It's good to have Artemi Panarin.
How good?
The new high-scoring winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets is among the favorites to win the Hart Trophy as the 2017-18 NHL MVP in odds released Wednesday by Bovada.
According to Pro Hockey Talk, here's the list, with Panarin checking in as the top Blue Jackets' player at 60/1, good for a tie for 19th in the league. The top of the list includes the usual suspects – Mcdavid, Corsby, Matthews, Ovechkin, et al – with the new Columbus forward in the mix with Nicklas Backstrom, Brent Burns, Braden Holtby, Phil Kessel and Joe Pavelski.
Connor McDavid (EDM) 3/2
Sidney Crosby (PIT) 5/2
Auston Matthews (TOR) 17/2
Alex Ovechkin (WAS) 9/1
Patrick Kane (CHI) 14/1
Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) 15/1
Evgeni Malkin (PIT) 16/1
Carey Price (MON) 20/1
John Tavares (NYI) 20/1
Jamie Benn (DAL) 25/1
Steven Stamkos (TB) 25/1
Erik Karlsson (OTT) 33/1
Nikita Kucherov (TB) 33/1
Jack Eichel (BUF) 50/1
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) 50/1
Patrik Laine (WPG) 50/1
Brad Marchand (BOS) 50/1
Tyler Seguin (DAL) 50/1
Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) 60/1
Brent Burns (SJ) 60/1
Braden Holtby (WAS) 60/1
Phil Kessel (PIT) 60/1
Artemi Panarin (CBJ) 60/1
Joe Pavelski (SJ) 60/1
While Columbus scored a lot of goals last year, finishing sixth in the league, only Cam Atkinson topped 30 goals, finishing with 35. The winger also led the team in points with 62, finishing seven outside the league's top 20 in scoring.
Panarin, meanwhile, is a bona fide scorer, having notched at least 30 goals and 70 points in each of his previous two NHL seasons. He could go even higher with burgeoning distributor Alexander Wennberg likely centering his line.
But looking at the list, we can't help but have a question: Where's Sergei Bobrovsky?
Last year, the Blue Jackets' goaltender was one of three finalists for the MVP trophy while posting one of the best seasons in recently memory by a goaltender. Bobrovsky went 41-17-5 and won the Vezina with league-best totals of a 2.06 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and 33.45 goals saved above average.
Now, there are some reasonable reasons why Bobrovsky might not be among the top 25 or so players in the league when it comes to this. Just two of the players on Bovada's list are goaltenders in Carey Price and Braden Holtby, perhaps the two most consistent netminders in the game, which speaks to the volatility of the position. And it's no secret Bobrovsky hasn't been the most consistent goalie, with each of his previous two seasons before last year scuttled by injuries.
In other words, this isn't a piece meant to rip Bovada's rankings. At the same time, wouldn't it make sense to have one of the finalists from last year's vote in the top 25? If you're looking for a value pick from the field, Bob might be your man.
And here's one more prediction: If he ends up in the discussion again, it'll be a fun year for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
