:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71793776/usa_today_19667791.0.jpg "NHL MVP odds 2023: Hart Trophy picks, favorites at Holiday Break")
So far the race for the 2022-23 Hart Memorial Trophy has been a runaway. It will take an amazing stretch of hockey for someone to catch up to Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid.
Hart Trophy odds 2022-23
McDavid is a runaway betting favorite (-180 at DraftKings Sportsbook) to win his third Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player. The Oilers forward leads the NHL in goals (30), assists (36) and points (66). He could become the sixth player in the NHL to reach the 150-point mark in a season.
The closest competitor among the oddsmakers is Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who is at +900. Robertson leads a group of second-tier Hart Trophy candidates that include Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (+1400), Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (+1600), Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (+1800) and Boston Bruins left wing David Pastrnak (+1800).
Of those candidates, Pastrnak seems like the most likely to emerge as a challenger for McDavid because the Bruins are on a pace to win 60 or more games this season. He is the best player on the best team.
As long as McDavid stays healthy he is going to win his third Hart Trophy. He is on a points-per-game pace of around 1.89. If he continues that pace and plays a full 82-game season, McDavid should finish with around 154 points.