2024-25 NHL Futures Odds, Predictions and Best Bets: Early Look at Hart Trophy Odds
The Hart Trophy offers us some excellent value.
Connor McDavid is the heavy favorite to win at +175 after winning the the Conn Smythe Trophy, and for good reason. He's always in the running every single year and the public is hammering his price always, no matter the cost after a heroic Stanley Cup performance.
What does make me very interested in this market is the names after him though from FanDuel Sportsbook.
In this case, as it stands right now, I see names all over the board that are worthy, and for this exercise I will do a two-tiered system. There are elite players like Auston Matthews and last year's winner Nathan Mackinnon. Moreover, we're seeing other guys like Cale Makar and Nikita Kucherov in the +2000 range, which is insanely good value.
Let's get into some names, both big and small, that have caught my eye.
2024 Hart Trophy Odds
- Connor McDavid: +180
- Nathan MacKinnon: +500
- Auston Matthews: +1000
- Jack Hughes: +1000
- Nikita Kucherov: +2000
- Leon Deaisaitl: +2000
- Cale Makar: +2000
- David Pasternak: +2000
- Kirill Kaprizov: +2000
- Connor Bedard: +3000
- Matthew Tkachuk: +3000
- Jason Robertson: +4000
- Quinn Hughes: +4000
- Artemi Panarin: +4000
Hart Trophy Contenders
Elite is a word we can all agree is thrown around too much to describe players.
I try my hardest to use the word as sparingly as possible and reserve it only for the truly elite players based on natural skill and production.
In the case of the NHL (and this is subjective of course), the list of players I consider elite are Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan Mackinnon, Cale Makar, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby, who has earned the right to be forever considered elite.
These players hit elite numbers every single year like clockwork with or without complimentary skill around them. Some hockey fans will be upset at some of the omissions, but this is the best of the best to my eye based on, again, the consistently elite production we've all come to except from all of them.
As this relates to betting, there are some absurdly good prices on almost all of these players, with the exception of McDavid who I won't bet this year considering the options.
I also don't view him winning it as a slam dunk the way the books seem to reflect. It's my humble opinion that we have an edge here to exploit.
Nathan Mackinnon and Auston Matthews at +700 and +850 respectively are both awesome bets in this price range. Mackinnon consistently drives the bus in Colorado in all facets of the game, and Auston Matthews just came within one goal of a 70-goal season while displaying excellent defensive acumen.
Leon Draisaitl has scored himself two new wingers in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson who display much more skill than his previous ones -- with respect to players like Evander Kane and Warren Foegele.
At +2000, with this new found firepower on his line, I will absolutely be holding a ticket for him to win MVP. Nikita Kucherov at +2000 and Cale Makar at +2200 will round out my selections in this tier for obvious reasons.
Dark Horse Candidates
This group contains several players who may have not burst onto the scene in terms of Hart Trophy recognition, but the price is good enough to jump on some of these names.
Quinn Hughes, who just won the Norris, doesn't quite make it to that echelon due to lack of consecutive elite years. But, I love this player, and he begins this tier at +4000.
This is a crazy price for the defenseman, who is in my evaluation the Canucks' best player. And with his partner locked up, who helped him get to his first ever Norris Trophy, I see him repeating that success and then some.
It's not a crazy long shot at all and yet is priced as though it is. This is not normally a price range I like, but I can absolutely talk myself into this one.
Elsewhere, Kirill Kaprisov is an emerging star in the NHL.
He's never won a Hart and has always fluttered along that line between star and superstar. Part of what exacerbates that phenomenon is that the Minnesota Wild are one of the most under covered teams in the NHL.
He's only played four seasons in the NHL and his highest point total is 108. But with no real discernible skill around him, he is frequently the most valuable player to his team, which is how the Hart is technically voted upon. Therefore, holding his ticket at +2000 is not a terrible bet.
I truly had to do a double take when I saw Aleksander Barkov's name next to the figure +10000. That is absurd.
The guy just effectively took the mantle from Patrice Bergeron as the best defensive center in the game. He did so in the 2024 playoffs by shutting down Kucherov, Pastrnak, Zibanejad and McDavid, having positive 5-on-5 shares against each of those players lines through their respective series.
This to me is the absolute best longshot bet on the board and I will absolutely be holding his ticket this season. He is no slouch offensively either -- you can project him for 85-90 points next season -- while shutting down the games elites every night. That screams Hart Trophy finalist.
*Honorable mentions. Tage Thompson +7000, Artemi Panarin +4000, Mitch Marner +10000, Sidney Crosby +15000.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.