The 2024-25 Hart Trophy odds are decidedly in favor of Connor McDavid being crowned the NHL's MVP at the end of the season. Last year's winner, Nathan MacKinnon is second at a distant +650.
Puck drop is still months away, and with that, you'll find some incredibly valuable odds on the board, specifically on Jack Hughes at +1300.
2024-25 Hart Trophy Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | +165 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | +650 |
| Auston Matthews | +900 |
| Jack Hughes | +1300 |
| Leon Draisaitl | +2000 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | +2000 |
| Nikita Kucherov | +2000 |
| David Pastrnak | +2000 |
| Cale Makar | +3000 |
| Artemi Panarin | +4000 |
Odds as of July 26
2024-25 Hart Trophy Odds Favorite
Connor McDavid
There should be no surprise to see the best player in the game at the top of the Hart Trophy odds board before a puck is dropped on the season. Not only is he the best player in the game but he's also won the Hart trophy three times in his nine-year NHL career.
The unofficial prerequisite to winning the Hart Trophy is to (1) make the playoffs and (2) be incredibly productive.
The Oilers have a 93% implied odds of making the playoffs at -1400. That's the highest chance to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. The Oilers are also the Stanley Cup favorite. So prerequisite no.1 should be met.
In terms of production, McDavid has scored less than 100 points only twice. The first time was his rookie season where he scored 48 points in 45 games (a pace of 87) and 2019-20 when the season was cut short due to COVID. He scored 97 points in 64 games for a pace of 124 points. It would be ridiculous to suggest McDavid doesn't score an insane number of points in 24-25. That's prerequistie no.2 likely met.
He's the 2024-25 Hart Trophy favorite and I won't entertain the notion that anyone else should be.
2024-25 Hart Trophy Odds Value Pick
While McDavid is the favorite, that doesn't mean he will win the NHL's MVP trophy. Here are a few value picks on the Hart Trophy Odds board.
Jack Hughes
We forget that Jack Hughes is only 23 years old. He's still growing as a player but we've already seen him score nearly 100 points in back-to-back years. In 22-23, he scored 99 in 78 games and scored 74 in 62 games last year (a pace of 97 points).
He's scored 1.24 points per game across both seasons, which is 0.29 more than the next-best player on his team. He is the most valuable player to his team.
The Devils missed the playoffs for a few reasons but it mainly fell down to having no goaltending and no Dougie Hamilton for three quarters of the season. If Jakob Markstrom can be the same goalie he was in 21-22 when he finished with a 92.2SV%, 2.22GAA and nine shutouts, the Devils make the playoffs.
Hughes will score a ton of points and lead his team in production, making the playoffs is all he's missing to consider him for the Hart Trophy.
Nikita Kucherov
Kuuuch has to be pissed. He should have won the 2023-24 Hart Trophy. He lead the league in scoring with 144 points and had 54 more points than the next best player on his team! Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon (a worthy contender) only had 36 more points over his next-best teammate.
Who says Nikita Kucherov doesn't go off in 24-25? With the loss of Steven Stamkos through free agency, you know the Bolts will be feeding the Russian a bit more.
I like the possibily of a pissed off Kucherov to go off on the NHL next season.
Previous 10 Hart Trophy Winners
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2023 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2022 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2021 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2020 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2019 | Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2018 | Taylor Hall | New Jersey Devils |
| 2017 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2016 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2015 | Carey Price | Montreal Canadiens |
Connor McDavid’s entrance into the NHL brought an era of playmaking ability to the Edmonton Oilers that continues to leave its mark across multiple awards, with the Oilers taking home 4/10 of the last Hart trophies.
Oh yeah, you probably recognize some of those other guys too – they’re pretty good. The odd one out on this list is Carey Price, the first goaltender to win the Hart since Jose Theodore brought it home for the Montreal Canadiens in 2001. They know how to tend the net in MTL.
who has won the Most Hart Trophies?
| Players | Hart Trophies | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 9 | 1980-1987*, 1989 |
| Gordie Howe | 6 | 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963 |
| Eddie Shore | 4 | 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938 |
| Howie Morenz | 3 | 1928, 1931, 1932 |
| Bobby Orr | 3 | 1970, 1971, 1972 |
| Mario Lemieux | 3 | 1988, 1933, 1996 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2013 |
| Connor McDavid | 3 | 2017, 2021, 2023 |
*Won it every year between 1980 and 1987.
No surprises at the top of this list – with eight consecutive wins, the Great One has the most back-to-back Hart Trophies of any player in NHL history. With legends like Gordie Howe and Eddie Shore trailing at six and four wins, it’s a collection of the best skaters to ever lace them up.
Ovechkin and McDavid are the only players on this list still active in the NHL, and while Ovi is nearing the end of his career, McDavid should only climb higher on the Hart trophy wall.
NHL Teams with the most hart trophy winners
| Team | # Hart Trophies Won | Most Recent Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 17 | Carey Price (G) - 2015 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 13 | Connor McDavid (C) - 2023 |
| Boston Bruins | 12 | Joe Thornton (C) - 2006 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 9 | Sergei Fedorov (C) - 1994 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 7 | Patrick Kane (RW) - 2016 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 | Sidney Crosby (C) - 2014 |
| New York Rangers | 4 | Mark Messier (C) - 1992 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | Eric Lindros (C) - 1995 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 3 | Nathan MacKinnon (C) - 2024 |
The Canadiens take the record for most Hart Trophies through their domination of the league during the 20s and 30s. The Edmonton Oilers stand in second place with 12 trophies coming from Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid combined --the Boston Bruins round out the standings at an impressive 12.
NHL Teams that have never had a player win the Hart Trophy
Twelve teams have never had a Hart winner on their roster – with the trophy tending to go to elite players year-over-year, it’s understandable a decent number of teams with incredible players of their own would be skipped over.
NHL Hart Trophy Betting Trends
Choosing the MVP in the NHL is a tad easier for sports bettors, as we know it tends to go to the flashy, high-scoring players who have earned points year after year.
Here are a few trends from past years that can help you analyze the board and pick a smart future for the Hart Trophy:
- Carey Price is the only goaltender to win the Hart in the past ten years – before him, it was Jose Theodore in 2001.
- Centers have been favorites in recent years, winning six of the last ten trophies.
- Defensemen, on the other hand, are a tougher sell – the last D-man to win the Hart was Chris Pronger in 2000.
- Repeats aren’t as common as you’d think, with the last one being Ovechkin in 2008 and 2009 – McDavid’s trends might make this stat look different in the years to come though.
- The last Hart Trophy winner to miss the playoffs was Mario Lemieux in 1988. Don't bet on an elite player on a team destined to miss the postseason.
