Usually when we talk about the MVP race in any sport its between 3 guys but only one has a legitimate chance of winning. What if I told you there’s potentially seven players that could win the hart trophy. Nathan Mackinnon, Quinn Hughes, Connor Mcdavid, Leon Draisaitl, Connor Hellebuyck, Nikita Kucherov and Kirill Kaprizov all have legit shots at taking home the most coveted award in hockey.
With still four months to go this race will come down to the wire. This MVP would mean so much to all of these players legacies. Either adding to an already great one or helping them make their hall of fame case even stronger. Lets take a closer look at the candidates that I think have the best shot at taking home the hardware in part one of this article.
Hart Trophy check in… Who do you think will take it? 🏆 #NHLAwards
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Nathan Mackinnon: A career high 140 points helped take home his first hart trophy last year. Some fans might say this was long overdue as Mackinnon was the runner up in 2018 and 2020. He’s picking up right where he left off as Mackinnon is currently leading the NHL in scoring and the Avalanche have been plagued with injuries and goaltending issues since the beginning of the season. Mackinnon is putting the team on his back once again and isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon.
Connor Mcdavid: In this day and age you can’t talk about the hart trophy race without bring up Connor Mcdavid. The three-time winner and five time scoring champ is looking to add to his already elite resume. Even with missing three games Mcdavid is sixth in NHL scoring. He did start off the season slow and like Mcjesus always does he turned it on like the flick of a switch. Typical Mcdavid. Its looking like he will easily finish in the top three in scoring making him a prime hart trophy candidate.
Leon Draisaitl. Mcdavid’s running mate is putting up quite a season himself. Draisaitl is second in the league in points and first in the NHL in goals. If you think its because of Mcdavid you’re not looking close enough. Draisaitl has been carrying in his own weight and putting up great defensive numbers for the first time in his career. The 2020 hart trophy winner his looking for MVP number two and for any casuals who wanna see he’s a “Mcdavid merchant” are just false.