Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Connor McDavid. Leon Draisaitl. Nathan MacKinnon.
Ask any NHL observer about the leading contenders for the Hart Trophy, and those are the three names you’re most likely to hear. But at this early point in the season, every team has an MVP hopeful – so how does every team’s leading MVP candidate stack up according to the oddsmakers?
Let’s take a look at the team-by-team Hart Trophy odds, courtesy of BetOnline.ag.
Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson (100/1)
If the Ducks are somehow able to make the playoffs, it will most likely be due to Gibson’s performance in net. But don’t bet on it.
Arizona Coyotes: Darcy Kuemper (100-1)
Kuemper has enjoyed a rather stunning rise from backup goalie to fringe Hart candidate in the past couple seasons. It’s not getting any easier in the desert, however.
Boston Bruins: Brad Marchand (20/1)
Marchand has plenty of MVP-caliber company in Boston, as he’s joined by ‘Perfection Line’ teammates David Pastrnak (25/1) and Patrice Bergeron (50/1), as well as defenseman Charlie McAvoy (125/1), who leads a Bruins blueline that has lost Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug.
Buffalo Sabres: Jack Eichel (20/1)
Eichel is the Sabres’ perennial Hart Trophy candidate, but at least this season he’s playing with someone who has actually won the award in Taylor Hall (28/1).
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau (50/1)
Two seasons ago, Gaudreau put up 99 points and appeared on the verge of joining the NHL’s top tier of elite offensive players. That didn’t happen, but at 27 he’s in his prime and still has a chance to step it up.
Carolina Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho (33/1)
Four years into his NHL career, Aho seems to hit a new level every season. The 23-year-old has posted goal totals of 24, 29, 30 and 38 (in 68 games). A breakout to the MVP strata is not out of the realm of possibility. In any case, he’s definitely the best Sebastian Aho in the league.
Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane (25/1)
Still one of the NHL’s most skilled and electrifying players, Kane would have better odds if he had a better team around him.
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon (5/1)
The Avs superstar enters the season with the second-best odds for the Hart, and deservedly so. He’ll give those guys in Edmonton a run for their money. And he’s got some long-shot MVP help, too, in the form of linemate Gabriel Landeskog (100/1) and reigning Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Cale Makar (100/1).
Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre-Luc Dubois (80/1)
We’re gonna go out on a limb and guess that these odds were released before Dubois’ trade demand was made public by coach John Tortorella…
Dallas Stars: Miro Heiskanen (125/1)
Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop are sidelined for the first couple months of the season, pushing mobile D-man Heiskanen to the front of the line in Dallas. His Norris Trophy upside is obvious, but the Hart is another matter altogether.
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin (80/1)
There is little doubt about the Wings’ most valuable player. There is plenty of doubt, however, about his NHL MVP candidacy.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid (4/1)
The Oilers have a real Gretzky-Messier thing going on with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (8/1), who enter the season with the best and third-best MVP odds, respectively. Draisaitl took the Hart last season, while McDavid’s lone MVP nod came in 2016-17. In the past three years, McDavid has finished fifth, third and fifth.
Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau (25/1)
Huberdeau and linemate Aleksander Barkov (40/1) combine to form one of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive duos, but the Panthers need to make the playoffs before their players are going to be considered for the big awards.
Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar (100/1)
The Kings’ best bet, but it’s a bad bet.
Minnesota Wild: Kevin Fiala (100-1)
He’s on the way up. That doesn’t make him an MVP candidate, though.
Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price (75/1)
Price is far from a favorite, but those are pretty good odds for a guy who has actually won the Hart and who’s set up for a promising season on an improved Habs team.
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi (66-1)
He’ll have to be happy with Norris contention, while the best-case scenario for Filip Forsberg (80-1) is a spot in the goal-scoring race.
New Jersey Devils: Kyle Palmieri (150-1)
The longest odds to lead a team, so manage your expectations accordingly.
New York Islanders: Mathew Barzal (40/1)
The Isles roll four lines, but if there’s anyone on the team who has Hart-level ability, it’s Barzal.
New York Rangers: Artemi Panarin (10/1)
Few wingers in the NHL can match Panarin’s impact on a game. He seems to create a scoring chance almost every shift, and he’s in line for Hart contention if the Rangers are able to take another step forward this season. He’s joined by Mika Zibanejad (28/1), who finished last season on a goal-a-game tear.
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk (100-1)
He has his work cut out for him to become the NHL’s best Tkachuk, never mind its best player.
Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart (50/1)
After a two-decade search, the Flyers have found their MVP goalie savior. That might be an overstatement, but “Hart for Hart” certainly has a ring to it. Up front, Sean Couturier (66/1) and Claude Giroux (80/1) also made the big board.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby (20/1)
Oh yeah, that guy. And Evgeni Malkin (25/1) is pretty good at hockey, too.
St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly (66/1)
He won the Conn Smythe Trophy leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019, so why not the Hart? The last two-way player of O’Reilly’s ilk to claim league MVP was Sergei Fedorov in 1993-94.
San Jose Sharks: Logan Couture (75/1)
The Sharks’ most likely MVP candidate – at least this side of a fully healthy Erik Karlsson – is an unlikely MVP candidate.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Brayden Point (16/1)
Even without 2018-19 Hart recipient Nikita Kucherov, the defending Cup champions are loaded. Point is joined on the second tier of MVP hopefuls by Steven Stamkos (20/1), while Victor Hedman (80/1) remains undervalued as a Hart candidate. He’ll have to be satisfied as the reigning playoff MVP.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews (14/1)
The Leafs’ biggest strength is their scoring power, and the biggest force in that department is Matthews. He’s joined by Mitch Marner (20/1) on the NHL’s second level of Hart hopefuls.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson (20/1)
One of the most purely skilled players in the league and he’s meticulously dedicated to perfecting his craft. That’s the kind of combination that wins awards.
Vegas Golden Knights: Mark Stone (40/1)
He isn’t on Panarin’s level offensively, but Stone is another rare winger who can take over a game. Alex Pietrangelo (80/1) is a Hart darkhorse but a Norris darling.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (20/1)
What, the Rocket Richard Trophy isn’t enough? John Carlson (66/1) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (75/1) accompany Ovechkin as the Caps’ top trophy crusaders.
Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck (33/1)
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner finished sixth in Hart voting last year, and probably deserved to be higher. He’s joined by Jets captain Blake Wheeler (66/1).
