2024-25 NHL Hart Trophy Odds and Predictions

The 2024-25 NHL Hart Trophy odds are out at sports betting sites and Connor McDavid is the current favorite to win the award. It isn’t something NHL fans and bettors take lightly, either, as it’s a crowning of the league’s best player.

Nathan MacKinnon earned the honors last year, while the aforementioned McDavid has dominated with three wins already in his career.

After winning the Stanley Cup MVP despite losing the championship, could we be in for another McDavid MVP campaign? Anything is possible, but there’s no denying these are instantly two of the top options worth betting on.

There might be even more betting value than what those two studs have to offer, though. If you’re interested in finding it, join me as I analyze the latest odds and come away with a prediction.

Odds to Win the 2024-25 NHL Hart Memorial Trophy

BetUS has all kinds of NHL odds available to bettors, including the latest Hart Trophy pricing.

Your two best bets to win this thing are appropriately priced. McDavid is coming off of an insane playoff run, and he’s won the NHL MVP three times before.

He’s the rightful favorite, but MacKinnon will look to repeat as the Hart Trophy winner. He won last year, finishing second in points and fourth in goals while leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 50-win season.

You can’t win the Hart Trophy without some combination of all of that, and he’ll be in line to do it again come 2024.

The upside and safety is baked into the 2024-25 Harty Trophy odds. You’re not getting a discount with McDavid, but MacKinnon is a nice price considering his talent level and production.

You’re still getting McDavid at plus money, but it might be worth investigating what other hockey stars could win this award. First, let’s dive into why you should or shouldn’t back McDavid for league MVP this season.

Why is Connor McDavid the 2024-25 Hart Trophy Favorite?

Before we can consider looking at any other Hart Trophy contenders, we first need to look at McDavid.

He just got done nearly willing the Edmonton Oilers to an improbable championship, after all. His team fell into an 0-3 hole, but he played so well throughout the Stanley Cup Final that he took home the series MVP despite not even winning the title.

That’s amazing, but we already knew how good McDavid was. He didn’t put up the numbers to truly contend for league MVP a season ago, but he’s still in his prime at age 27, and it’s not like he took a step back.

McDavid still put up 32 goals and 132 points last year, while his Oilers made the playoffs and went on an epic run. Considering how amazing he was this past summer, it’s awfully hard to shut him down as the rightful favorite to win the Harty Trophy for a fourth time.

Of course, the main issue is the price tag.

While a deserving favorite, McDavid still has failed to win NHL MVP in five of the last seven years. That feels silly to say, but there are other star NHL players that have put together magical seasons.

Being that he’s won before, it’s entirely possible McDavid would be looked over for someone equally deserving, too. I like him as a logical bet, but the +150 Harty Trophy betting odds do leave something to be desired.

Top 2024-25 NHL Hart Trophy Contenders

Connor McDavid is a decent bet to win the Hart Trophy, but his odds aren’t overly appealing and there are a few other contenders bettors should pay attention to.

Nathan MacKinnon +650

It’s crazy how much of a difference bettors can get in price when comparing McDavid to MacKinnon.

The hype around McDavid’s close to last season is drowning out the value you’re actually getting with MacKinnon, especially when you remember he was the engine to the league’s best offense (304 goals scored).

MacKinnon himself finished second in points (140) and also cracked the top-5 in goals (51), while ranking third in assists (89). It was a remarkable year, and the stellar team success combined with his individual numbers to make him a logical Harty Trophy winner.

It all looks good for MacKinnon, as little should change as he gears up to defend his MVP award. The problem? McDavid still exists, and winning back-to-back Hart Trophies simply isn’t done.

McDavid has won three in the last decade, but none of them have come in successive seasons. In fact, nobody has won Harty Trophies in consecutive years since Alexander Ovechkin managed to do it back in 2007 and 2008.

Before that, it hadn’t been done since Dominik Hasek did it in 1996 and 1997. The lesson to be learned? It’s not impossible, but it feels unlikely.

There are a lot of impressive numbers strewn across an NHL season, and you need high-level team success on top of it. It all clicked for MacKinnon in 2023, but banking on that happening again is a considerable gamble.

