The race for NHL’s MVP award is heating up, and while Nathan MacKinnon might be the frontrunner, there are some amazing players giving him a real run for his money.
Let’s start with Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. He’s absolutely crushing it this season with 46 goals – more than anyone else in the league. He’s just five points behind MacKinnon in the scoring race and is closing in on 100 points for the year.
The big German center has been on fire lately, racking up seven assists in his last five games. Sure, he’s only scored twice in that stretch, but he’s making everyone around him better.
With three games coming up in New York and New Jersey, there’s a good chance he’ll hit the 50-goal mark by Sunday. That’s pretty incredible.
"Draisaitl is unique," says Allan Mitchell of The Athletic. "He’s a big-game talent because he’s an every game talent. His progression since 2014 has been shocking – this might be his best season ever."
Then there’s Connor Hellebuyck, who’s doing something really special in Winnipeg. It’s rare for a goalie to be in the MVP conversation, but he’s making it impossible to ignore him. Get this: of the Jets’ 44 wins this season, Hellebuyck has been in net for 37 of them.
His numbers are ridiculous – a 2.02 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick puts it simply: "If he sees it, he’s going to stop it."
Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t be counted out either. With 92 points (28 goals, 64 assists), he’ll probably hit 100 before April rolls around. While he might not win the scoring title this year, he’s still playing some of the best hockey of his career.
And don’t forget about Connor McDavid. Even though he’s sitting at 82 points and has some catching up to do, he’s still Connor McDavid. With 18 games left, he could easily go on one of his signature hot streaks and shake up this whole race.
The betting odds have Draisaitl as the favorite, followed by Hellebuyck, with Kucherov and McDavid rounding out the top challengers. But in hockey, anything can happen in the final stretch of the season.
