The NHL season has started and that means its time to look at some futures for the season. If you’re going to skip on the team futures and want to mix it up a bit the next place to look is at the MVP otherwise known as the Hart Memorial Trophy. This year there are a slew of players in the running for the coveted award. Let’s look at a few of the candidates that could take home the hardware. For up to date Odds check out Bookmaker

Alexander Ovechkin 
(Latest Odds: +200) 
The favorite to win it again this year is the famous left winger from the Capitols. It’s hard not put a few bucks on him considering he has won it twice in the last two years. As the defending MVP he will be in the race and the award seems to belong to him. He loves the game and can put the puck in the net from almost anywhere on the ice. Even if you don’t know hockey he seems to be a safe bet and if you do know hockey you know he is the best player in the league, hands down.

Evgeni Malkin 
(Latest odds: +400) 
If there is anyone that can give Ovechkin a run for his money in the MVP race it is Evgeni Malkin. He has helped Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Finals and grabbed the Conn Smythe trophy along the way. He has won the rookie of the year and managed to finish second in the MVP balloting to Ovechkin. He has great size and will always be in the tops in the league in scoring so his name will always talked about with this award.

Sidney Crosby  
(Latest odds: +500)

Sidney Crosby is already considered one of the best players in the game and he is just 22 years old. He has sharp skills and is a pure scorer. The one problem with backing Sid the Kid for MVP is that he plays with Evgeni Malkin. They seem to offset each other when it comes to getting a shot at the MVP. As long as they are still winning Stanley Cups I am sure they don’t mind. 
 
Pavel Datsyuk 
(Latest odds: +2000) 
He may be the dark horse of this group but that does not mean that he is not worthy of a look when it comes to MVP. He has great offensive skills but he is well rounded with a great ability to play defense. In fact last year he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for his defensive prowess. He is the go to guy on the Red Wings to shut out opposing stars and if he can play through some early injuries he will be in the MVP race.

This is just a quick look at the top candidates for the Hart memorial trophy. As the season progresses there will be other player’s that may enter the race. If you bet on a superstar now it will allow you to hedge if other players emerge during the season.