Five Best Odds to Win the 2021-22 Hart Trophy

The 2021-22 season is just about underway and there’s a lot of exciting races to look forward to, especially the race for the Hart Trophy. The Hart Memorial Trophy is given “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team” and there’s a log jam of potential winners at the top of that list. The winner of last year’s trophy is also the favorite heading into this season. Talented players flank the league like never before and this race for the Hart Trophy will be the most intense it has been in years.

Five Best Odds to Win the 2021-22 Hart Trophy

Connor McDavid (+400)

The player with the best odds to win the Hart Trophy is none other than Connor McDavid. He is the best player in the league and he’s proved it year in and year out. McDavid is a two-time winner of the Hart Trophy and a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy (most points). In 56 games last season, he netted 33 goals with 72 assists for 105 points, by far the most.

That’s the fourth time in his six-year career that he’s gathered 100 points or more. With his efforts, McDavid was named a unanimous Hart Trophy winner, becoming only the second player in history to do so. He has favorable odds yet again and will try to lead his team to the playoffs yet again.

Nathan MacKinnon (+600)

Nathan MacKinnon was a top-3 Hart Trophy finalist last season as he finished eighth in points with 65 (20 goals, 45 assists). He’s a part of one of the best lines in hockey and his speed and skill are a big reason why. MacKinnon finished second in the Hart Trophy voting last season, making him a prime candidate to win his first soon enough. It didn’t take him long to become one of the best players in hockey as he seeks to lead a dangerous Colorado Avalanche team to their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Auston Matthews (+650)

The favorite to win the Hart Trophy in the 2019-20 season comes into this season with the third-best odds. Auston Matthews has set the league on fire ever since his debut in 2016. He scored four goals in his first-ever NHL game and never looked back. Matthews has scored 40 goals or more in three of his five seasons. In the other two seasons, he’s scored 34 and 37 goals. He scored 41 goals in 52 games last season. His amazing season placed him second in the Hart Trophy race. He’s the face of a very talented Toronto Maple Leafs team and he along with his team have huge aspirations this season.

Nikita Kucherov (+750)

Due to having Hip Surgery, Nikita Kucherov missed the entirety of the 2020-21 season. Fortunately for him and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Kucherov returned for the playoffs in time to help the team win back-to-back Stanley Cups. He won the Hart Trophy in the 2018-19 season in what was an unreal year for him. In a campaign where the Lightning had a historic season with 62 wins and 128 points, Kucherov matched the team in points with 128. He fell back down to earth a year later but still had a great season. He comes into this season feeling better than ever before as his quest for yet another Hart Trophy and Stanley Cup is well within his grasp.

Leon Draisaitl (+1200)

Not only do the Edmonton Oilers have the best player on the planet, but they have Leon Draisaitl, who is one of the best in his own right. Not only did his teammate win the Hart Trophy last season, but Draisaitl took it home in 2020 as he tallied 110 points. That was the second season in a row that he had a 100-point season and it would’ve been three if they played 82 games last year. Because of his emergence in helping McDavid, the Oilers are on the rise and are a top team in the Pacific Division. He will be competing with his teammate once again to capture the trophy and eventually, the Stanley Cup.