Nhl Mvp Race

The Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player judged to be the most valuable to his team, has a rather exclusive fraternity of winners. Those who manage to pull off being named the recipient of the NHL MVP award have undoubtedly had themselves a season to remember.

• In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings we check back in with the Conn Smythe Watch and which players are leading that race. Right now the story of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a couple.
• With Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid tearing up the high-scoring North Division, it looks like a two-man race for MVP honors in the NHL. Entering the weekend, Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here’s a look at the field for the Hart Trophy as the season nears the stretch run. Keep in mind that some of the best teams in the NHL season – the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues and Los. Chambers: COVID probably put MacKinnon back into the MVP race. After he suffered that mysterious injury Jan. 31 at Minnesota when he looked fine on his last shift of the second period but didn’t.

The betting public gets its chance to weigh in with its picks in any season thanks to the active Hart Trophy futures market, which is incredibly active and among the most popular bets in the NHL overall.

Hart Trophy odds are released in the offseason and fluctuate throughout the year based on betting action and player performance. Here’s a roadmap to betting on the NHL MVP award in the United States.

Bet NHL MVP at Online Sportsbooks

NHL MVP betting apps

There are a number of sportsbooks to legally and safely place your online bets in the US. Here are our top recommendations for downloadable betting apps in states with legal sports betting:

1. DraftKings Sportsbook

Use DraftKings Sportsbook online in: NJ, CO, PA, WV, IN, IA, TN, NH and IL

There’s a whole lot more to daily fantasy sports giant DraftKings than just being the industry leader in that niche. The company has taken the world of sports betting by storm with its innovative features and exciting promotions. On the NHL side, they carry all of the active game lines for any day or week plus props and futures.

Futures odds available right now include Stanley Cup champion, Conference champion and NHL MVP (on hold).

2. FanDuel Sportsbook

Use FanDuel Sportsbook online in: NJ, CO, PA, WV, NV, IL, IA, TN and IN

FanDuel is another DFS titan making waves in sports betting. The company’s user-friendly platform and customer-centric approach are proving to be a huge hit in all the markets the company has entered. On the NHL front, FanDuel matches DraftKings in most aspects including game lines, Stanley Cup odds, conference champ futures and NHL MVP odds.

3. BetMGM Sports

BetMGM Sportsbook is legal in: NJ, CO, IN, TN, NV and WV

There’s something about the name MGM that just conjures up thoughts of excellence, and the BetMGMsports betting platformmanages to live up to that. All of the markets and bet types you can ask for are right here including NHL moneylines, puck lines, totals and Stanley Cup and NHL MVP futures.

Why use betting apps for MVP betting?

All online sportsbooks have very active futures markets for major sports. Odds are posted year-round for both team results and players awards, including for NHL MVP. However, keep in mind odds won’t be the same on all of them.

That’s a good thing, as it gives you the chance to do a little line shopping to find the best prices.

To get started with a sportsbook app, all you need to do is click through any of our links to take advantage of our exclusive bonus offers. After entering a few simple details, your new account will be ready immediately.

Next, from that page, download the sportsbook app right to your iPhone or Android phone. Log in and you can use your free bet credit to bet on anything offered, including NHL MVP.

You can perform all of the same functions on your betting app as you can on the full online sportsbook. If you want to react quickly to developments in the NHL MVP (or any futures) market, this is the way to go.

Is one of your choices going through a slump and seeing a dip in odds as a result? You can double down in seconds. Has a dark horse candidate put it all together while lighting the lamp with regularity? Hop onto your app and bet before the market catches up.

Which states can you bet on Hart Trophy in?

Business is booming in legal andregulated US sports betting states, but not all states have joined the party. The good news is that several states are working towards making it happen.

Here’s the current list of where you can legally and safely place your bets on NHL MVP and other sports.

NHL MVP favorites 2021

The futures market for Hart Trophy odds is always a work in progress. From the time odds are released to the NHL All-Star Game and the final playoff push, players will rise and fall based on betting action coming in and how things are going on the ice.

Once the season gets long in the tooth, the top contenders will separate themselves from the pack. Here’s a look at some of the players who lead the 2020 NHL scoring list and what they’ve accomplished to date.

While big points accumulators always draw eyes for MVP votes, remember there’s a lot more to consider for the Hart Trophy. Team success and the player’s overall contributions are other big factors.

Which players figure to be huge factors in how the Hart Trophy race shakes out? Here’s a look at the top candidates we can expect to find in the Hart Trophy finalists:

Top Hart Trophy contenders – Centers

• Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
• Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
• Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Leon Draisatl, Edmonton Oilers

On talent alone, we can pencil in the above three names as top contenders for the award for every season in the foreseeable future. McDavid was the winner in 2017, while MacKinnon and the Avalanche are a team on the rise. Matthews has lots of talent around him, but a strong season from the Leafs as a whole could do the trick. Draisatl is this year’s Art Ross Trophy winner.

