Nathan MacKinnon isn’t just having a good year – he’s putting together the kind of season that can redefine how we talk about “most valuable player” in the NHL. And this is where it gets really interesting: is anyone actually close to him in the Hart Trophy race right now?
Trophy Tracker overview
To celebrate the first quarter of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, NHL.com has released the second edition of its Trophy Tracker series, which takes an early look at the major individual awards. In this installment, the focus is on the Hart Trophy, given each year to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team, as determined by a vote of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. At this stage of the season, the discussion is already heating up, and one name clearly sits at the center of it: Nathan MacKinnon.
MacKinnon’s record-breaking start
Now in his 13th NHL season, the 30-year-old Colorado Avalanche center is off to the strongest opening stretch of his career, piling up 39 points in just 23 games, with 18 goals and 21 assists. Both his 39 points and 18 goals represent new personal bests for his first 23 games of a season, surpassing his previous high of 35 points in that span, which he reached in 2018-19, 2021-22, and 2024-25. For anyone new to hockey: putting up this level of production over a quarter of the season, especially when it exceeds a superstar’s own past peaks, is a strong early sign of an MVP-caliber year.
League rankings and Hart voting
At the quarter mark, MacKinnon sits atop the NHL leaderboard in both goals and points, and he ranks second in assists, underlining how complete his offensive impact has been so far. In the NHL.com panel’s early Hart Trophy voting, he is the clear favorite, earning 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes and finishing with 70 voting points, a total that is 30 points higher than any other player received. When a player dominates both the stats sheet and the voting this decisively, it raises a big question: is this still a race, or already MacKinnon’s award to lose?
Avalanche success and two-trophy chase
MacKinnon captured the Hart Trophy in 2023-24 but has never claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s top point scorer, finishing runner-up to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in each of the past two seasons. With his current pace and Colorado’s strong play, there is growing speculation that he might finally secure both the Hart and Art Ross in the same season, especially if the Avalanche remain at or near the top of the standings. Through 23 games, Colorado owns a remarkable 17-1-5 record, leading the NHL in both wins and total points with 39, which strengthens the argument that MacKinnon’s performance is central to the team’s dominance.
Coach Bednar on MacKinnon’s habits
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar points to MacKinnon’s professionalism and discipline as the foundation of his consistency, noting that his habits in all aspects of preparation translate directly into predictable, elite performance. Bednar also highlights that this season may be MacKinnon’s best year defensively, particularly in terms of checking, which means he is more effective at winning pucks back and limiting opponents’ chances. For beginners, this is crucial: strong checking and defensive play often lead to more time with the puck, which in turn creates more offensive opportunities for a player with MacKinnon’s skill set.
Two-way game and offensive payoff
According to Bednar, the Avalanche as a whole are embracing a mindset centered on strong checking and puck possession, and MacKinnon is a prime example of how that approach fuels offense. When a high-end talent like MacKinnon has the puck on his stick more often because of sound defensive habits, the result is exactly what the stats are showing: consistent scoring, dangerous chances, and a constant impact in every game. This two-way dominance is part of what makes his Hart case so compelling – and also part of what fuels debate about how to truly measure “value” for this award.
A decade of elite consistency
MacKinnon’s current surge isn’t a one-off; it fits into a long pattern of early-season excellence stretching back nearly a decade. Since the 2017-18 season, he has recorded at least 25 points in his first 23 games every year, surpassing 30 points in that span in five straight seasons and in seven of the past eight. That kind of sustained production, year after year without slow starts, is rare even among stars and sets a powerful example for the League’s younger generation.
Young stars watching and learning
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, who finished second in the NHL.com Hart Trophy voting at the quarter mark, describes MacKinnon as one of the League’s most talented players and notes how intensely competitive and self-motivated he appears to be. For Bedard and other emerging stars, the lesson is clear: MacKinnon’s combination of skill, competitiveness, and constant drive to improve shows what it takes to live at the top of the NHL for multiple seasons. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just talent that keeps you in the Hart conversation every year – it’s the ability to avoid complacency.
No. 1 picks following the path
MacKinnon’s standard is especially instructive for recent top draft choices, such as Bedard, San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer. All three were selected first overall in their respective draft years (2023 for Bedard, 2024 for Celebrini, and 2025 for Schaefer), just as MacKinnon was taken No. 1 in 2013, and each is now trying to carve out a long-term impact in the League. The implied challenge for them: can they build the same level of consistency and year-over-year improvement that has defined MacKinnon’s career so far?
Patrick Roy’s influence and Schaefer’s growth
Schaefer plays under coach Patrick Roy with the Islanders, the same coach who guided MacKinnon during his early days in Colorado when he broke into the NHL as an 18-year-old. Under Roy, MacKinnon steadily earned more ice time by improving daily, and Schaefer appears to be following a similar track as his role and responsibilities grow alongside his performance. For a young defenseman, that progression mirrors the path of a high-end forward like MacKinnon: earn trust, handle tougher minutes, and keep pushing your ceiling.
Roy on MacKinnon and Schaefer
Roy sees a shared trait in MacKinnon and Schaefer: both have the ability to raise their level day after day and then maintain that elevated standard. He notes that sometimes coaches instinctively want to protect young players, but these types of competitors make it impossible because they consistently demand and justify more ice time with their play. That relentless upward push is how players begin to “one-up” themselves season after season, just as MacKinnon is doing right now.
Continuous self-improvement and work ethic
Bedard also emphasizes how important it is for great players to stay consistent and to keep finding ways to get better instead of being satisfied with past success. In his view, MacKinnon not only possesses elite natural talent but also appears to be the kind of player who constantly works on his game, always chasing his highest possible level of performance. That mindset might be the most powerful part of MacKinnon’s legacy: he is showing that even established superstars can still seek new peaks.
Quarter-mark Hart voting breakdown
The NHL.com panel’s Hart Trophy voting at the quarter mark uses a 5-4-3-2-1 point system, with voters ranking their top five candidates. The results are as follows: Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche leads with 70 points and 14 first-place votes; Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks is second with 40 points; Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is third with 34 points; Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has 28 points; and David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins has 26 points and two first-place votes.
Additional candidates on the ballot
Beyond the top five, several other notable names received support: Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks earned 18 points; Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars received 5; Cale Makar of the Avalanche and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights each collected 4; and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders each picked up 3. Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, Scott Wedgewood of the Avalanche, and Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets all received 1 point apiece, reflecting a broad field of players making strong impacts for their teams. That spread of votes raises a controversial question: should “value” favor the best player on the best team, like MacKinnon, or someone carrying a weaker roster on his back?
Contributors and final note
Several independent correspondents for NHL.com, including Stefen Rosner, Bruce Miles, and Ryan Boulding, contributed reporting and insight to this early-season Hart Trophy outlook. Their collective perspective helps frame the current narrative: MacKinnon is clearly in the driver’s seat, but the season is long, and the race can still shift dramatically as other stars surge or circumstances change.
Now it’s your turn: do you think MacKinnon truly deserves to be this far ahead in the Hart conversation right now, or are Bedard, McDavid, or another candidate being underrated by the early voting? Should the Hart go to the best player on the best team, or to the player who means the most to a struggling roster? Share where you stand – and don’t be afraid to disagree with the current narrative in the comments.
