NHL Hart Trophy Odds: McDavid Takes Over Oddsboard

With over two-thirds of the NHL season accounted for, we’re taking another glance at the board for 2022-23 NHL Hart Trophy odds to look for best bets and value picks.

Online sportsbooks have released updated NHL Hart Trophy odds with Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid maintaining the top spot as the heavy favorite at a whopping -2000. In the distance are a pair of Boston Bruins, Linus Ullmark (+2200) and David Pastrnak (+2500), to round out our top three.

Check out the rest of the NHL Hart Trophy odds contenders below, or head over to our Vezina Trophy odds, Norris Trophy odds or Stanley Cup odds pages to place a bet on some of the other top prizes in hockey.

Who Are The NHL Hart Trophy Odds Favorites?

Odds as of March 1

McDavid Sailing Away As Favorite For Third Hart Trophy

He’s the best player in the world, no question about it. Each season, we watch McDavid’s magic on the ice and never get tired of it. The Edmonton captain has already won two Hart Trophies in his seven seasons in the NHL, while finishing in the top five in voting four other times. He was -400 chalk in early January and is now clearly favored to snag his third Hart with his odds at -2000.

The 25-year-old collected 123 points (44 G, 79 A) over 80 games last year, the highest single-season total by an Oiler since Mark Messier (129) in 1989-90. Now, he leads the league with 115 points, giving him a big cushion over teammate Leon Draisaitl, who sits second in the scoring derby with 89 points. If that’s not enough, the Edmonton captain also leads the NHL in goals (50), assists (65) and power-play points (54) – that makes him pretty valuable, if you ask me. 

There are not enough accolades to appreciate McDavid’s talent, but he still keeps adding to his trophy case. In 2021-22, he became the seventh player in NHL history to win the Art Ross Trophy at least four times, putting his name next to legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe and Phil Esposito. McDavid shows up every season and his quick end-to-end skating and magical stickhandling are just a couple of the reasons he is an obvious favorite in odds for the 2022-23 Hart Trophy. 

NHL Hart Trophy Odds: Other Favorites

Linus Ullmark (+2200)

Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark, currently holding a 31-4-1 record with the league-topping Bruins, could become the ninth goaltender to win the Hart. The 29-year-old is currently favored to win the Vezina and if he were to win both awards, he would be the first to do so since Carey Price in 2014-15. 

Where McDavid leads the league in offensive categories, Ullmark reigns on top of the goalie stats. The Swede has the most wins (31) and sports the best goals-against average (1.88) and save percentage (.938). To top it off, Ullmark scored a goal in a recent 3-1 victory against the Vancouver Canucks. The 2012 sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres also just recorded a career-high 54 saves in the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime win over the Calgary Flames to wrap up February. 

"It was a lot of fun."

Linus Ullmark on his career-high 54 saves in the Bruins 4-3 OT win over the Flames. @sjurksztowicz | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/VnILRHY2GK

— NESN (@NESN) March 1, 2023

Oddsmakers have made it pretty clear that McDavid is the front-runner for this NHL award. But, if you were itchy to lean toward a value pick, then Ullmark is the most reliable bet. While I still think it’s likely McDavid will take it home, it would be a treat to see a goaltender, whose success was unexpected, be handed the trophy. According to our odds calculator, a $10 bet on Ullmark’s +2200 odds would payout $230, which is a $220 profit. 

Last 10 Hart Trophy Winners

Making A Futures Bet

A futures bet is a wager made on events or milestones that will happen in time. The Hart Trophy bet is a form of futures betting because you are making a pick based on an outcome determined at the end of the NHL season. The trophy is given out in mid-June and if you want to get a bigger payout, it’s best to lock in your bets sooner rather than later so you can take advantage of better odds. The closer it gets to Hart Trophy voting, the more the odds will change.

How To Read Hart Trophy Odds

The above chart features the odds for each most valuable player contender in the NHL. At your sportsbook of choice, the betting lines would look something like this:

Connor McDavid -400

Jason Robertson +1200

Leon Draisaitl +2200

This means that McDavid is the favorite since he has the lowest odds and the highest chance of winning the prop, according to oddsmakers. If you were to bet $100 on McDavid and he won, you would get a payout of $125 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $25.

Sportsbook

On the other hand, if you strongly believe that Jason Robertson is going to win the Hart with the Stars, a winning $100 bet on him would yield $1,300 – your $100 comes back along with your prize of $1,200.

Our Odds Calculator will show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.

What Is A Futures Bet For NHL Teams?

When it comes to big events for any sport, you can bet months in advance. In this case, a futures bet is a wager made on which player will win the Hart Trophy. Each week, oddsmakers will update the odds to reflect how the player is doing. If the player is suddenly injured or hits a point slump, their chances of winning the award slim own. A surging player will see their odds skyrocket.