The race for NHL MVP so far: Connor McDavid early favorite to repeat originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
While the NHL season has just begun, it's never too early to keep an eye on future awards.
The race is on for the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL’s most valuable player. Connor McDavid won it last season after putting up 105 points in just 56 games.
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Who will the MVP be this year? Here is a look at the preseason favorites to win the honor.
Who is the favorite to win the Hart Memorial Trophy?
After winning the Hart last season, McDavid enters the 2021-22 season as the betting favorite to take it again, according to our partner, PointsBet.
Here is the top favorites to win the NHL’s MVP:
Connor McDavid +225
Nathan MacKinnon +600
Auston Matthews +900
Nikita Kucherov +1000
Artemi Panarin +1300
David Pastrnak +1400
Leon Draisaitl +1600
Sebastian Aho +1600
Brayden Point +1800
Mikko Rantanen +2000
Andrei Vasilevskiy +2000
You can find all the odds for the Hart here.
Who are the most recent winners of the Hart Memorial Trophy?
As mentioned earlier, McDavid took home the Hart last season, his second in his career. He previously won the award in 2017.
Here’s a look at those that have recently won the Hart Memorial Trophy.
2021: Connor McDavid
2020: Leon Draisaitl
2019: Nikita Kucherov
2018: Taylor Hall
2017: Connor McDavid
Who has won the Hart Memorial Trophy the most in NHL history?
It shouldn’t come to a surprise that The Great One tops the list with the most ever Hart Memorial Trophy wins. Wayne Greztky finished his career winning the award nine times, including eight seasons in a row spanning from 1980 to 1987.
Gordie Howe was named MVP six times in his career and Eddie Shore won it four. Those three are the only players in NHL history to win the Hart at least four times.
There have been five players to win the award three times -- Alex Ovechkin, Bobby Clarke, Bobby Orr, Howie Morenz and Mario Lemeiux. And 11 players have been honored with the Hart twice in their careers, including Sidney Crosby, Dominik Hasek, Guy LaFleur and Mark Messier.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
