NHL Hart Trophy Odds: McDavid In Front With Season Underway
With a later-than-usual finish to the NHL season, draft and free-agency period, the 2021-22 season really snuck up on us.
The puck dropped on the new year on October 12, so there is no better time to get a look at NHL Hart Trophy odds and place a wager on who we think the league’s MVP might be.
It’s the usual suspects at the top of the odds list as last season’s top three in Hart Trophy voting – Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon – are the three favorites.
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Online sportsbook Bovada has released full NHL Hart Trophy odds with McDavid grabbing the top spot at +190. He’s followed by Nathan MacKinnon (+650), Auston Matthews (+700) and Nikita Kucherov (+800) to form a clear “big four.”
Who Are The NHL Hart Trophy Betting Favorites?
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | +190 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | +650 |
| Auston Matthews | +700 |
| Nikita Kucherov | +800 |
| Artemi Panarin | +1200 |
| Leon Draisaitl | +1200 |
| David Pastrnak | +1200 |
| Mikko Rantanen | +1200 |
| Sebastian Aho | +1600 |
| Brad Marchand | +1600 |
| Mathew Barzal | +1600 |
| Brayden Point | +1800 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | +1800 |
| Mitch Marner | +2000 |
| Patrick Kane | +2000 |
| Aleksander Barkov | +2200 |
| Cale Makar | +2500 |
| Mark Stone | +2500 |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | +2500 |
| Max Pacioretty | +2800 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | +3300 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | +3300 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | +3300 |
| Mark Scheifele | +3300 |
| Philipp Grubauer | +3300 |
| Patrice Bergeron | +3300 |
| Elias Pettersson | +3300 |
| Sean Couturier | +3300 |
| Quinn Hughes | +3300 |
| Ryan O’Reilly | +3300 |
| Alex Ovechkin | +3300 |
| Kyle Connor | +3300 |
| Anze Kopitar | +3300 |
| Sidney Crosby | +4000 |
Odds as of October 14 at Bovada
Should We Just Give It To McDavid?
Connor McDavid received 100 of the 100 available first-place votes in Hart Trophy voting for the 2020-21 season.
He was the first player to win unanimously since Wayne Gretzky in 1982 after posting a ridiculous 33 goals and 105 points in 56 games. He won the scoring race by 21 points and was simply head and shoulders above anyone else in the league offensively.
So when it comes to Hart Trophy odds for the upcoming season, should we just bet the farm on McDavid and call it a day?
There’s an honest argument to be made that doing so might be the smartest play. Although he tops the list and isn’t nearly the value many other players present, +190 might be the best odds we’re going to get (he was at +400 at the end of August) all year on a guy who could quite easily have 150 points this year – a mark nobody has come close to touching since the 1995-96 season.
This season, McDavid’s Oilers have moved back into the Pacific Division with some woeful defensive teams like San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
The Other Favorites
Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Nikita Kucherov are all capable of having otherworldly seasons that could thrust them into the conversation for the Hart if McDavid’s play is anything short of herculean.
Matthews won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer last season, and a 55- to 60-goal year could move him to the top of the list – even if McDavid has 20 more points.
Kucherov had 128 points and ran away with the scoring race and Hart Trophy in 2019 and could easily get there again after missing all of the last regular season.
Meanwhile, MacKinnon finished third and second the last two years in Hart Trophy voting and should be in the running all year as the best player on what could be the league’s best team in the regular season.
Other Contenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy (+1800)
It’s hard to pinpoint just one player on the two-time defending champion Lightning roster to stand out above the rest, but if the team is once again one of the league’s best, it will likely have a lot to do with their star goalie.
An injury or two to the other stars and some more lights-out numbers from Vasilevskiy and the Hart could be within reach.
And +1800 is also pretty good value for the best goalie in the league.
David Pastrnak (+1200)
After starting off the year with an injury and never quite reaching his top form, David Pastrnak put up 48 points in 48 games last season.
But two years ago, the Czech phenom put up 48 goals and 95 points in 70 games, tying Alex Ovechkin for the Rocket Richard Trophy and finishing fourth in Hart voting.
If he can return to that form and lead his team to the playoffs in the toughest division in hockey, there’s no reason Pastrnak can’t be at or near the top of voter lists.
The odds aren’t as attractive as you’d like considering his year last season, but they’re much better than the likes of Matthews and MacKinnon – players he has equaled in production in past years.
Best Bet: Aleksander Barkov (+2200)
Aleksander Barkov is great value at +2200 as the top center, likely top scorer and top defender on a Florida team ready to break out.
The Panthers have one of the better rosters in the league and Barkov could find himself in a MacKinnon-type situation if the team is at or near the top of the standings nearing the season’s end.
