Voted for by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, the Hart Trophy is awarded to the NHL's most valuable player.
Entering the 2024/25 season, a total of 11 active players have at least one Hart Trophy to their name. Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche was announced as the winner of the 2023/24 edition shortly after the season.
Here is a list of some of the current favourites for the award.
Leon Draisaitl | -140 |
Connor Hellebuyck | +225 |
Nathan MacKinnon | +325 |
Nikita Kucherov | +1600 |
Connor McDavid | +2500 |
Quinn Hughes | +3500 |
Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl, who leads the NHL with 43 goals, is the -140 favourite to win his second-career Hart Trophy for league MVP.
Draisaitl's first Hart Trophy was in the shortened 2019/20 campaign, in which he scored 43 goals while leading the league with 67 assists and 110 points. This season, he's on pace for 62 goals, 62 assists and 124 points.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the second-favourite (+225) as he attempts to become the first goaltender to win the Hart since Carey Price in 2015/16. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in goals against average (2.02), goals saved above expected (30), shutouts (6), goalie point shares (10.6), and minutes played (2,707).
Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, the current 2024/25 season leader in assists (67) and points (90), is the third-favourite (+325) to win his second consecutive Hart Trophy. Plus, he's one of three players along with Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov with a points-per-game average of 1.50 or better.
Speaking of Kucherov, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger is +1600 for the Hart Trophy, and he's the last player priced shorter than 20/1. Ranked second in assists (59), third in points (85), and tied for 14th in goals (26), Kucherov is making a solid case for his second-career Hart Trophy as he has led his team's recent resurgence.
Connor McDavid, the Oilers centre and teammate of Draisaitl, is fifth in the odds at +2500. The three-time Hart Trophy winner has 22 goals and 51 assists for 73 points, and he's fifth in the NHL with 1.4 points per game.
Further back in the odds are Vancouver Canucks captain and defenceman Quinn Hughes (+3500), Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski (+6000), and Avs defenceman Cale Makar (+6000). No other Hart Trophy contender's odds are shorter than 100/1.
Year | Player | Team |
2023/24 | Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche |
2022/23 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers |
2021/22 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs |
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 |
2010/11 | Corey Perry | Anaheim Ducks |
2009/10 | Henrik Sedin | Vancouver Canucks |
2008/09 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Captials |
2007/08 | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
2006/07 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
2005/06 | Joe Thornton | Boston Bruins/San Jose Sharks |
2004/05 | Not awarded - lockout | |
2003/04 | Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay Lightning |
2002/03 | Peter Forsberg | Colorado Avalanche |
2001/02 | Jose Theodore | Montreal Canadiens |
2000/01 | Joe Sakic | Colorado Avalanche |
1999/00 | Chris Pronger | St. Louis Blues |
1998/99 | Jaromir Jagr | Pittsburgh Penguins |
1997/98 | Dominik Hasek | Buffalo Sabres |
1996/97 | Dominik Hasek | Buffalo Sabres |
1995/96 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins |
1994/95 | Eric Lindros | Philadelphia Flyers |
1993/94 | Sergei Fedorov | Detroit Red Wings |
1992/93 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins |
1991/92 | Mark Messier | New York Rangers |
1990/91 | Brett Hull | St. Louis Blues |
1989/90 | Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers |
1988/89 | Wayne Gretzky | Los Angeles Kings |
1987/88 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins |
1986/87 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1985/86 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1984/85 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1983/84 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1982/83 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1981/82 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1980/81 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1979/80 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers |
1978/79 | Brian Trottier | New York Islanders |
1977/78 | Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens |
1976/77 | Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens |
1975/76 | Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers |
1974/75 | Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers |
1973/74 | Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins |
1972/73 | Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers |
1971/72 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins |
1970/71 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins |
1969/70 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins |
1968/69 | Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins |
1967/68 | Stan Mikita | Chicago Blackhawks |
1966/67 | Stan Mikita | Chicago Blackhawks |
1965/66 | Bobby Hull | Chicago Blackhawks |
1964/65 | Bobby Hull | Chicago Blackhawks |
1963/64 | Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens |
1962/63 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1961/62 | Jacques Plante | Montreal Canadiens |
1960/61 | Bernie Geoffrion | Montreal Canadiens |
1959/60 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1958/59 | Andy Bathgate | New York Rangers |
1957/58 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1956/57 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1955/56 | Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens |
1954/55 | Ted Kennedy | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1953/54 | Al Rollins | Chicago Blackhawks |
1952/53 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1951/52 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings |
1950/51 | Milt Schmidt | Boston Bruins |
1949/50 | Chuck Rayner | New York Rangers |
1948/49 | Sid Abel | Detroit Red Wings |
1947/48 | Buddy O'Connor | New York Rangers |
1946/47 | Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens |
1945/46 | Max Bentley | Chicago Blackhawks |
1944/45 | Elmer Lach | Montreal Canadiens |
1943/44 | Babe Pratt | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1942/43 | Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins |
1941/42 | Tommy Anderson | Brooklyn Americans |
1940/41 | Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins |
1939/40 | Ebbie Goodfellow | Detroit Red Wings |
1938/39 | Toe Blake | Montreal Canadiens |
1937/38 | Eddie Shore | Boston Bruins |
1936/37 | Babe Siebert | Montreal Canadiens |
1935/36 | Eddie Shore | Boston Bruins |
1934/35 | Eddie Shore | Boston Bruins |
1933/34 | Aurele Joliat | Montreal Canadiens |
1932/33 | Eddie Shore | Boston Bruins |
1931/32 | Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens |
1930/31 | Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens |
1929/30 | Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons |
1928/29 | Roy Worters | New York Americans |
1927/28 | Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens |
1926/27 | Herb Gardiner | Montreal Canadiens |
1925/26 | Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons |
1924/25 | Billy Burch | Hamilton Tigers |
1923/24 | Frank Nighbor | Ottawa Senators |
The original Hart Memorial Trophy was donated to the NHL in 1923 by David Hart, the father of longtime Montreal Canadiens head coach Cecil Hart.
The trophy itself features a silver pedestal under a silver-and-gold sculpture that resembles flames. The sculpture atop the pedestal features engraving of the name of the trophy and its donor.
The NHL Hart Trophy winner is announced during the NHL Awards ceremony, which also features the announcements of the other major individual awards such as the Norris Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Calder Memorial Trophy.
The 2024 Hart Trophy winner, Nathan MacKinnon, was announced as the winner on June 27, 2024. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the award winner.
Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.