The current favourite in the 2026 Hart Trophy odds race for the NHL Awards is Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (+250). With past Hart Trophy winners including all-time greats such as Wayne Gretzky (nine times), Mario Lemieux (three times), and Sidney Crosby (two times), the NHL’s most valuable player award is arguably the most prestigious.
2026 NHL Hart Trophy Odds
Check out the latest odds on the Hart Trophy below, plus reviews of the best Hart Trophy betting sites to score a big win this season with a lucrative bet on NHL MVP odds.
| Player | Odds to Win the Hart Trophy (from bet365) |
|---|---|
| Nathan MacKinnon | -210 |
| Connor McDavid | +300 |
| Jack Eichel | +1600 |
| Nikita Kucherov | +2000 |
| Connor Bedard | +2000 |
| Macklin Celebrini | +2200 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | +2200 |
| Cale Makar | +3000 |
| Leon Draisaitl | +5000 |
| Sidney Crosby | +5000 |
| Leo Carlsson | +5000 |
2026 NHL MVP Odds Predictions & Picks
The Hart Trophy is the NHL’s version of the season MVP award. This award is given to the best player from the regular season, voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Finalists are determined by a number of factors, including individual play, statistics, milestones, and team success. The Hart Trophy winner is announced at the NHL Awards held after the conclusion of the NHL Playoffs.
Here are the top contenders for this year’s Hart Trophy with their latest NHL MVP betting odds.
Nathan MacKinnon (-210)
As a former recipient of the Hart Trophy, Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is the current favourite to claim the NHL MVP award for the second time in three seasons.
MacKinnon is one of the most feared goal-scorers in the league. With his knack for burying the biscuit, MacKinnon has evolved his game to become an elite playmaker as well, leading the NHL in assists in 2025 alongside Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov.
Currently leading all skaters in total points and goals scored in the 2025-26 season, Nathan MacKinnon’s Hart Trophy odds have never been better to wager on than right now.
Nathan MacKinnon to Win the Hart
Connor McDavid (+300)
As a mainstay in the MVP discussion and the player with the second-best odds to win the Hart Trophy, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is hungry to continue building on his Hall of Fame resume by becoming a four-time Hart Trophy winner.
With MVP seasons in 2017, 2021, and 2023, McDavid has been an elite-level talent ever since entering the NHL. Consistently among the league leaders for points and goals, McDavid will receive heavy consideration for the MVP this season, something that’s reflected by his favourable Hart Memorial Trophy odds.
Connor McDavid to Win the Hart
Nikita Kucherov (+2000)
Another regular among the top odds-getters for the NHL Hart Trophy, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is in a great position to capture his second MVP award.
One of the most dynamic offensive players in the world, the Russian winger has been one of the top hockey talents in the world for several years now. Able to takeover a game in an instant, Kucherov is the driving force behind the continued success of the Lightning.
At +2000 odds, while he may be a longshot, these odds are incredibly juicy, and could be worth investing in before his stellar play shortens the gap between him and MacKinnon.
Nikita Kucherov to Win the Hart
How to Bet on Hart Trophy Odds
If you’re new to sports betting but want to place a bet on the latest Hart Trophy odds 2026, then be sure to check out our simple step-by-step guide featured below to learn how to place an NHL futures bet today. Here’s how to bet on the Hart Trophy in four easy steps:
- Choose a Sportsbook. Scroll down for our list of the best Hart Trophy betting sites, or check out our in-depth NHL betting site reviews to find the sportsbook that’s right for you. Compare odds and features across multiple sportsbooks before signing up.
- Create an Account. Follow the links to begin the account creation process. Provide personal information such as your name, birthdate, and address in order to verify your identity and legal eligibility to bet on sports in your region.
- Deposit Funds. Navigate to your sportsbook’s banking centre, find the payment method that’s best for you, and transfer funds into your new betting account to load your account balance with playable funds.
- Place your Bets. Navigate to the NHL futures section of your online sportsbook, find your Hart Trophy pick, add the wager to your bet slip and sweat out your pick until the conclusion of the regular season!
