The NHL preseason is right around the corner which makes now an excellent time to start shopping the futures market.
The NHL preseason is right around the corner which makes now an excellent time to start shopping the futures market.
The latest: A pair of usual suspects sit atop the Hart Trophy odds leaderboard this year in Connor McDavid (+275) and Auston Matthews (+450). Finding quality options from the rest of the field is a difficult task, but we've pinpointed two others.
Check out the latest Hart Trophy odds.
Check out the latest odds to win the Hart Trophy. Click linked odds to add selection to betslip.
| Player | Odds (Sept. 23) | Odds (Sept. 16) |
| Connor McDavid | +275 | +275 |
| Auston Matthews | +450 | +450 |
| Leon Draisaitl | +900 | +900 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | +1,100 | +1,100 |
| Cale Makar | +1,500 | +1,500 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | +1,700 | +1,700 |
| Aleksander Barkov | +2,000 | +2,000 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | +2,000 | +2,000 |
| Nikita Kucherov | +2,000 | +2,000 |
| Mikko Rantanen | +2,500 | +2,500 |
| Igor Shesterkin | +3,000 | +3,000 |
| Johnny Gaudreau | +4,000 | +4,000 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | +4,000 | +4,000 |
| Sebastian Aho | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Sidney Crosby | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Jack Eichel | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Victor Hedman | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Roman Josi | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Mitch Marner | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Artemi Panarin | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| David Pastrnak | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Matthew Tkachuk | +5,000 | +5,000 |
| Mika Zibanejad | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Odds as of 5:37 p.m. on 09/23/2022.
The favourite: Connor McDavid (+275)
The Hart Trophy conversation starts with McDavid.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar's consistency is best exemplified by his yearly finishes in voting for this award. The phenom has finished no worse than fifth every year since his rookie season.
McDavid is also coming off of his best statistical season since joining the league. The Oilers captain finished the 2021-22 campaign with 44 goals and 79 assists. Both marks were career bests, which ultimately resulted in a career-high 123 points.
Edmonton's inability to make the playoffs had been the biggest knock against the McDavid Hart case in past years. The Oilers seemed to have established themselves as a legitimate postseason team last year, which should put those concerns to rest. The 25-year-old is the rightful Hart Trophy favourite.
Best value: Nikita Kucherov (+2,000)
Kucherov is tied for the seventh-best odds to win this award, but there are a number of reasons to believe his odds should be lower.
For starters, he won the award the last time he played a full season in 2018-19. The Russian winger finished with 128 points that year which led the NHL. He's dealt with a COVID-19 shortened season and a number of lower-body injuries since then, but the production has remained elite.
Kucherov has scored 154 points in 115 games since his last Hart Trophy win and is still in the prime of his career at 29 years old. His injury risk has proven to be high, but there's a very short list of players who possess more talent than him.
The Lightning are still top contenders to win the Cup which only helps his case.
Player to watch: Sidney Crosby (+5,000)
Crosby might be 35 years old and no longer "The Kid" but he shouldn't be this far down the list of candidates for the Hart Trophy.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain dominated at both ends of the ice last year. While continuing to be an effective presence defensively Crosby also produced 31 goals and 84 points in 69 games.
It's also worth noting that his start to the 2021-22 campaign was delayed due to his recovery from wrist surgery. He started the year slow with just two points across his first seven games but finished extremely strong with 82 points in 62 contests. That works out to a 108-point pace over the course of an 82-game season.
Crosby is still one of the game's best all-around players, and it's surprising to see his odds this low.