2024-25 NHL Hart Trophy Award Odds and Predictions

It’s looking increasingly more likely that we will not have a repeat winner of the Hart Trophy this season. Not in back-to-back years, at least.

Nathan MacKinnon claimed the Hart Memorial Trophy last season, but is presently facing long odds to win for the second year in a row. It’s actually Leon Draisaitl who owns the best 2024-25 Hart Trophy odds, and many expect him to seal the deal at the NHL Awards ceremony.

The top NHL teams admittedly have bigger fish to fry with their eyes on reaching the Eastern or Western Conference finals, let alone hoping to hoist the Stanley Cup trophy later this summer.

Still, the Hart Trophy is as big as it gets when it comes to individual awards. You can bet on who will win the NHL MVP, too. If you’re curious who will win or want to put some money on a candidate, join me as I break down the latest Hart Trophy odds.

What Is The Hart Trophy?

The Hart Memorial Trophy, named after Dr. David Hart, is a yearly award given to the player that is most valuable to their team in a given season. Also referred to as the NHL MVP award, the winner is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

NHL Hart Trophy Odds

Check out the latest NHL Hart Trophy odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites:

Some will be shocked to see the NHL odds as they are for this betting market, but the reality is Nathan MacKinnon regressed compared to last year – at least from a productivity perspective.

Leon Draisaitl has scored more goals (52) this year than anyone, topping last year’s Hart Trophy winner by 20 in that category. 

Of course, this race is not just about goals and it isn’t even only about these two candidates. A lot goes into predicting who will win the Hart Trophy, but I’ll break down each option and work my way to my favorite pick.

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Hart Trophy Contenders

The following NHL players are contenders to win this year’s Hart Trophy Award:

Leon Draisaitl (-115)

It helps to play for a team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago. It’s even better when that team – the Edmonton Oilers – is in the running to win the Pacific Division all year and is one of the more balanced teams the NHL has to offer.

Edmonton has hopes to make a title run again with the NHL playoffs starting up, but a huge reason those aspirations aren’t unrealistic is the presence of Draisaitl.

As mentioned earlier, Draisaitl enjoyed a truly sensational season, putting up a whopping 52 goals (good for #1 in all of hockey). He was more than just a scorer, of course, as he racked up 54 assists (21st) and had 106 total points (tied for 3rd).

He also had the 10th best plus/minus in the NHL, while his offensive outburst wasn’t just good for individual recognition. Edmonton approached 50 wins during the regular season and benefited immensely from Draisaitl in the clutch (11 game-winning goals!).

Connor Hellebuyck (+100)

Draisaitl is the tentative Norris Trophy favorite, but his price suggests he’s not exactly a lock. A big reason bettors can’t blindly throw all of their cash on him is the existence of Connor Hellebuyck.

There’s no denying that Connor Hellebuyck’s numbers aren’t as staggering as Leon Draisaitl’s. How could they be? He plays an entirely different position! Yes, Draisaitl was without a doubt the best offensive player in the NHL in 2024-25, but Connor Hellebuyck was the top producer on the defensive side of the ice.

Connor Hellebuyck played a massive role in the Winnipeg Jets churning out the best season in all of hockey, ending the year with 56 wins, the #1 seed and a Central Division crown. This squad was absolutely sensational defensively, allowing a league low 191 goals and dropping a +86 margin on the league.

They couldn’t have done it without Hellebuyck, who allowed just 2.01 goals per game (1st in the league), secured a league-leading eight shutouts, and had a blistering 92% save percentage (2nd).

Hellebuyck also racked up an astonishing 47 wins (a career-high), which was just one away from tying the most ever. You can argue all day what carries more weight – dominant offense or elite defense – but there’s no getting around Connor Hellebuyck’s almost historical impact this season.

Nikita Kucherov (+3000)

Is the 2024-25 Norris Trophy race as simple as the best offensive weapons versus the top defensive player in the NHL? Probably.

That’s likely why someone like Nikita Kucherov is getting overlooked. In any other year, he may be a legit NHL MVP contender. Some might argue he’s exactly that this year, anyways, and if you look strictly at his points (1st in the NHL with 121), you’d have a serious case.

Nikita Kucherov wasn’t close to Draisaitl when it came to goals, but he was still one of the league’s top performers in that regard, finishing 13th with 37. He was more impactful than even Draisaitl in the playmaking department, too, finishing the year tied for the most assists (84) in all of hockey.

His case is only made stronger by the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division and put up more goals (294) than anyone.

The 31-year old Russian isn’t a good bet to actually shock with a Norris Trophy win here. However, if the voters weigh assists, points, and team success a bit more than goals, then he could be the ultimate sleeper pick.

Nathan MacKinnon (+4000)

Lastly, we have the Norris Trophy winner of a year ago in Nathan MacKinnon. I already technically built a case against him repeating as the NHL MVP, seeing as his production saw a steep decline compared to what he did in 2023-24.

Nathan MacKinnon was still very good this season. His Colorado Avalanche pushed for 50 wins, made the playoffs, and finished third in the Central Division. They put up 277 goals in the process, securing a solid 43 differential.

Individually, MacKinnon’s goal count didn’t come close to what he’s capable of, but he was very active as a passer (tied for 1st in assists) and put up the second most points in the NHL.

The 29-year old is on par with just about anyone from a talent and production stand-point, and it always helps that individual success can be parlayed into wins for your team. All of that is true for MacKinnon, and he definitely is a fun value bet at +4000, but his resume doesn’t quite measure up to the competition this year.

Hart Trophy Predictions

You came here for the best NHL picks when it comes to the Hart Trophy, and my goal is to hand out the right winner to my readers.

I can’t deny the absurd value you could chase with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov. They didn’t lead the league in goals scored, but they were two of the best offensive weapons in the NHL and I don’t think anyone would scoff at them being surprise winners.

They’re just not very likely winners at this point, and if you compare them fairly to the other top shelf competition, they’re also simply not as deserving.

Ultimately, this is a two-man race, and it pits top notch offense against mind-numbing defense. It’s the best offensive weapon in all of hockey against the game’s most dominant defensive force.

From there, it’s sheer subjectivity that separates these two. For me, though, I lean towards the thing that actually wins championships, is increasingly harder to do, and borders on historic.

Just two goalies ever have recorded more wins than Hellebuyck,while it’s arguably impressive defense like this should be awarded with the highest honor more often. Seriously, Carey Price (2014-15) is the last goaltender to win this award, and he was just the second over the past two decades.

Hellebuyck was insanely productive for the best team in the NHL. Leon Draisaitl had a terrific year, but it did not border on historical and he’s won this award before already. I’m taking the value with the goalie.

Bet: Connor Hellebuyck (+100)

Hart Trophy Winners

The following is a list of the most recent Hart Trophy Award winners: