2025-26 NHL MVP Odds: MacKinnon Minus Money to Win Second Hart Trophy

Nathan MacKinnon is levels above the rest of the league, sitting at -200 to win MVP.

Kyle LaRusic - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Kyle LaRusic • Betting Analyst
Dec 9, 2025 • 16:18 ET • 4 min read
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates after scoring a goal in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Photo By - IMAGN Images. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates after scoring a goal in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

The NHL odds for the 2025-26 NHL MVP have been fully taken over by Nathan Mackinnon, who finds himself as a -200 favorite... in December.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel trail pretty far behind, with youngsters Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard also cracking into the Top 10. Check out the latest odds below!

Odds to win 2025-26 NHL MVP award

Player Bet99
Avalanche Nathan MacKinnon -200
Oilers Connor McDavid +310
Golden Knights Jack Eichel +1800
Lightning Nikita Kucherov +2000
Lightning Connor Bedard +2250
Wild Kirill Kaprizov +2250
Maple Leafs Macklin Celebrini +2400
Avalanche Cale Makar +3000

Odds as of 12-9.

Get a first bet encore up to $800 — no BET99 promo code neededGet a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
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Understanding NHL MVP odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When the regular season is nearly finished and a consensus has emerged, you might see a player with a minus sign (-) ahead of his odds, like this:

    • Connor McDavid -400

The (-) means that McDavid is the odds-on favorite, and a bettor would need to wager $400 to win $100. Other contenders in the MVP race might have plus (+) odds to win.

    • Nathan MacKinnon +650

Here, a bettor stood to profit $650 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

NHL Hart Trophy trends

    • The last player to win the Hart Trophy and Stanley Cup in a single season was Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis (2004).
    • Carey Price was the last goaltender (2015) to win the MVP award before Connor Hellebuyck did last season.
    • Alexander Ovechkin was the last player to repeat as the Hart winner (2008 and 2009).
    • Centers have won six of the last 10 MVP awards.
    • The last time a defenseman won the Hart Trophy was Chris Pronger back in the 1999-00 season.

NHL Hart Trophy history

A quick look at recent NHL MVPs and the position they played.

Season Player Position Team
2024-25 Connor Hellebuyck Goalie Jets Winnipeg Jets
2023-24 Nathan MacKinnon Center Avalanche Colorado Avalanche 
2022-23 Connor McDavid Center Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2021-22 Auston Matthews Center Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs
2020-21 Connor McDavid Center Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2019-20 Leon Draisaitl Center Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2018-19 Nikita Kucherov Right Wing Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning 
2017-18 Taylor Hall Left Wing Devils New Jersey Devils 
2016-17 Connor McDavid Center Oilers Edmonton Oilers
2015-16 Patrick Kane Right Wing Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks 
2014-15 Carey Price Goalie  Canadiens Montreal Canadiens 
2013-14 Sidney Crosby Center Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins 
2012-13 Alexander Ovechkin Right Wing  Capitals Washington Capitals 
2011-12 Evgeni Malkin  Center  Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins 
2010-11 Corey Perry  Right Wing Ducks Anaheim Ducks 
2009-10 Henrik Sedin  Center  Canucks Vancouver Canucks
2008-09 Alexander Ovechkin Right Wing Capitals Washington Capitals 
2007-08 Alexander Ovechkin Right Wing Capitals Washington Capitals 
2006-07 Sidney Crosby Center Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins 
2005-06 Joe Thornton Center Bruins Boston Bruins/ Sharks San Jose Sharks 

NHL MVP award winners by position

Position Hart Trophy awards
Center 55
Right wing 18
Left wing 13
Goalie 9
Defenseman 7

Centers won the Hart Trophy 17 times over an 18-year period from 1979 to 1996. Wayne Gretzky personally skated away with the league's MVP award eight straight times during that era.

Hart Trophy Odds FAQs

Pages related to this topic

Kyle LaRusic - Covers
Betting Analyst

Kyle LaRusic joined Covers in 2020 with a Holland College diploma in Journalism and a Mount Saint Vincent Degree in Public Relations. Stints at Amherst News and the Cape Breton Post helped sharpen his skills in a newsroom setting, while working for MSVU and Dalhousie’s athletic departments landed Kyle in his comfort zone.

Kyle has been an avid bettor for over five years, starting with just one Sports Interaction account before discovering both the beauty and importance of price shopping. bet365 and Pinnacle are his go to books, but accounts at 10+ sportsbooks give him an array of options. “Rusty” will bet on anything under the sun as long as there’s value and good reasoning behind it, but NHL and NFL are his two favorite leagues to watch and wager on — especially with friends.

Kyle’s biggest tip for any bettor is simple: gamble responsibly. Only bet what you’re willing to lose and make sure to install a proper bankroll method to keep track of your ROI. If you’re still dwelling on the amount you lost the next day, it’s time to decrease your spending.

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