Best Hart Trophy Betting Sites
Looking for a trusted and reliable destination for your Hart Trophy bets? Then be sure to check out some of the best Hart Tropy betting sites in Canada below. You can bet on the Hart Trophy with any sportsbook that offers NHL futures markets. Here are the three best Hart Trophy betting sites we recommend:
1. bet365
If there’s a book we love for any futures betting market, it’s bet365. The prices bet365 offers compare well to the competition. It’s also very easy to navigate to where the Hart Trophy odds are housed and make a bet. If you want simplicity when betting on the young guns, head on down to bet365.
⭐ bet365 Betting Highlights:
- Massive selection of NHL futures
- User-friendly mobile app
- Early payouts
2. Sports Interaction
Sports Interaction is another sportsbook that’s quick to the punch when releasing its Hart Trophy odds. We find the odds to be fairly competitive. Not to mention, if you’re keen on watching the odds shift during the season, you can find some nice prices on players who are in the middle of the pack.
⭐ Sports Interaction Betting Highlights:
- Deep NHL awards markets
- Easy-to-use interface
- Competitive odds
3. BetVictor
Last but not least, BetVictor sportsbook is a terrific option for all your NHL Awards bets. BetVictor offers a user-friendly interface, great odds, a wide range of hockey betting markets, including NHL MVP odds, and dependable customer support.
⭐ BetVictor Betting Highlights:
- Great NHL Futures Odds
- User-Friendly Betting App
- Optimized Live Betting Hub
How to Read Hart Trophy Odds
If you’re going to bet on MVP NHL odds in 2026, you’ll need to understand how to read the odds displayed by your sportsbook. In this case, we will use American odds, as they are the most common format among bettors.
In American odds, the favourite is shown using a minus sign (-) and the underdog is shown using a plus sign (+). The minus sign indicates the amount that must be wagered to profit $100. Inversely, the plus sign indicates the profit earned by wagering $100.
Let’s break it down with an example:
- Favourite: -130 (risk $130 to win $100)
- Underdog: +130 (risk $100 to win $130)
With this being a futures betting market, most of the options will be a plus value, but down the stretch of the season, the odds on the favourite will likely be in the minus.
👉 Tip: You can bet any amount you want (small bets like $10 and $20 are perfectly fine!) and your winnings will go up or down proportionally based on the odds. Be sure to use our handy odds calculator to convert odds to American format and easily calculate your potential winnings.
📈 Hart Trophy Betting Trends
- Only consider players from teams that are going to make the playoffs. The last time a player won the Hart Trophy but missed the postseason was Mario Lemieux in 1988 (Joe Thornton won the Hart in 2006, starting the season with the Bruins, who missed the playoffs, but finished it with the Sharks, who did crack the postseason bracket).
- Forwards are the best option to frame your bets around, with 9 of the last 10 winners coming from this position in 21 of the last 23 seasons.
- Pre-season favourites generally don’t win this award, with only one occurrence of this happening in the past decade (Connor McDavid in 2023). This year’s pre-season favourite to win the Hart Trophy was McDavid (+200).
NHL MVP Award Winners by Position
| Position | Hart Trophies Won |
|---|---|
| Center | 54 |
| Defenseman | 13 |
| Goalie | 9 |
| Left Wing | 7 |
| Right Wing | 18 |
Last 10 Hart Trophy Winners
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Connor Hellebuyck | Goalie | Winnipeg Jets |
| 2024 | Nathan MacKinnon | Center | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2023 | Connor McDavid | Center | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2022 | Auston Matthews | Center | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2021 | Connor McDavid | Center | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2020 | Leon Draisaitl | Center | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2019 | Nikita Kucherov | Right Wing | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2018 | Taylor Hall | Left Wing | New Jersey Devils |
| 2017 | Connor McDavid | Center | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2016 | Patrick Kane | Right Wing | Chicago Blackhawks |
💡 Hart Trophy Betting Tips
While there’s no way to know for sure who’s going to win the 2025-26 Hart Trophy, bettors can gain some useful insight into their betting strategies with the tips and trends found below. Use this information to help narrow down the list of potential betting options, find the best angles, and secure a massive payday thanks to our Hart Trophy odds tips and strategies.
⏱️Bet Early!
In order to maximize your winning potential, be sure to place your bets on the Hart Trophy odds early so you can get the best bang for your buck!
