We're approximately 20% through the 2023-24 NHL regular season and there's been absolutely no separation in the Hart Trophy betting market.

Eight different players have implied odds of 5.3% or higher to win the award, and the favorite - Connor McDavid - is being priced as if he'd come up short four of five times.

Let's take a closer look at how things are shaping up in what looks to be a hotly contested race.

McDavid is getting a ton of respect in this market. The Oilers sit 30th in the NHL, they aren't close to a playoff spot, and McDavid has only produced 15 points in 15 games. He's tied with the likes of Vincent Trocheck, Carter Verhaeghe, and Valeri Nichushkin in points - not exactly candidates to claim hardware this season.

On merit, McDavid is nowhere close to a Hart Trophy candidate. He's not producing nearly enough, nor is his team enjoying the kind of success necessary to get votes. But I still get it. This is a guy who cleared 150 points a season ago and can overtake the league on a moment's notice. There's a lot of runway left for the NHL's best player to make his mark.

Jack Hughes missed a handful of games with injury but remains firmly in the mix. He's piled up 22 points through 11 appearances and is tied with Cale Makar for the top spot in primary assists (13). Hughes is clearly hitting the level of superstardom, and the Devils should be one of the higher seeds in the East. He'll have a strong case if he can stay healthy.

David Pastrnak, Auston Matthews, and Elias Pettersson round out the top five.

Pastrnak is tied for first among all forwards in points (29) while leading the charge for a powerhouse Bruins team that's lost only one of 17 games in regulation.

Matthews' total production lags behind most of the names up top. That being said, nobody has scored more goals to date, and his two-way impact is strong. He'll get noticed.

Pettersson has already piled up 28 points, yet he sits third on his own team in scoring. With the way so many Canucks are feasting offensively, Pettersson figures to have real competition for votes on his own team. That may reduce his chances.

Speaking of internal competition, Quinn Hughes is opening a lot of eyes with his play this season. He leads all players with 30 points and has helped the Canucks outscore opponents 23-11 at five-on-five despite playing big minutes against high-end players. He's doing it all.

If the season ended right now, the star defenseman would have a legitimate case for the Hart. The question is whether Hughes can sustain this absurd level of production to fight off what should be a healthy batch of 110-120-plus-point forwards.

A couple of players lurking in the weeds who are worth monitoring: William Nylander and Sidney Crosby.

Nylander has been a model of consistency, finding the scoresheet at least once in each and every game he's played. I think he's outperformed superstars like Matthews and Mitch Marner, and there's extra motivation - Nylander needs a new contract - to keep chugging along.

Crosby is tied with the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon in scoring. He's led by example and helped the Penguins dig their way out of a slow start to the campaign.

If he can sustain his production and produce 100-plus points for a playoff team, Crosby may just enter the conversation in what could be his last season as a Hart Trophy threat.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.

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