Top Hart Trophy contenders – Wingers

• David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
• Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
• Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

The list of contenders at wing is deep and subject to change. For example, Pastrnak could be interchangeable with teammate Brad Marchand. It all comes down to which one puts forth the better regular season.

Top Hart Trophy contenders – Defensemen

• John Carlson, Washington Capitals
• Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
• Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

For a defenseman to win the award, one would have to crush it during the regular season. While there are plenty in the NHL who fit that bill, Carlson, Josi and Hedman seem like the most likely candidates to make it happen.

Top Hart Trophy contenders – Goalies

• Andrei Vasilevsky, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
• Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues

It would also have to be a super special season for a goalie to win the award. To that end, a workhorse that racks up lots of wins for a contender would be the choice. Vasilevsky, Hellebuyck and Binnington are the top candidates in that regard.

Top Hart Trophy contenders – Wild Cards

There’s always the possibility that a dark horse contender puts together a memorable campaign to be the surprising winner of the Hart Trophy. Here’s a trio of players who are more than talented enough to make that happen.

• Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers: The Rangers still have some work to do to build a contender, but Zibanejad has emerged as a centerpiece player. If the team can make the right moves around him, he could further insert himself into the conversation as one of the league’s best.
• Max Pacioretty, LW, Vegas Golden Knights: Since the franchise came into being, the Golden Knights have been more about the sum of the parts than any single player. There’s nothing to suggest that formula will be changing, but Pacioretty is certainly capable of a breakout season.
• Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, St. Louis Blues: A shoulder injury led to Tarasenko missing extensive time, but he looks poised to return to the ranks of the NHL’s elite snipers. His career-high is 40 goals, but this dangerous shooter could eclipse that if things break right.

Hart Trophy betting trends

If we take a look at how the Hart Trophy has been awarded in the past, we can gather some intel that may help as we dive into the futures market.

For example, here’s the position breakdown for the last decade of Hart Trophy winners.

• Centers: 4
• Wings: 5
• Defensemen: 0
• Goalies: 1

For the last 10 years, the offense has earned the majority of votes when it comes time for the ballots to be counted.

Does that hold true for the decade before that? (From 2000-09, there were only nine awards due to the lockout-canceled 2005 campaign.)

• Centers: 4
• Wings: 3
• Defensemen: 1
• Goalies: 1

If we analyze the 1990s, here’s what the breakdown looks like.

• Centers:6
• Wings: 2
• Defensemen: 0
• Goalies: 2

If we combine the total results over the past 30 years, this is what we come up with.

• Centers: 14
• Wings: 10
• Defensemen: 1
• Goalies: 4

When considering the futures market in the preseason, it makes sense to look towards high-scoring centers and wingers from teams that appear poised to make some noise in the coming year.

As the season moves along, those who are ahead of the pack for the current season will emerge. While points are important, also be sure to consider the player’s overall influence on team success.

A player who is just one of many on a high-powered team may just be a fortunate cog in a well-oiled system. Take some time to dig into advanced analytical stats such as Corsi and Fenwick to see who is moving the needle for their squad.

Analytics has been a game-changer for many sports, and it’s no different with the NHL. There are several ways to get to the bottom of team and player efficiency, which is a fantastic development for the sport as a whole, not to mention NHL handicappers.

Hart Trophy Winners past 10 years

It has been an incredibly thrilling decade of action on the ice, and the same holds true for the race for the NHL’s ultimate individual player award. Here’s a look back at the last 10 winners of the Hart Trophy.

More NHL futures odds

While there’s a ton of betting action for the NHL MVP, that’s not all there is to the futures market. There are odds offered on a variety of markets, many of which are also quite active.

Here are the most popular betting markets you’ll come across for NHL futures.

• Art Ross Trophy (league points leader)
• Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
• Norris Trophy (top defensemen)
• Rookie of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• NHL Draft picks
• Team regular-season win totals
• Conference and division winners
• Team to make playoffs
• Stanley Cup winner

If you enjoy looking ahead and trying to figure out what’s coming up in the world of the NHL, then you’ll find lots to love in the futures market.

How an NHL MVP futures bet works

Sportsbooks will set odds for all players who have at least a somewhat realistic shot at winning the award. The odds are released in advance of the NHL regular season, and the board remains active throughout the year.

Mlb Mvp Race 2020

The listing of odds is typically in descending order. The favorites will be listed on the top, longshot choices on the bottom and everyone else in the middle.

Upon release, bettors begin to weigh in and place wagers. You’ll see some movement in the odds from this point based on the action. Players who see a good amount of action may see their odds lessen, while it’s the opposite story for players who attract little action.

This same scenario is true throughout the season. There will be plenty of ebbs and flows along the way as players and teams go through hot streaks or slumps.

