The NHL season is now less than a month away and preseason games are starting to take place in just about a weeks time. With this anticipation comes a lot of talk and some prop bets will start to show up around the internet at various online sportsbooks. Bodog has one such prop right now where you can bet on which player will win the Hart Memorial Trophy this year, as the leagues most valuable player.
Alex Ovechkin won the award last season, thanks to his incredible second half to the 48 game 2013 regular season. He has now won the award three times, with the first two times coming in ’08 and ’09.
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds
Here are the odds for some of the favourites from Bodog.eu.
- Sidney Crosby 3/1
- Alexander Ovechkin 6/1
- Steven Stamkos 8/1
- John Tavares 12/1
- Evgeni Malkin 12/1
- Henrik Lundqvist 12/1
- Claude Giroux 16/1
- Henrik Sedin 16/1
- Patrick Kane 25/1
- Jonathan Toews 25/1
- Eric Staal 30/1
To see the full list of odds for the Hart contenders, visit Bodog.eu, and select ‘NHL Player Props’ under the ‘Hockey’ drop down menu.
My Pick
Sidney Crosby is often considered the best player in the NHL, but he has only won 1 Hart Memorial trophy and this was way back in 2007, before Alex Ovechkin had even won his first. Crosby played 79 games that season and scored 120 points. Since then Crosby has had only 2 years where he has played enough games to be considered for the trophy, but in ’09 his 103 points were 7 behind Ovechkin’s 110 and when you factored in Ovechkin scoring 56 goals it was an obvious choice. In 2010 Crosby scored 109 points in 81 games, but Henrik Sedin scored 112, largely without his brother, which gave him the nod. Crosby is a tough bet because the chances of him staying healthy for an entire 82 game season are not great. On top of this, it’s not a guarantee that he will put up the best numbers in the league, as was shown in both of his last two almost full seasons.
Ovechkin at 6/1 is a strong bet in my opinion. He came on strong at the end of last year, finding his motivation to score 32 goals and 56 points in 48 games. That would have been another 50+ goal season over 82 games. Ovechkin has shown the ability to stay healthy as well, never playing less than 70 games in a full NHL season. He is a regular season performer, and although I don’t think he helps his team win as much as his stats dictate, the truth of the matter is that this trophy really is about individual numbers. At 6/1 Ovechkin is a solid play.
Stamkos at 8/1 could have some great numbers this year as well, but I’m not sold on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He may be a negative player who misses the playoffs once again and that would result in him having no chance of winning the award.
Malkin is another one I don’t like because he will likely only win the award if Crosby is injured for part of the season. He should bounce back and have better year than last, but I’m not going to bet on him to win this award this season.
Tavares at 12/1 is an interesting bet. He was nominated last season and he is now one year older and his team is a legitimate playoff contender. Tavares is also the captain now, which will help his case in the eyes of the voters if the Islanders can return to the playoffs. If Tavares can get the Islanders back in the playoffs and come top 3 in scoring in the league I think he has a legitimate shot at winning this award.
My other sleeper pick is Eric Staal. Carolina has some solid pieces in place and if their captain can take them to the playoffs and have a strong year stats wise he has a chance at the Hart. I don’t like his chances, but at 30/1 he is my sleeper pick.
Top Play: Alex Ovechkin 6/1 (Bodog.eu)
Tagged with: Alex Ovechkin • Hart Trophy • NHL Props