NHL Season Preview: Hart Memorial Trophy Odds

Posted on: October 11, 2022, 01:14h. 

Last updated on: October 11, 2022, 12:53h.

Michael Schwartz Read More
Expertise: Regulation, Sports Betting, Sports.

Going into this season, two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is the clear-cut favorite to win the award. But Auston Matthews isn’t trailing far behind after receiving MVP honors this past season.

Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers takes to the ice during a faceoff with the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place in Edmonton in 2019. McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2017 and 2021. Oddsmakers believe this year may make a third for the all-star. (Image: Edmonton Oilers)

Coming off a season that saw him record a career-high 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) while taking his team to the Western Conference Finals, expectations of winning a Stanley Cup are what drives the Oilers and McDavid as their leader needs to have another Hart Memorial Trophy type of season.

Player Odds to win NHL MVP
Connor McDavid +250
Auston Matthews +500
Leon Draisaitl +1000
Nathan MacKinnon +1200
Kirill Kaprizov +1400
Cale Makar +1400

Odds Courtesy: Bet365.com

Top Odds

The second favorite to win the award is defending winner Auston Matthews, center for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews is coming off a career-high 60-goal season that also saw a high record of over 100 points (106) for the first time in his career. He has still never made it past the first round of the playoffs, but he has shown that he is one of the best players in the entire league over his play over the last few seasons.

The third favorite to win the award is McDavid’s teammate in Edmonton, Leon Draisaitl. The left-wing and 2019-20 winner of the trophy is coming off a season that saw him match a career-high with 110 points while recording over 100 points for the third time in the last four seasons.

The one-two punch of McDavid and Draisaitl in Edmonton combined for 233 points last season.

Long Odds

It’s a wide gap between the top three players and the rest of the contenders for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

They are center Nathan MacKinnon (+1200) of the defending Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche, left-wing Kirill Kaprizov (+1400) of the Minnesota Wild, and Cale Makar (+1400), the first defenseman on the list and also a member of the defending champion Avalanche.

Only five players have odds in the +2000-+3000 range. Right-wing Nikita Kucherov (+2000) from the Tampa Bay Lightning, right-wing Mikko Rantanen (+2000), another member of the Colorado Avalanche, forward/center Aleksander Barkov (+2200) of the Florida Panthers, left-wing Jonathan Huberdeau (+2200), now of the Calgary Flames, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin (+2500) of the New York Rangers.

However, if you are looking for a former award winner to strike back and have an MVP season, look no further than the following names and the odds you can get.

Forward/center Sidney Crosby (+3500) of the Pittsburgh Penguins, forward/left wing Alexander Ovechkin (+4000) of the Washington Capitals, center/forward Evgeni Malkin (+4000), also of the Penguins, and right wing Patrick Kane (+6000) of the Chicago Blackhawks.

While they all may be on the tail end of their careers, one of them might regain the form of seasons past to put together another Hart Memorial Trophy season performance.

Sorry, Goalies

One thing we know about the award is that it is rarely awarded to a goaltender.

Since the turn of the decade, a goalie has won the award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League just two times. Those were Jose Theodore in 2001-02, Montreal Canadiens and 2014-15 Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens.

But the best thing about the race for the Hart Memorial Trophy every year is that it’s always between players having incredible seasons. Hence, it always makes for a fascinating conversation because the players have to have the numbers to back up the talk.