The player who wins the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player doesn’t have to be Canadian, but it sure seems to help. Seventy-eight of the 92 Hart Trophy winners (as of 2021) since the NHL started handing out the award in 1924 have been Canadian.
Does that mean you should bet on a Canadian to win it most years? Hart Trophy odds are open all year long with odds that change alongside each player’s recent performance. Here’s how to bet on the NHL MVP online in Canada including the latest Hart Memorial Trophy odds.
NHL MVP odds
See below for the current odds at the top online sportsbooks on Hart Memorial Trophy favourites. Click on any odds to go directly to the sportsbook and start getting your Hart bets in.
NHL MVP betting trends
Scoring seems to matter most when it comes to Hart Trophy voting. Over the past 72 NHL seasons, dating back to 1948, the Hart Trophy winner was in the top three in scoring 78% of the time. Take away the seven goalies that have won the Hart over that time and the Hart Trophy winner was in the top three in scoring a whopping 86% of the time.
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the NHL’s leading scorer (points). However, the Art Ross Trophy winner has also won the Hart 38 times over the past 72 NHL seasons. That’s 53% of the time. The Art Ross Trophy winner has also placed in the top three in Hart Trophy voting 59 times over that period. That’s 82% of the time.
It proves Hart Trophy voters are basing a lot of their voting on scoring stats and you should probably base your Hart Trophy bets on the same thing. Accepting that scoring is the biggest factor in who wins the Hart means you should probably stick to betting on forwards. The past 72 Hart Trophy winners have included 61 forwards (85%), seven goalies (10%), and just four defensemen (6%).
NHL MVP Past 10 years
Here’s a look at the past 10 Hart Memorial Trophy winners:
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2019–20 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2018–19 | Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2017–18 | Taylor Hall | New Jersey Devils |
| 2016–17 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2015–16 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2014–15 | Carey Price | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2013–14 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 2012–13 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
| 2011–12 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins |
Non-Canadian Hart Trophy winners
The past two Hart Memorial Trophy winners were not from Canada. Five of the last ten winners have come from outside of Canada, and 14 of the past 30. Here’s the list of 14 Non-Canadian winners over the past 30 seasons:
| Year | Player | Team | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | Germany |
| 2018–19 | Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | Russia |
| 2015–16 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks | USA |
| 2012–13 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | Russia |
| 2011–12 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | Russia |
| 2009–10 | Henrik Sedin | Vancouver Canucks | Sweden |
| 2008–09 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | Russia |
| 2007–08 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | Russia |
| 2002–03 | Peter Forsberg | Colorado Avalanche | Sweden |
| 1998–99 | Jaromir Jagr | Pittsburgh Penguins | Czech |
| 1997–98 | Dominik Hasek | Buffalo Sabres | Czech |
| 1996–97 | Dominik Hasek | Buffalo Sabres | Czech |
| 1993–94 | Sergei Fedorov | Detroit Red Wings | Russia |
| 1990–91 | Brett Hull | St. Louis Blues | USA |
How NHL MVP bets work
The Hart Memorial Trophy betting market is a futures market. That means it’s the kind of market where you can place bets at any time on something for which the outcome won’t be determined until the future. NHL Hart Memorial Trophy odds are first set in the offseason.
They may change ahead of the season based on trades, signings, and other roster moves and once the NHL season gets underway, the odds will most certainly change, based on the on-ice performance of those who emerge as the top players in the league and those that put up smaller numbers than expected.
You place bets in the Hart Memorial Trophy betting market at moneyline odds. Of course, you lock in the currently posted odds at the time you place a bet, which means your bet will payout at those odds, no matter how much the odds change after that. This normally means, for the real favourites to win the Hart, the earlier you can get a hockey bet down the better the sports odds will be.
Moneyline odds are either negative, indicating a favourite, or positive, for underdogs. Negative odds show you how much you must bet to stand to win $100, plus your bet back. Positive odds show you how much you stand to win, plus your bet back, for every $100 you bet.
For example, Connor McDavid was the favourite at -370 to win the Hart in April 2021. If you bet $370 on him at -370 and he wins, you’d get paid $470. Auston Matthews was at +950 to win the Hart in April 2021. If you bet $100 on Auston Matthews at +950 and he wins the award, you’d get paid $1,050.
Check the latest odds for all the Hart Trophy favourites at BetRivers Sportsbook Canada, BetMGM Sportsbook Canada and more in the odds feed above.
Other NHL futures odds
Outside of the Hart Memorial Trophy betting market, there are a variety of other NHL futures you can bet on, including:
- NHL Goal Scoring or Points Leader
- Odds to win the Stanley Cup
- NHL Win totals
- Team to make the Playoffs
- Team to win the Division
- Team to win the Conference
NHL MVP FAQ
Who votes for NHL MVP?
Hart Memorial Trophy voting is conducted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association after the regular season. Each voter ranks their top five candidates using a 10-7-5-3-1 points system. The player with the most points wins, although the three finalists are named and the Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the winner at the NHL Awards ceremony following the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Which player or team has won the most NHL MVP awards?
Wayne Gretzky has the most Hart Memorial Trophy wins with nine, including eight consecutive at the beginning of his NHL career, from 1980 to 1987. When it comes to teams the Montreal Canadiens have a record 16 Hart Memorial Trophy winners.
What are the most controversial NHL MVP picks of recent years?
The winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy is always debatable. That said, there hasn’t been much controversy surrounding the award over the past 20 years unless you consider the times it went to a goalie controversy. Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore won it in the 2001–02 NHL season when it could have gone to Art Ross Trophy winner Jarome Iginla. Plus, Canadiens goalie Carey Price won in the 2014-15 NHL season when it could have gone to Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn.
Who has had the best/worst MVP years?
The 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s best regular-season team. They were led by the great Wayne Gretzky, who scored an NHL record 215 points that season en route to his seventh straight Hart Memorial Trophy and his sixth straight Art Ross Trophy. That has to be considered the best Hart Memorial Trophy-winning season ever. Mario Lemieux had a great 1987-88 season and won the Hart Trophy, ending Gretzky’s eight-year winning streak. However, Lemieux’s Pittsburgh Penguins failed to make the playoffs, making his the worst Hart Memorial Trophy-winning season ever.
Is it ever good to bet on a repeat MVP winner?
The Hart Trophy has been won 92 times since 1924, but only 56 different players have won it, including 18 that have won multiple Hart Trophy awards. That means it’s always a good idea to bet on a previous Hart winner to do it again.
How has analytics affected MVP voting/winners?
Analytics is just a way of looking at stats and using that analysis to develop strategy and playing style. This kind of thing doesn’t have much impact on Hart Trophy voting. Voters tend to lean on the stats themselves, with the award going to the top stat producers. Someone in the top three in league scoring wins it almost 80% of the time.
When is the best time to bet MVP futures?
Earlier is always better when it comes to betting on Hart Trophy futures. The prices on the real contenders go up dramatically as the season goes on. Just look at the 2021 season: favourite Connor McDavid started at +700 and the price went all the way up to -370 by April.