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There’s a notable name missing at the top of the NHL’s Rocket Richard Trophy race.
Three-time winner and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is injured and only had five goals in 13 games after getting 69 goals last season. But there’s still a very spirited competition for the NHL’s goal-scoring title.
In fact, there’s a five-way tie for first place on Thursday, with 12 goals each. With perhaps one exception, the players who are in that tie should be in the fight for the Rocket Richard all season long. Those players are, in alphabetical order:
- Cole Caufield, Montreal, 16 games played
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton, 16 games played
- William Nylander, Toronto, 18 games played
- Mikko Rantanen, Colorado, 17 games played
- Sam Reinhart, Florida, 16 games played
Four of the five players had at least 40 goals last season – with the exclusion of Caufield, who had a career-best 28 goals.
It’s still possible that Matthews returns to action soon, goes on a tear, and winds up winning the Rocket Richard for the second straight season and the fourth time in his career. But if we’re talking about the current leaders in goals scored, this is how we’d rank them as most likely to win the Rocket Richard.
1. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
The 29-year-old Draisaitl posted 41 goals last season, but he’s had three seasons of at least 50 goals. He’s this writer’s choice as the most likely of the current leaders to emerge as the Rocket Richard Trophy winner.
Per THN Lineups, Draisaitl is currently Edmonton’s second-line center, and he also has the luxury of playing with superstar Connor McDavid. His shooting percentage is a huge 30 percent, which is much higher than his current career high of 21.7 percent set in 2018-19. But even if his shooting percentage regresses slightly, his scoring probably won’t dip that much anytime soon. That’s why he’s our choice to win the top-goal-scorer honors.
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ Busy Schedule Sets Them Up For Possible Season-Changing Run
2. William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Nylander scored his 12th of the season in Toronto’s 4-3 win over Washington Wednesday. The 28-year-old Swedish right winger has looked dialled in a way we haven’t seen before from him. With Matthews on the sidelines, Nylander has emerged as the Leafs’ most dangerous player.
Nylander put up back-to-back 40-goal seasons, and he’s looking ready to improve on that total this year. He’s shooting more often than Draisaitl and has a 19.7 shooting percentage, which is seven points higher than last year (12.7 percent), but it feels like a natural progression for him to capitalize on more of his chances.
Even after Matthews returns, Nylander will be leaned on to produce at least the same amount of offense, but we can see him hitting the 50-goal mark and establishing a new benchmark for himself.
Related: In Matthews’ Absence, Nylander Is Establishing Himself As Maple Leafs’ Most Dynamic Player
3. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Rantanen had a career-best 55-goal season in 2022-23, after not having more than 36 goals in any of the six seasons beforehand. The 28-year-old Finn’s shooting percentage is currently 22.2 percent, significantly better than his career average of 16.3 percent.
The injury- and absence-affected Avalanche need Rantanen to excel on their top line with superstar center Nathan MacKinnon, and Rantanen did produce 42 goals for Colorado last season. He’s likely to be in the Rocket Richard fight all season long, but he’d be our third choice as the eventual winner.
Related: Can Nathan MacKinnon Win The NHL’s Hart Trophy In Back-To-Back Seasons?
4. Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida Panthers
Reinhart stunned the NHL last season with 57 goals, far and away his career best in that department. He’s one of the dark-horse candidates for this year’s Rocket Richard, but he’s proving himself to be one of the most reliable goal-scorers in the game.
The 29-year-old Reinhart’s current shooting percentage is an impressive 29.3 percent – well above his career-best percentage of 15.9, but not that far off his shooting percentage last season of 24.5 percent. He’s Florida’s top-line right winger alongside center Aleksander Barkov and left winger Carter Verhaeghe, and Reinhart could continue surprising people if he matches or improves on his total from last season.
Related: Which NHL Veterans Could Succeed Hyman And Reinhart As New 50-Goal Scorers?
5. Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal Canadiens
Caufield is a good player on a bad Canadiens team right now. While his current total puts him on a pace that will far exceed his career-best 28 goals, his 29.3 shooting percentage is far better than his career average of 12.7 percent. That could be more difficult to sustain right now.
Caufield has Montreal’s highest average ice time among wingers, mainly playing with Nick Suzuki, but a lineup shakeup put him on a new line with Jake Evans and Alex Newhook. Neither of those forwards will likely bump up Caufield’s numbers if he stays there for long. The 40-goal plateau is clearly within range for Caufield – maybe 50 – but the Rocket Richard Trophy could be slightly out of reach if his numbers regress.
Related: Trick Or Treat, NHL: ‘Goal Caufield’ Emerges For The Canadiens
Who knows – there could be an NHLer out there who currently isn’t close to the Rocket Richard lead but who comes on strong and winds up winning the goal-scoring award. But most of these goal-scoring leaders should stay in the hunt for the award, and one of them definitely could win it.
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News Summary:
- NHL Rocket Richard Trophy Race: Ranking The Five Goal-Scoring Leaders
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