You can jump in and place your bets at any time. If you find a good price for a player you’re interested in at the initial release, you can place your bets right then and there.

If you find some good value on the board during the year, you can pounce once again. The same applies if your initial choice goes through a rough patch. You’ll likely be able to double down at attractive odds when this is the case, or simply hunt for a new choice.

Placing a futures bet is simple. Once you locate the NHL section on the online or mobile sportsbook, look for the futures tab. You’ll see the odds for NHL MVP there, and you can scan through to find the bet you want to place.

Afterward, just click on the odds next to the player’s name. Your selection will be added to the ticket automatically. From there, it’s just a matter of verifying everything looks good, adding your wager amount and then submitting your wager.

There are a few important pieces of information to keep in mind for Hart Trophy futures bets.

• If a player suffers a season-ending injury, odds will be removed from the board.
• In the unlikely event that a full season is canceled, all bets will be voided and refunded.
• When the finalists for the award are announced, all bets outside of those players will be graded as losers.
• Odds will not necessarily be the same at each operator.

To expand on the last point, you can easily check the odds at different books in a quest to find the most appealing prices.

The conference finalists are set in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders squaring off in the East, and the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Dallas Stars in the West. Which means the race is on for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on the NHL's playoff MVP award. In the last 20 Conn Smythe Awards, five were goaltenders, four were defensemen and the rest were forwards.

Here's where the MVP candidates in the Stanley Cup playoffs currently rank:

10. Josh Bailey, RW, New York Islanders

New York has had several different heroes in the playoffs -- including both goaltenders -- but Bailey is the Islanders' leading scorer in the playoffs with 15 points (two goals, 13 assists). He had six points -- all assists -- in the last four games of their series against the Flyers.

9. Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights

The Knights forward is second on the team in goals (6) and points (15), but it's his 200-foot game that's been dazzling in the postseason. Stone leads the Knights with 2.84 takeaways per 60 minutes.

8. Joe Pavelski, C, Dallas Stars

The Stars center is tied for the team lead in goals, with eight tallies. He has an established reputation as a playoff hero. The Conn Smythe is an award that likes to tell a story. If the Stars win and Pavelski leads the team in goals, his arrival last offseason as a postseason difference-maker that actually made a difference will be one such story.

7. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning defenseman has nine points in 13 games, skating to a plus-11 and averaging a team-high 26 minutes per game. He also had the series-clinching goal in overtime against the Bruins. Keep in mind that this is an award driven by the writers' votes, the same writers who have made Hedman a Norris Trophy finalist for four straight seasons.

Nfl Mvp Race 2018

6. Robin Lehner, G, Vegas Golden Knights

In 12 starts, Lehner is 8-4 with a .918 save percentage, a 1.99 goals-against average and the save of the playoffs in Game 7 against the Canucks. Through all the controversy swirling around the Vegas goalie spot, Lehner has thrived. His three shutouts also lead the postseason.

5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning goalie leads the playoffs in save percentage (.931) and goals-against average (1.91), and has been the backbone of the Lightning's two series wins. He really found his groove in the Boston series, giving up a total of four goals in the last three games. Vasilevskiy is the leading goalie still around in the playoffs in goals saved vs. expectation.

4. Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights

For a while, it looked like the Knights lacked that foundational defenseman that Stanley Cup champions have. Theodore has disproved that theory with a star-making postseason. He has a team-leading 16 points in 15 games, skating 22:20 per game to a plus-6. A difference-maker for the Knights.

3. Mathew Barzal, C, New York Islanders

He doesn't lead the Islanders in points; that's Bailey, with 15 of them. He doesn't lead in goals; that's a three-way tie between Anthony Beauvillier, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee, with seven each. But with five goals and eight points, Barzal has solid numbers to go with being the most dangerous player on the ice in most games. He had six points in seven games against the Flyers. He had an overtime winner against the Capitals, too.

2. Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Point is the leader in goals (6) and points (18) for the postseason, including the winning goals in the Lightning's five-overtime classic against Columbus and the overtime series clincher against the Blue Jackets. In the Boston series, Point had eight points in five games. Factor in the 'picking up the slack in the absence of Steven Stamkos' narrative, and you have a strong Conn Smythe case.

1. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars

With 21 points in 16 games, the 21-year-old defenseman is the highest scorer left in the postseason. The last offensively dominant performance in the playoffs by a defenseman was Brent Burns, with 24 points in 2016. The three highest-scoring postseasons for defensemen: Paul Coffey (37 points, 1985), Brian Leetch (34 points, 1994) and Al MacInnis (31 points, 1989). While Coffey was trumped by a fellow named Wayne Gretzky, the other two players won the Conn Smythe for the Stanley Cup champion Rangers and Flames, respectively. If the Stars win the Stanley Cup, it's easy to see Heiskanen doing the same.