Betting early on the NHL Hart Trophy odds can give you way better value for your money. Before the season starts, there’s lots of uncertainty—so odds are usually higher, meaning a $100 bet could win a bigger payout if your pick catches fire later on. Once the season begins and a player like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews starts dominating, their odds tighten fast, and that early value disappears.
🏒 Focus on Forwards to Win the Hart
Forwards, and more recently centres, have dominated the Hart Trophy Award. In the last 15 seasons, the Hart Trophy victor has been a centreman in 14 of them.
Since 2000, the Hart Trophy has been awarded to a player other than a forward only four times. Defenceman Chris Pronger won it in the 1999-2000 season, and goaltenders Jose Theodore, Carey Price, and Connor Hellebuyck won the MVP award in the 2001-02, 2014-15, and 2024-25 seasons, respectively.
🏆 MVPs Come From Playoff Teams
While not impossible, it takes a historical season to win the MVP when playing for a non-playoff team. This has happened only four times in league history, most recently by Leon Draisaitl in the 2019-20 season.
Technically, the Oilers did play in the postseason in a cut-short campaign by the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not break into the final Stanley Cup playoff bracket after losing in the qualifying round to the Chicago Blackhawks. Other players to have won Hart trophies after missing the NHL playoffs are Al Rollins in 1954, Andy Bathgate in 1959, and Mario Lemieux in 1988.
📉 Regular Season Performance
The Hart Trophy is awarded each year after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. While the excitement of the postseason can often make you forget about the regular season, it’s important to only take the regular season into consideration when placing bets on the Hart Trophy winner.
Players win a separate award, the Conn Smythe, for being the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals.
The opinion of NHL players themselves is not to be taken into consideration for the Hart Trophy, but they do get to vote on the league’s most valuable player through the NHLPA’s Ted Lindsay award.
NHL History: Why is the NHL MVP Trophy Called the Hart Memorial Trophy?
The trophy’s name comes from the man who donated it to the NHL in 1923. The Hart Trophy was donated to the NHL by Canadian Dr. David Hart, the father of a former Montreal Canadiens Head Coach and General Manager.
The original trophy was eventually retired and has been kept at the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1960. Since then, the new MVP award was coined the Hart Memorial Trophy, with the award being given out annually to the player most valuable to his team during the regular season.
Wrapping Up: Hart Trophy Odds
Don’t wait, place your next NHL futures bet on who you think will be the league MVP in 2026 with the latest Hart Trophy winner odds. Place your bets with any of the top hockey betting sites featured above, and be sure to check out the other exciting odds and betting markets available on other end-of-season NHL awards.
More NHL Futures Markets
Check out our NHL Awards guide for an in-depth look at how to bet on all the individual NHL futures markets below:
- Stanley Cup Odds
- NHL Conn Smythe Odds
- NHL Rocket Richard Odds
- NHL Art Ross Odds
- NHL Selke Award Odds
- NHL Vezina Trophy Odds
- NHL Calder Trophy Odds
- NHL Norris Trophy Odds
- NHL Lady Byng Award Odds
- NHL Jack Adams Award Odds
- NHL Ted Lindsay Award Odds
Hart Trophy Betting Odds FAQs
The current favourite to win the Hart Trophy is Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. The star forward has won the award previously during the 2023-24 NHL season.
Yes, a goaltender has won the Hart Trophy 9 times. Most recently, Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy in the 2024-25 season. The last goaltender to win the award prior to that was Carey Price in 2014-15.
Connor Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy in 2025. Hellebuyck became the first goalie in a decade to win the Hart Trophy, leading the NHL in GAA and wins.
Currently, Nathan Mackinnon is favoured to win the Hart Trophy, but that doesn’t mean he will win for sure. Suppose the Avalanche can finish with a respectable regular-season record, and MacKinnon sits around the upper echelons of league scoring. In that case, he will have a good shot at winning his second Hart Trophy.
Sidney Crosby has won the Hart Trophy twice, with his MVP seasons coming in 2007 and 2014. While he’s won two Hart Trophies, Crosby has been recognized more by his peers, winning the Ted Lindsay Trophy three times, including both of his Hart Trophy-winning seasons and the 2013 season.