- Three previous Hart winners are the betting favorites to win the award for the 2024-25 NHL season: Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid.
- Nathan MacKinnon won his first Hart Memorial Trophy in 2024.
- The 2024-24 NHL Season begins on Friday, Oct. 4, when the Buffalo Sabres play the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Global Series at O2 Arena in Prague.
At the end of every NHL season, since 1924, one player wins the Hart Memorial Trophy. The award, named after Dr. David Hart, who donated the original trophy to the NHL, goes to “the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” The award is voted on at the end of the regular season by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA). The Hart Trophy has been awarded 99 times to 61 different players. Wayne Gretzky holds the record for most wins with nine. Nathan MacKinnon won the award in 2024.
Connor McDavid, who is one of the betting favorites to win the 2025 Hart Trophy, is one of two active NHL players to have won the award three or more times. The other is Alex Ovechkin. The PHWA voted McDavid the most valuable player in 2017, 2021 and 2023. If McDavid wins the award at the end of the upcoming season, he will tie Eddie Shore for third most Hart wins. Gordie Howe has the second most Hart trophies with six. Sidney Crosby, with two Hart trophies on his mantle, is the only other active NHL player with multiple MVP awards.
Below we look at the betting breakdown for the 2025 Hart Trophy. Before we do that, check out our list of the best NHL hockey betting sites here, and see our guide to betting on the 2024-25 Hart Memorial Trophy.
2025 Hart Memorial Trophy Futures
Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid was one of the three finalists for the 2024 Hart Trophy, along with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Edmonton Oilers superstar fell short of winning back-to-back awards for the first time in his career, finishing third in the voting with 845 points. McDavid picked up one first place vote last season.
The year he won the Hart for the first time, 2017, was McDavid’s second NHL season. He had 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games. In 2021, when he won for the second time, McDavid picked up 105 points (33G, 72A) in the 56-game season (reduced due to COVID). McDavid set career marks in points (153), goals (64), and assists (89) in 2023 when he won his third Hart. In 2024, McDavid broke his career high in assists with 100 and added 32 goals for the second-most points in his career.
McDavid is the betting favorite to win the 2025 Hart, but bettors might want to fade him a bit because his teammate, Leon Draisaitl, who won the 2020 Hart, is a high impact player on the same team.
McDavid won the 2024 Conn Smythe, given to the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs in a losing effort. The Oilers captain was the first skater to win that award for a losing team since Reggie Leach accomplished that feat in 1976.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon ran away with the Hart Trophy voting in 2024. The Colorado Avalanche player picked up 1,740 points with 137 first-place votes. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning came in second in the voting with 1,269 points and 50 first place votes. MacKinnon had a career year in 2024. He played in all 82 games, scoring 140 points (51G, 89A). Before last season, the 29-year-old had never netted more than 42 goals or 69 assists. MacKinnon will be under a lot of pressure this year to post similar numbers. His previous career high in points came in 2023 when he had 111 (42G, 69A). The only player to score more points than MacKinnon last year was Kucherov with 144 (44G, 100A).
MacKinnon is a player to consider, especially if Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog misses another season. If Landeskog returns to the club after missing two years because of knee surgeries, MacKinnon’s chances of winning a second Hart decrease.
Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes was one of the early-season favorites to win the Hart Trophy in 2024. The New Jersey Devils player was leading the league in scoring with 20 points (5G, 15A) when a shoulder injury in early November knocked him off the ice for five games. Another upper body injury in early January kept him out for 11 games. Then, in early April, Hughes’ season ended when he underwent shoulder surgery. Hughes played in 62 games in 2024 scoring 74 points (27G, 56A). The previous season, Hughes played in 78 games and set career highs in points (99), goals (43), and assists (56). The No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft is a good value pick for winning the 2025 Hart Trophy.
There is some danger in picking Hughes because of his injury history, but if he stays healthy this season, it won’t be a surprise to see him set new career highs in scoring. Plus, the Devils are one of the picks to contend for the Stanley Cup this season. If a healthy Hughes can get the Devils into the postseason for the third time since they won the Cup in 2012, Hughes should be in the running for the 2025 Hart.
Best bet to win the 2025 Hart Memorial Trophy
Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon will have good seasons in 2025, but they also have strong supporting casts around them, which will lose them votes for the Hart.
The betting pick is for Jack Hughes to win the 2025 Hart Memorial Trophy while getting the Devils into the playoffs.
See below the top offshore sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
