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Canadians MacKinnon, Celebrini and McDavid lead Hart Trophy race ahead of Olympic break

We’re only days away from the Olympic break in the NHL, so it’s the perfect time to check in on the Hart Trophy race.

A trio of Canadian Olympic teammates currently lead the race, with 2024 Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon sitting at -225, followed by Sharks sophomore Macklin Celebrini (+185) and three-time Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid (+475).

Let’s get into it.

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Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon leads the NHL with 40 goals and his 91 points has him on pace to finish right around his career-high of 141, set two years ago when he first won the Hart Trophy.

His case for the Hart comes down to a combination of individual and team performance. The Colorado Avalanche have been the most dominant team in the NHL this season, leading the league in wins (36), regulation wins (33), points (81), goals-for (208) and goals-against (136).

If MacKinnon and the Avs keep this pace up, he should be a lock for the Hart.

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini has been incredibly impressive in his second NHL season, sitting fourth in points (81) and third in assists (53) while contributing to 48 per cent of San Jose’s goals this year.

Celebrini is different than MacKinnon because he doesn’t have the elite weapons that surround MacKinnon in Denver. The 19-year-old has 42 points and 11 goals more than the next closest player on his team and he’s the sole reason the Sharks remain in the playoff hunt.

If Celebrini ends up with 50+ points more than the next closest player on his team and San Jose makes the playoffs, he’ll have a legit shot at the Hart.

Connor McDavid

McDavid is in the Hart conversation every year and it’s no different now as he is first in the NHL in points (95) and assists (61) and second in goals (34).

The scary thing about McDavid is he’s seemingly found another gear after a slow start to the year, recording 59 points over his last 30 games since the start of December.

Voter fatigue is probably McDavid’s biggest threat, but the three-time Hart Trophy winner is doing everything in his power to make his case for another MVP.