffs two of the past three seasons — all of which Hughes missed at least 20 games to injury. There’s significant risk with investing in Hughes because of how injury-prone he is, but if he can stay on the ice, the upside is attractive enough.
Hughes scored 45 points in 25 games after the Olympic break, trailing only McDavid over that span and producing at a 134-point pace. New Jersey simultaneously played at a 95-point pace, demonstrating how dramatically Hughes’ elite production can raise the Devils’ ceiling.
Despite missing 21 games, Hughes finished in the 98th percentile among forwards with 98 mid-range shots and the 97th percentile with 14 mid-range goals, while also ranking in the 88th percentile in high-danger shots.
The Devils were outscored with Hughes on the ice at 5-on-5, but an abysmal .883 save percentage in those minutes was largely to blame.
Jason Robertson (60/1, DraftKings)
The Stars are a Cup contender, and they could only finally clear the hump with Robertson at his best.
After all the contract drama over the summer, Robertson has more to prove on his one-year, $12 million deal. That’s following a season in which he cracked the top 10 in points with 96 — 46 scored at 5-on-5 play — and finished fourth overall in WAR.
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He also set career highs with 15 power-play goals and 20:15 of ice time per game while finishing third in the NHL with 294 shots, giving him a clear path to his first 50-goal season.
If that increased shot volume and usage push him back toward the 109-point career high he posted in 2022-23, Robertson would have the production to make a serious case.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
