The NFL is not the only sport that is going to have an intense MVP debate. As the 2024-25 NHL season reaches its halfway point, the Hart Trophy (MVP) race is still extremely wide open with several contenders emerging.
Let’s take a look at four of them who should be leading the way.
Nathan MacKinnon, forward, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon’s MVP argument is simple — he is leading the NHL in scoring with 70 points going into Thursday’s games, and he is the best player on a team that is solidly in a playoff spot. Points and offense will always get players noticed in awards discussions, especially when they are on top of the league. Given how many injuries Colorado has had to deal with this season, as well as its sketchy goaltending that cost it some games early in the season, MacKinnon’s play has allowed the Avalanche to stay comfortably in a playoff spot. If he wins, he would be the first back-to-back MVP winner since Alex Ovechkin during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.
Leon Draisaitl, forward, Edmonton Oilers
Every year, you can be sure that Edmonton’s dominant offensive duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be at the top of the scoring leaderboard and at the center of the MVP debate. Both players have already won the MVP award in their careers, and both players are right there again this season. But as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl gets the slight edge here because he entered play on Thursday leading the NHL in total goals (31), plus-minus (plus-27) and game-winning goals (nine).
Connor Hellebuyck, goalie, Winnipeg Jets
Goalies don’t get nearly enough love in the MVP race. Only two of them have won it over the past 25 years (Jose Theodore in 2001-02 and Carey Price in 2014-15), and they are rarely finalists. But given how much they can impact a team, and how much a great goalie can elevate a mediocre team into a contender, they absolutely fit the definition of value. No goalie in the league does that more right now than Hellebuyck. He is the single biggest reason the Jets have one of the NHL’s best records. His .929 save percentage is the highest in the NHL and .028 higher than the league average (.901), while he has a mark of .920 or better for the third year in a row. He is the best goalie on the planet right now and has almost single-handedly turned the Jets into a contender.
Kirill Kaprizov, forward, Minnesota Wild
The Wild have never had an MVP winner in the history of their organization, but Kaprizov probably has the best chance of any player they have ever had. He is a top-tier scorer, a dynamic playmaker and is helping to carry the Wild to a playoff spot a year after they missed entirely. His point-per-game average is fourth best in the NHL, and he is one of league’s must-see players when healthy. That, however, is the key for Kaprizov and the one thing that is probably putting him below the players mentioned above. He has not been healthy all season. He has already missed 11 games this season, which might knock him down a peg or two in the eyes of voters. If he plays the majority of the second half, however, and maintains his current scoring rate and gets the Wild into the playoffs, he will absolutely be in the discussion.
