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Reviews of Online Gambling Sites NHL Hart Trophy Odds: Who Will Win MVP in 2025-26?
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The regular season is coming to a close as teams gear up for the playoffs, but there’s still one major question to be settled: Who will win the 2025-26 NHL Hart Trophy?
It’s been the same four names at the top all season, with Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor McDavid each having a legitimate claim to be named as this season’s most valuable player.
MacKinnon maintains pole position as the betting favorite for the Hart Trophy heading into the final few weeks of the NHL season, but Kucherov’s late-season surge has turned this into a two-horse race.
Will MacKinnon win his second MVP nod in the past three seasons? Will Kucherov earn his first Hart Trophy since 2018-19? Can a long shot still steal the award?
I’ll break down the 2025-26 Hart Trophy odds and provide my best predictions below.
2025-26 Hart Trophy Odds
Below are the updated Hart Trophy odds via BetUS:
| Player | Hart Trophy Odds | Player | Hart Trophy Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan MacKinnon | -115 | Nikita Kucherov | +140 |
| Macklin Celebrini | +750 | Connor McDavid | +1400 |
| Connor Bedard | +20000 | Mikko Rantanen | +30000 |
Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor McDavid have held the top four spots in the 2025-26 Hart Trophy race for several months now, but it’s finally come down to a two-horse race between MacKinnon and Kucherov.
MacKinnon has tallied 122 points, just four back of McDavid for the league lead, as well as an NHL-best 51 goals as he’s on pace for his first career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. The Colorado Avalanche star remains the slight betting favorite at -115, but that’s a far cry from the -220 he was trading at just last month.
Kucherov has taken his game to another level since the start of 2026, logging an insane 74 points in 35 games – 18 more than second-place McDavid (56). His 125 points on the season are just one shy of McDavid (126) for the league lead, and the Tampa Bay Lightning winger has nearly caught up to MacKinnon in the Hart Trophy odds, now trading at +140.
Celebrini retains the third-best odds in the Hart Trophy race at +750, but with so little time left in the regular season, it’ll take a lot to change voters’ minds. The San Jose Sharks’ sophomore is doing his best to stay in the race with 10 points over his last five contests, but he simply doesn’t have the same supporting cast as his competitors.
McDavid was trading at +800 in March, but that number has ballooned to +1400 in April despite his best efforts. The Edmonton Oilers captain is one of five players with 30-plus points since the Olympics, but his team’s middling performance and voter fatigue could hurt his MVP chances.
Nathan MacKinnon (-115)
MacKinnon is still on pace for 56 goals and 135 points, but his scoring rate has slowed since the first half of the season. The Avs center logged a league-best 1.79 points and 0.87 goals per game from October through December, but those numbers have dipped to 1.49 and 0.49 since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Unsurprisingly, MacKinnon has also seen his lead in Hart Trophy odds diminish rapidly. Once a huge favorite to be named this season’s MVP, MacKinnon is now trading at -115 and is only a slight favorite against the field.
On the plus side, Avalanche star appears to be ending the season on a high note with goals in three straight games, while his 29 points since returning from the Olympic break are tied for sixth most in the NHL.
Colorado is also cruising along with six wins in their last eight games, while five of their remaining seven contests will be against non-playoff teams. That should give MacKinnon plenty of opportunity to pad his stat line and cement his position as the Hart Trophy favorite.
Nikita Kucherov (+140)
Based on momentum alone, Kucherov has a great case as this year’s MVP.
His scoring pace of 2.11 points per game since January 1 is by far the best in the league, while his Lightning have played at a .716 points percentage since that date, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the best mark in the NHL.
If you subscribe to the notion that games become more difficult and more important as the season wears on, then Kucherov is a logical pick as your Hart Trophy winner. And I’m sure he’ll garner plenty of votes at season’s end for those reasons.
Kucherov may not be a fan (or voter) favorite outside of Tampa Bay, but you’ve got to admire and respect what he’s done for the Lightning, who could be on their way to winning a competitive Atlantic Division with captain Victor Hedman missing most of the season.
Macklin Celebrini (+750)
The sophomore slump was never an issue for Celebrini, who sits fourth in NHL scoring with 106 points and is on pace to smash the Sharks franchise record for points in a season, set by Joe Thornton in 2006-07 (114).
The 19-year-old captured the attention of the entire hockey world after starring for Team Canada at the Olympics, and now he’s looking to drag the Sharks into the postseason for the first time since 2019.
San Jose currently sits two points outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, but if Celebrini can will the Sharks into the postseason over the next couple of weeks, he’ll have a legit case as the league’s MVP.
Don’t forget – the Hart Trophy is awarded to the NHL’s “most valuable player to his team.” There’s no question that the Sharks would be close to the bottom of the standings if it weren’t for Celebrini.
Connor McDavid (+1400)
McDavid’s Hart Trophy odds have bounced around all season, but he’s settled as a +1400 longshot heading into the final few weeks.
The Oilers superstar is on track to capture his sixth career Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top point getter, which would tie Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe for the second most in league history behind only Wayne Gretzky, who won it 10 times.
But despite McDavid leading the league in points yet again, why is he unlikely to be named MVP? That comes down to MacKinnon, Kucherov, and even Celebrini having great storylines behind their success, while the Oilers simply didn’t have a great season collectively.
Edmonton sits atop the Pacific, but McDavid himself called the division a “pillow fight” a few weeks back. What MacKinnon and Kucherov are doing in more competitive divisions has been more impressive, so McDavid may just have to settle for one trophy instead of two.
Final Prediction – Who Will Win the 2025-26 Hart Trophy?
Both MacKinnon and Kucherov have arguably earned this year’s Hart Trophy, but when it comes time to vote, popularity and storylines play a big role.
MacKinnon has been touted as one of the league’s top superstars for a few years now, but he’s missed out on a lot of hardware because McDavid usually wins by default. In a season where McDavid is not the obvious choice, it feels like voters will lean towards MacKinnon not only because of his outstanding performance, but also because he’s “due” for a few more trophies.
The Avalanche will cruise to its second Presidents’ Trophy in five years, and there’s no question that MacKinnon has been the main factor behind their success.
Assuming MacKinnon and Kucherov finish the season with comparable point totals, the Avs star should still have the edge due to his superior goal scoring and team performance. And at -115, we’re finally getting a reasonable price to lock in a bet on MacKinnon.
If you’re looking for a pure value play, I actually lean towards Celebrini at +750. I don’t think he’s necessarily deserving of the Hart Trophy, but I know that he’s a likable personality with tons of hype behind what he’s done for the Sharks this season.
He’s putting up one of the best seasons in NHL history by a teenager, and if he does drag his team into the postseason, I am certain he’ll get a lot of MVP votes.
- Best Bet: Nathan MacKinnon -115
- Value Bet: Connor McDavid +750
Keep Up with the Hart Trophy Race
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, but the 2025-26 Hart Trophy race is yet to be decided in the final few weeks of the regular season.
MacKinnon maintains a slight lead in the Hart Trophy odds at -115, while Kucherov (+140), Celebrini (+750), and McDavid (+1400) round out the top four.
Stay up to date with the latest NHL odds and predictions throughout the season at GamblingNerd.
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