NHL Hart Trophy Odds: Who Is Favored To Win NHL MVP?

There are only a couple of weeks left in the NHL regular season, and that doesn’t just mean that playoffs are on the horizon, but also the NHL awards season.

Playoff hockey is universally accepted as one of the best things in sports, but you rarely ever hear anything about the excitement of a nail-biting awards race. But we’ve got one this year in the race for the Hart Trophy, the award given each year to the league’s MVP. 

If you’re not plugged into the ups and downs of the betting odds on the Hart Trophy, you may not notice how close the margin is for who will bring home the MVP honors. 

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck still leads the pack, but the forwards beneath him are closing in. Even Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, seemingly out of the race by what the odds say, has seen his chances increase in recent weeks.

Here’s where the odds stand for Hart Trophy as of April 6. 

NHL Hart Trophy Odds

2024-25 Hart Trophy Favorite

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets (-115)

Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck has held onto the Hart Trophy favorite title for the last couple of weeks, and with good reason. 

His candidacy makes sense if you’re looking at the simplest definition of what a Hart Trophy winner should be: best player on the best team. Maybe someone with a deeper love and knowledge of the Jets could quibble with that oversimplification, but that seems to be the driving force behind his odds. 

Still, I’m not entirely sold on the idea that the NHL’s voters would choose to give a goalie the Hart Trophy simply because his team is a likely Presidents Trophy winner. I’m not saying that Hellebuyck isn’t having a great season, but it’s not an all-time one for a goalie, and it’s not a career year, either. He should win the Vezina Trophy unanimously, though.

If Hellebuyck wins the Hart Trophy, it’s because he’s got the league’s best narrative, not because he’s the league’s best player. 

2024-25 Hart Trophy Contenders

Leon Draisaitl, F(+110)

The following two forwards on this odds leaderboard have been sliding around between first, second, and third for the entire season. This week, it’s Leon Draisaitl’s turn to take the lead over Nathan MacKinnon. 

Draisaitl leads the league in goals by a healthy margin with 52, and the closest to him is Toronto’s William Nylander, who has 44 in the season. 

He flirted with becoming the points leader for a moment, but now he’s stuck behind MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov. 

Draisaitl’s candidacy was expected to fade away in the face of nagging injuries that could’ve kept him out for the rest of the season. 

But, whether it’s against Edmonton’s load management goals or not, he’s been playing some of his best hockey of the season in recent weeks, and the Oilers are benefitting from it. They’ve gone 3-1-0 in their last four games. 

Draisaitl is probably the strongest challenger to the ‘Hellebuyck For Hart’ campaign, assuming he and the Oilers keep pace.

Nathan MacKinnon (+500)

MacKinnon is still a strong candidate for this year’s Hart Trophy despite falling one spot in the odds leaderboard. 

He holds the lead in the NHL’s assists and overall points categories. But he’s lagging in goals with 32 this season, ranking 23rd in the league overall. 

Additionally, the Avalanche seem to be okay with coasting for the rest of the regular season. They went 2-2-0 last week. 

There doesn’t seem to be enough time or momentum for MacKinnon to build himself up as a stronger Hart Trophy candidate. 

Who Will Win the 2024-25 Hart Trophy?

Again, the Hart Trophy is still a race between the two forwards. 

Hellebuyck, whether fairly or unfairly, has to have more of a historic season to warrant winning the Hart Trophy as a goalie. It’s been an excellent year for Hellebuyck, and he’ll almost certainly be winning his third straight Vezina Trophy. But I’d be shocked if he won the Hart. 

Between the two forwards, it seems like Draisaitl is the most logical choice.