2024 NHL MVP Betting Odds
Malcolm Darnley
Updated: Jan 12, 2024
It’s no secret that almost every NHL player dreams of winning the Hart Memorial Trophy.
The award given to the MVP of the regular season is the highest individual honor that a player can win and has been awarded since 1926.
Only a select group of players have ever won the Hart Memorial Trophy, so being included in the list of legendary winners is a great achievement for anyone.
This season, Connor McDavid is the undisputed favorite for the award after winning his third NHL MVP award last year.
Let’s check in on the 2023-24 year-to-date and see who the front runners and long shots are to win this year’s Hart Trophy.
How Is The NHL MVP Decided?
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on who is going to win the Hart Memorial Trophy.
The voting is done at the end of the regular season, and the award is then given to the winner during the awards ceremony after the playoffs have concluded.
2024 NHL MVP Futures Report
The NHL Hart Trophy Award is the MVP Award for the NHL and has been handed out 92 times to a total of 56 different players.
The player awarded the Hart Trophy each season is deemed to have been the most valuable player to his team.
It’s no surprise to hockey fans that Wayne Gretzky has the most Hart Trophy awards of all time, with nine.
Gretzky won the award in eight consecutive seasons during the 1980s.
Gretzky and his former Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers teammate, Mark Messier, are the only two players to have won the award with more than one team.
Before this season started, Connor McDavid was the undisputed favorite for the award after winning his third career Hart Trophy last year.
This season, McDavid is once again in the MVP conversation, but he has tough competition from all across the league.
Let’s have a look at the NHL Hart Trophy favorites, contenders, and long shots to win the award.
NHL Hart Trophy Betting Favorites
Connor McDavid +270 EDM Oilers
In six of his last seven seasons, Connor McDavid has scored at least 100+ points.
The only time he didn’t get to the century mark was when the three-time Hart Trophy winner finished with 97 points, playing in just 64 games that year.
McDavid recorded 276 points combined in his last two years, including 153 while playing all 82 games last year.
Halfway through this season, McDavid is again on pace to break 100 points.
Although Edmonton started slow, their Captain and the team have turned it up significantly since a coaching change.
McDavid trails Kucherov, MacKinnon, and a few other players in the scoring race so far.
But with 40+ games remaining, there is plenty of time for him to catch everyone and maybe even distance himself from the pack. He is that good.
Nathan MacKinnon +270 – COL Avalanche
In his 11-year NHL career, Nathan MacKinnon has recorded only one 100-point season.
However, barring injury in the second half of this year, the 2013 first-overall pick will hit the century mark for the second time.
Last year was MacKinnon’s best season from a points perspective, totaling 111 points, while playing a full 82 games.
If the Av’s winger can continue his first-half pace, he will set a career-best for points in a season and just might capture his first NHL Hart Trophy Award.
Auston Matthews +1000 – TOR Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid has won the Hart Trophy in two of the last three years. Auston Matthews is the other player to win the award during that time.
In his Hart trophy season, Matthews, the American-born superstar, scored 60 goals in 73 games.
With 31 goals halfway through this season, Matthews is once again close to the 60-goal pace.
Just like McDavid and MacKinnon, Matthews was a first-overall pick. (2016)
Something worth mentioning about the Maple Leafs best player: through 519 career regular season games, Matthews has 330 goals.
For comparison, Alex Ovechkin had 319 goals through his first 500 career games.
NHL Hart Trophy Contenders
Nikita Kucherov +310 – TB Lightning
It feels like the Tampa Bay Lightning have been good for a very long time, but maybe T-Bay superstar Nikita Kucherov doesn’t get the credit he deserves league-wide despite winning the Hart Trophy during the 2018-19 season.
Last year, Kucherov played in 82 games and tallied 113 points.
In the two seasons before that, the 2011 second-round pick played in just 115 games combined but still scored over 150+ points in those two years.
When he plays, Kucherov produces at an extremely high level. When Tampa was making deep playoff runs annually, the success appeared to take a physical toll on Kucherov.