Auston Matthews +950

It’s probably that one of the top Hart Trophy contenders wins in 2024-25. You can bet on last year’s MVP, the guy who has won more than anyone else over the last decade, or you can soak up insane value with Matthews.

Matthews could have won the Hart Trophy last year and nobody would have batted an eye. He was more than deserving, coasting to first place in goals scored (69) with the next closest guy 12 goals behind him.

It’s not like Matthews was far out of the points race, either. He paled in comparison to the top two guys, but he still finished sixth at 106. The assist numbers (38) didn’t impress as much as his competition, of course, while his Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t quite as good as Colorado.

Matthews was a goal-scoring fiend. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the points or assists to fend off MacKinnon. It’s obviously very possible a similar outcome could be awaiting him this year.

That said, Matthews has won the NHL MVP before (2021-22), and he did it with even fewer points than he collected last year. The kicker will be upping his assists slightly and keeping his goals near the top of the league.

His Hart Trophy betting odds indicate those demands are far from being locks, but I love the value with that risk baked in.

Nikita Kucherov +2000

Jack Hughes has better Hart Trophy odds (+1300) and there are other contenders with the same price as Kucherov, but he’s the last guy to mention here.

I’d feel pretty darn good about the Tampa Bay Lightning star at this price. Why? Because he scored more points than anyone (144) a year ago.

He didn’t crack the top-5 in goals scored, but he still had 44 and ended up tying for the league lead in assists with 100. On top of that, the 31-year old kept an aging Lightning squad competitive, as Tampa Bay won 45 games and made the playoffs.

Kucherov has won this award before, too. He won back in 2018-19 at the height of Tampa Bay’s epic run of dominance. Obviously that could be coming to an end, but he’s still in his prime and reminded everyone last year how impactful he can be.

Should Kucherov crank out monster production yet again in 2024-25 and the Lightning avoid a collapse, he’s live to contend for the Harty Trophy at these sweltering +2000 odds.

Best 2024-25 Hart Trophy Value Bet

Oddly enough, I think bettors are already looking at some stellar value. 

McDavid can be had at plus money, last year’s NHL MVP has +650 odds, and you have two other contenders capable of winning and their prices are almost at +1000 and +2000, respectively.

That all sounds great, but sometimes you want to swing for the fences. Or, in this case, take one hell of a slap shot and see what happens.

If that’s your preferred approach, consider giving Artemi Panarin a long, hard look.

The New York Rangers star remains in his prime at age 32, and he surged back to the top of the league with an impressive 49 goals in 2023. That was good for the fifth most in all of hockey, while he also racked up 71 assists (5th) and 120 points (4th).

Panarin was a vital piece to the New York offense, which won 55 games and secured the top seed in the NHL Playoffs. The end result didn’t meet expectations given the regular season success, but Panarin and co. could be poised for another dream run this year.

Is it possible Panarin reverts back to his previous production and slowly starts to show his age? Sure, but he’s a key cog in what was supposed to be the best team in the NHL and he could be ready to win his first NHL MVP trophy.

The gamble is real, but at +4000 odds, there are worse bets to be made.

2024-25 Hart Trophy Winner Prediction

The big thing we know when trying to predict who will win the Hart Trophy is that it’s almost always a stud offensive player.

Whoever wins this thing is likely scoring a ton of goals, and he’s helping his team win. Over the last decade, just one goaltender has won the NHL MVP, and zero defensemen have locked it up.

Want to go back even further? There hasn’t been a defensemen to win the league MVP since Chris Pronger made it happen back in the 1999-20 NHL season. And just two goalies have won in that same span.

So, with an obvious focus on elite offense, I think the smart thing to do is to focus on the top contenders. Fortunately, all of the best options still have nice prices, so you really can’t go wrong.

Ultimately, I think any of the guys I’ve detailed are in play. But my favorite has to be Austin Matthews.

Nothing about his team or individual talent looks bad and his scoring was better than anyone last year. If Toronto can win a few more games and he can get back to 45+ assists, I love his chances to make a strong push for his second Hart Trophy win.

You won’t find a better combination of betting value (+950) and necessary criteria to lock down an NHL MVP award.

Bet: Auston Matthews +950

Recent Hart Memorial Trophy Winners