San Jose's Macklin Celebrini presents case for Hart trophy after helping lift Sharks into playoff contention.
The race for the Hart Trophy is beginning to take shape, and at the moment it looks like a showdown between two of the best players the NHL has to offer.
Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid are once again setting the standard with sensational seasons that have separated them from the rest of the league.
MacKinnon has been nothing short of electric. The 30-year-old Halifax native is producing offense at a pace rarely seen in the modern NHL, piling up 35 goals and 39 assists for 74 points through just 41 games.
That production puts him on pace for an astonishing 70-goal campaign with the last player to even approach that mark was Toronto’s Auston Matthews, who scored 69 goals during the 2023–24 season. MacKinnon currently holds a slim edge in the scoring race, sitting two points ahead of McDavid while playing one fewer game.
McDavid, however, remains right on his heels as the Oilers superstar has recorded 72 points in 42 games and, like MacKinnon, is projected to surpass the 140-point mark by season’s end. For most players, that type of season would make them the clear Hart favorite. For McDavid and MacKinnon, it has become the standard. Both continue to drive elite offenses on teams loaded with high-end talent, a factor that could play a role when voters consider the true definition of “most valuable player.”
That context opens the door for a compelling third candidate emerging from the Western Conference. San Jose Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini has taken the league by storm and, at just 19 years old, has transformed a franchise that spent recent seasons near the bottom of the standings. The North Vancouver native has become the engine behind a Sharks team now firmly in the playoff conversation.
Celebrini has already matched his rookie-season point total in 29 fewer games, posting 22 goals and 41 assists for 63 points in 41 contests. His impact goes beyond raw numbers. San Jose owns a 20-18-3 record and sits just two points out of the second wild card spot in the West, a position few expected the Sharks to be in this season. Celebrini’s scoring pace has him tracking toward a jaw-dropping total, and his ability to dominate games at such a young age has drawn comparisons to hockey legend Sidney Crosby.
Around the league, his play has not gone unnoticed. Insider reports suggest that several of the NHL’s top players already view Celebrini as a peer rather than a prospect. His 63 points place him ahead of established stars such as Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, and Mikko Rantanen, trailing only McDavid and MacKinnon among the league’s elite scorers.
While MacKinnon and McDavid remain the clear frontrunners, some insiders believe Celebrini’s case could grow significantly stronger if San Jose reaches the postseason on his back. Should that happen, the Hart conversation may shift from a two-man race into one of the most intriguing award debates in recent memory. For now, Celebrini remains a long shot in the betting market at +2500 odds on BetMGM, but his rapid rise suggests he may not stay in that category for long.
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