Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews nominated for the Hart Trophy
The NHL has released this season’s Hart Trophy finalists for the league’s most valuable player.
To the surprise of no one, the three nominees are @Connor McDavid, @Nathan MacKinnon, and @Auston Matthews.
Nathan MacKinnon (@Avalanche), Auston Matthews (@MapleLeafs) and Connor McDavid (@EdmontonOilers) are the finalists for the 2020-21 Hart Memorial Trophy. https://t.co/78c6pDAmtm #NHLAwards #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/K9UFGAWw01
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 10, 2021
This is Matthews’ first time as a finalist for the Hart. The 2016 No. 1 overall pick led the league in goals with 41 this season, which would have been a 65-goal pace over a normal 82-game calendar. Matthews’ strong season helped the Toronto Maple Leafs finish first in the North Division, their first division victory since 1999-2000.
MacKinnon is a finalist for the Hart for the third time in four seasons. He finished as the runner-up behind @Taylor Hall in 2018 and behind @Leon Draisaitl in 2020. MacKinnon scored 20 goals and 65 points in 48 games in 2021, helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Presidents’ Trophy for the third time in franchise history.
Though MacKinnon and Matthews both had excellent seasons, it would be shocking if Connor McDavid didn’t take home the MVP. McDavid had a legendary season for the Oilers this year, scoring an absurd 105 points over the course of 56 games. McDavid’s point-per-game average of 1.88 is far and away the best we’ve seen since the turn of the century.
McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2017 after his first 100-point season. He’s finished top-five in voting every season since.