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Matthews, Tavares among favorites for Hart

August 17, 2018, 1:33 PM ET [254 Comments]
Mike Augello
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 If betting lines and odds are indicators for the upcoming season, then the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to achieve lofty heights.

Following the signing of John Tavares on July 1, Bovada made the Leafs one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup to 7-1. Earlier this week, in setting a betting line for favorite for the Hart Trophy, the sports betting site had centers Auston Matthews and Tavares ranked third at 10-1 for winning the NHL’s Most Valuable Player award.



Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby were at the top of the list at 10-3 and 13-2 odds respectively and the pair of Toronto centers had the same odds as Stanley Cup champion Alex Ovechkin.

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The KHL’s season begins their 2018-19 season a full month ahead of the NHL and a pair of former Leafs have signed one year deals to play overseas.

Winger Matt Frattin, who is now infamous in Leafs lore for missing on a breakaway that would have averted the Game 7 collapse vs. Boston in 2013 has re-signed with Astana Barys. The 30-year-old was part of the trade with the LA Kings to acquire Jonathan Bernier in the summer of 2013, was reacquired by Toronto the following year from Columbus and was included in the Dion Phaneuf deal in 2016, but was loaned back by Ottawa to finish his year with the Toronto Marlies.

Versteeg was acquired by the Leafs in 2010 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks and within a year was flipped to Philadelphia for a first and third round pick. The 32-year-old played the last two seasons in Calgary and was not getting any bites from NHL clubs after missing most of last season with a hip injury and signed a one year deal with Avangard Omsk.

This is the time of year when veteran free agents are scrambling to find a landing spot and might be open to accepting a professional tryout.

The Leafs could be one of those teams looking to add a veteran without committing to a pro contract, since they are quite close to the 50-contract limit and still have to sign RFA William Nylander. 

With fourth line center and spots on the right side of the blueline up for grabs at training camp, and the departure of most of their sandpaper (Leo Komarov, Matt Martin and Roman Polak), GM Kyle Dubas might give a look at a few grizzled veterans.

Former Leaf Daniel Winnik is a big body and effective role player who played 81 games for Minnesota last season, Alex Chiasson would add size (6’4”, 208) and won a Stanley Cup with Washington, Antoine Vermette is 36 years old but won nearly 60% of his faceoffs in Anaheim as a specialist and former Canuck and Duck Kevin Bieksa is still physical at 37 and would fill the Polak role on the bottom pairing.

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