Latest 2015 Hart Trophy Odds in the Wake of Patrick Kane's Injury

A wide-open Hart Trophy race added a layer of complexity on Wednesday when the Chicago Blackhawks officially announced that Patrick Kane would go on long-term injured reserve after being injured in a game against Florida.

Later in the day, worse news came. The Blackhawks further announced that Kane had undergone successful surgery to repair a broken collarbone but had a timeframe for return of 12 weeks. It's a massive blow to Chicago and dramatically lessens the team's chances of advancing through a brutal Central division. It almost certainly kneecaps Kane's chances of being named league MVP.  

With Kane out of the mix, which candidates move to the front of the line? Is there a clear-cut leader, or is the race too close to call? Read on for our answers. 

The Field

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Forwards: Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux in Philadelphia are both legitimate candidates, though that candidacy will disappear if the Flyers miss the postseason, as voters have traditionally refused to back players from non-playoff teams. Additionally, Voracek has seen his production fall off dramatically in the new year.

John Tavares isn't going to be hurt by playing in New York and will certainly get a push, as should Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf. A host of others—notably Vladimir Tarasenko and dynamic duos in Dallas and Tampa Bay—also deserve consideration.

Defencemen: This is a hard trophy for a defenceman to win, but given the nature of the field a few will doubtless get a push. Mark Giordano has been touted as a leading Norris candidate from the start of the year, while Shea Weber's strong season has him in the mix. Kris Letang's scoring is going to be hard to ignore, too. 

Goalies: It's probably a two-horse race in net, but outside of those two players there have been some pretty impressive performances. Cory Schneider has laboured in vain in New Jersey; Marc-Andre Fleury has been very good; and Braden Holtby has served notice that he's ready to move into the upper tier of NHL goalies. With what's happened in Minnesota, Devan Dubnyk might get a vote or two as well. 

Odds: 15 percent. 

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

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Stats Line: 46 games, 35-8-3 record, 0.930 save percentage

Why He's Here: The single biggest reason for Nashville's resurgence is that Rinne has had an incredible bounce-back campaign after two tough and injury-filled years for the Predators. Helping that team turnaround is a strong argument in his favour, but he will be hurt by the perception that Nashville is a stingy defensive team as well as by its small-market status. 

Odds: 10 percent. 

Rick Nash, New York Rangers

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Stats Line: 58 games, 37 goals, 21 assists, 58 points

Why He's Here: If the vote were held today, his odds would be good. Part of the reason for ranking him this low is that his shooting percentage is the highest it has been since 2005-06, and he needs it to hold out if he is to win the goal-scoring crown. If it does, it will help him a lot in a Hart Trophy vote. Another factor worth considering is that he's playing in New York, which will make it harder to overlook him. 

Odds: 10 percent.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

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Stats Line: 61 games, 38 goals, 23 assists, 61 points

Why He's Here: Ovechkin's reputation has been well served by the arrival of Barry Trotz and a dramatic improvement in his plus/minus, which occurred at the same time. I may know that plus/minus is a terrible statistic and the reader may know that plus/minus is a terrible statistic, but let's be honest and recognize that the hockey writers aren't going to vote an award to anybody with a bad one. Ovechkin has a decent shot at winning the "Rocket" Richard trophy for goal-scoring when all is said, and done and he's going to be hard to ignore. 

Odds: 15 percent. 

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

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Stats Line: 56 games, 19 goals, 42 assists, 61 points

Why He's Here: The first item to acknowledge is that this is Sidney Crosby, which means his reputation precedes him. He's also leading the NHL in terms of points per game and has the capacity to score points over the final quarter of the season like pretty much nobody else. Combine his performance so far with his potential to produce the rest of the way (particularly given his uncharacteristically low shooting percentage), and his chances look good. 

Odds: 20 percent. 

Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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Stats Line: 48 games, 34-11-3 record, 0.935 save percentage

Why He's Here: Frankly, it's because three-quarters of the way through the season Price is the NHL's best player. Backup Dustin Tokarski has been respectable with a 0.914 save percentage. With him in net, the Habs are two games under 0.500. With Price in net, they record more than two wins for every game they lose. Combine that with playing in a major media market and for a team that isn't seen as having a lockdown defence corps, and he has to be the favourite.

Odds: 30 percent. 

Statistics courtesy of NHL.com.