However, he played all 82 games last year, he didn’t miss a game for TB in the first half this season, and over those 124 games, Kucherov has 182 points, which is an incredible total.
Maybe a total that could earn him his second Hart Trophy.
Leon Draisaitl +5000 – EDM Oilers
Leon Draisaitl – Last 5 Years
| Season | Goals | Assists | Points | Hart Winner |
| 2023-24 | 19 | 24 | 43 (38 games) | TBD |
| 2022-23 | 52 | 76 | 128 | C. McDavid |
| 2021-22 | 55 | 55 | 110 | A.Matthews |
| 2020-21 | 31 | 53 | 84 (56 games) | C. McDavid |
| 2019-20 | 43 | 67 | 110 (71 games) | L. Draisaitl |
Looking at our Leon Draisaitl table above, we understand why he is always a Hart Trophy contender when the season starts.
Although his points per game are down slightly this year, coming into the halfway point of the season, the Edmonton Oilers were winning a lot of hockey games, and playing at an extremely high level.
The combination of Draisaitl and McDavid is once again clicking at a pace that makes them the best offensive duo in the league, and there are some very good duos league-wide.
King Leon is +5000 now, but I’m guessing those odds will start to drop in the next couple of weeks.
A Longshot Always Worth Watching
Sidney Crosby +7500 – PIT Penguins
It was way back in the 2005-06 season when the NHL world was introduced to a young rookie named Sidney Crosby.
In his first NHL season, the Cole Harbour, NS native registered 102 points and 20 minutes of ice time per game.
In the 19 years we have been following Sid the Kid at the NHL level, he has won:
- 3 Stanley Cups
- 2 Conn Smythe Awards (Playoff MVP)
- 2 Hart Trophy Awards
- 2 Olympic Gold Medals (2010 Golden Goal in OT)
In his 19 seasons in the NHL, only twice has Crosby finished with a +/- in the negatives. One of those years was his rookie season when he finished -1.
With 43 points halfway through this NHL season, Crosby will not win his third career Hart Trophy, but 19 years into his career, he is still producing at an extremely high level.
MVP Futures Betting
Instead of betting on the MVP award towards the end of the regular season, it’s best to place this bet as early as you can, especially if you want to capitalize on any potential value.
For example, Connor McDavid’s odds opened at +400, and his odds have continually decreased since they were first released.
At the time of writing, his odds are currently +270.
Those who can recognize players performing at an extremely high level before the rest of the market can spot the same trend, place their Hart Trophy bets earlier, and get better odds before the public money bets them down.
Where Can You Bet On NHL MVP Futures?
Online sports betting is now legal in many states, so the best option is to place a bet using a legal and regulated sportsbook.
Examples of such sportsbooks include DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, etc.
You can place an NHL MVP futures wager on such sportsbooks, and you can also place a wide variety of other NHL bets.
How To Bet NHL MVP Futures
To place an NHL MVP futures bet, here are the steps that you need to follow:
- Choose a sportsbook and log in, or create a sports betting account.
- Click on NHL betting.
- Go to the “awards” section. This can also be under “Futures” or “Player Futures”.
- Click on the “Hart Trophy” market.
- Select the player that you think will win the MVP award.
- Enter your wager amount.
- Confirm and place your bet.
NHL MVP History
Here is a list of some players who’ve recently won the Hart Memorial Trophy:
| Season | NHL MVP | Team |
| 2022-23 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2021-22 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2020-21 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2019-20 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2018-19 | Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2017-18 | Taylor Hall | New Jersey Devils |
| 2016-17 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2015-16 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2014-15 | Carey Price | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2013-14 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 2012-13 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
| 2011-12 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins |
All-Time Hart Trophy Leaders
Wayne Gretzky – 9
Gordie Howe – 6
Eddie Shore – 4
Howie Morenz – 3
Bobby Orr – 3
Bobby Clarke – 3
Mario Lemieux – 3
Alexander Ovechkin – 3
