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Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres

This youngster is one of the least likely to earn the accolade of being the NHL’s MVP this season, but discounting him at this point would also be unwise.

Eichel has a track record of performing well under pressure, having won bronze, silver and gold medals for his country as an amateur as well as receiving the Hobey Baker Award back in 2015 while still a freshman in college.

Since going pro, Eichel has taken a little time to build his momentum as a scorer as well as his confidence, so backing him for the Hart Trophy could be a gamble.

Of course the entire trophy system is reliant not only on split-second decisions made in the heat of the moment on the ice, but also the subjective opinions of the voters. This makes the outcome a little like the spin of a roulette wheel or the whirring of a slots machine. For people who enjoy casino games,Casumo is a solid option that offers these kinds of thrills in real time.

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

In terms of raw point-scoring prowess, MacKinnon has proven to be invaluable to his team so far this season. Indeed he has been forced to take up some of the slack left afterinjuries laid low a couple of key colleagues, and he managed to prove that he was more than up to the challenge on a number of occasions.

The fact that he can put the puck past the goalie consistently, even when facing a high pressure situation, is a good sign that he will continue to bring home the bacon as the road to the playoffs continues.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Plenty of people will argue that this season will see Connor McDavid pick up his second Hard Trophy, three years afterhe won his first. Of course he probably should have secured it again a lot sooner.

Older and wiser in 2020 than he was in 2017, McDavid remains highly regarded amongst players and fans alike, and so long as the Oilers managed to maintain their current run of form and reach the playoffs with ease, he could be the favourite to become MVP again.

Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

While all of the players mentioned so far have been heavily hyped and hotly tipped since well before their professional careers even kicked off, Panarin was initially overlooked during the first NHL draft he took part in back in 2010. He has since proven himself worthy of playing the sport with the best of the best in North America, even if he had to pay his dues in Europe first.

Since signing with the Rangers last year, he has made some serious waves, even managing to topple a record previously held by Wayne Gretzky by scoring 60 points over the course of his first 43 appearances for the team. This is setting him on a track which might lead to at least a 100 point season total, which is not something the Rangers have seen in a player for over a decade.

Whether the Hart Trophy voters will agree that Panarin deserves MVP status is uncertain, but he still has time to win them over.