NHL Hart Trophy race is a runaway for MVP leader
The NHL’s Hart Trophy front-runners display elite consistency just over one-third of the season.
Of the five players on The Hockey News’ previous Hart Trophy rankings on Nov. 13, four remain on the list. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid finds his way back into the conversation after recording a hat trick against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 4 and nine points in his last five games.
The Professional Hockey Writers Association will have the final say after the regular season on who is ‘the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,’ but this would be my ballot if voting happened now (statistics through Dec. 8).
5. Logan Thompson, G, Washington Capitals
Logan Thompson is likely the best goaltender in the NHL today. In 21 games this season, the 28-year-old has a 1.96 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
Among all goalies who have made at least 10 appearances, only the Minnesota Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt has a better save percentage and goals-against average, but he has played in 10 fewer contests than Thompson.
Thompson has been especially hot in his last six starts. He has five wins and one overtime loss and averaged a .955 save percentage and 1.32 goals-against average.
The Capitals netminder has been facing plenty of shots, too. On Friday, Dec. 5, he faced 38, and in his last game on Sunday, Dec. 7, he recorded a 39-save shutout.
4. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid had a slow start to the season by his standards, but he’s still third in league scoring with 42 points in 29 games.
At the end of October, McDavid was tied for 19th in league scoring. But since then, he’s averaged 1.65 points per game, nearly half a point more than his scoring rate in October.
Not only does McDavid lead the Oilers in points with five more than Leon Draisaitl, but his 28 assists are tied for the most in the NHL as well.
Edmonton finds itself back in the playoff picture after being on the outside of the mix from Nov. 16 to Dec. 5. As they hold on to the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and continue to lack consistent goaltending, McDavid will be a significant factor in his team making the postseason as usual.
3. Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard has been a consistent performer for the Chicago Blackhawks, and he’s pushed his team into a playoff spot at times this season.
Now, the Blackhawks are just one point out of a playoff spot, with a game in hand on the San Jose Sharks, which sit in the West’s second wild-card spot.
Chicago’s playoff hopes are in the hands of 20-year-old Bedard, who’s carried the weight of the team’s offense, recording 15 more points than second-place Tyler Bertuzzi.
Bedard leads the team in goals, assists, points, plus-minus, game-winning goals and more. He’s truly been a valuable piece to the Blackhawks, recording 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points this year. He’s factored into about 47 percent of the team’s 86 goals.
2. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
Like Bedard, Macklin Celebrini has been able to maintain his excellent scoring pace from the start of the season. In 30 contests, the 19-year-old has 15 goals and 43 points, which has him second in league scoring.
Celebrini’s factored into just over half of the San Jose Sharks’ 85 goals. He leads his team in goals, assists, points, plus-minus, overtime goals, power-play goals and more.
The sophomore center has 15 more points than second-place Will Smith, who has 28. Celebrini equals Smith’s point total in assists alone. He’s tied with McDavid for the league lead in that category.
1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Nathan MacKinnon sits at the top of this list.
The Avalanche superstar center is the front-runner for the Rocket Richard Trophy as he leads the league in goals with 24. He also leads the way in the Art Ross Trophy race, sitting on top of the NHL with 49 points, six more than Celebrini.
While the Avalanche have several stars, such as defenseman Cale Makar and right wing Martin Necas, there’s no doubt that MacKinnon is the driving force of the team’s incredible 21-2-6 record.
MacKinnon also dominates the NHL in the plus-minus department with a plus-35 rating. The closest player to him outside of the Avalanche’s roster is Capitals D-man Jakob Chychrun at plus-24.
He’s proven to be an extremely valuable piece to the Avs, being on the right side of the puck almost all the time. He’s a big reason why the Avalanche are undisputedly the best team in the NHL.
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