The competition is heating up to see who will be the NHL’s top scorer this year and earn the Rocket Richard Trophy.
In 1999, the Canadiens donated the trophy to the league in honor of their Hall of Famer Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who played for Montreal from 1942 to 1960. Since then, it’s been awarded each year to the player who finishes the regular season with the most goals.
The most recent recipient of the award was Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who led the league in scoring last season with 52 goals in only 71 games.
At the start of this year, there was a multi-way tie for first place in scoring, but now one forward has risen to the top of the goal-scoring mountain. Here’s a look at who that is and the other players in contention for the Richard Trophy.
Richard Trophy Odds
| Rank | Player | Team | Odds | Goals |
| 1 | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | 150 | 24 |
| 2 | Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 450 | 17 |
| 3 | Jason Robertson | Stars | 800 | 18 |
| 4 | Kirill Kaprizov | Wild | 1100 | 18 |
| 5 | Morgan Geekie | Bruins | 1400 | 22 |
| 6 | Connor McDavid | Oilers | 1500 | 14 |
| 7 | Connor Bedard | Blackhawks | 1800 | 22 |
| 8 | Cole Caufield | Canadiens | 2200 | 16 |
| 9 | Macklin Celebrini | Sharks | 2800 | 15 |
| 10 | Jack Eichel | Golden Knights | 3500 | 12 |
Who’s Favored to Win the Rocket Richard Trophy?
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche (+140)
Colorado’s star center, Nathan MacKinnon, is one of the primary stories of the first quarter of the 2025-26 NHL season. He leads the league in goals and leads the league in overall points.
Beyond that, his Avalanche lead the league in team points overall. Just last week, they lost only their second game in regulation, 27 games into the year.
While MacKinnon has been one of the league’s best players for a while — he won a Hart Trophy at the end of the 2023-24 season and has finished in the top five of voting six times — he’s gone up a level this season.
Specifically, his goal scoring is on another level this season. He scored 32 goals last season, which was an average scoring season for him. But through just 29 games, he already has 24 goals.
If he continues scoring at the rate that he is, he could finish the year with 68 goals, by far the most of his career. MacKinnon’s highest goal total to date was 51 after the 2023-24 season.
His scoring rate through the first 29 games of the year is such an outlier in his career that it would be foolish not to think he slows down a little. But he has a strong enough starting point that he should be near the top at the end of the year.
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