After a slow start by his standards, Connor McDavid is on fire again and is one of the front-runners for the NHL's Hart Trophy. Here's why he could beat the other contenders.

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has been absolutely terrific in the last seven days, racking up 10 points in three games and getting named second star of the week by THN.com and the NHL. 

With 83 points in 50 games, McDavid still has a ways to go before catching up to Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (94 points) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (92 points) in the battle for the Art Ross Trophy. But when it comes to the race for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, McDavid is clearly one of the front-runners after having a relatively slower start to the season.

In addition to MacKinnon, Kucherov and McDavid, Maple Leafs dynamo Auston Matthews and Canucks star defenseman Quinn Hughes are also in the mix for the Hart. 

Matthews is the odds-on favorite to win the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy for being the NHL’s top goal-scorer, and Hughes has been phenomenal for Vancouver, leading all defensemen in points (69) while averaging 24:37 of ice time per game in 58 games. That said, McDavid leads all skaters with 62 assists in 50 games, and without him, Edmonton’s recent white-hot streak would not have materialized.

In many ways, hockey observers have grown accustomed to McDavid’s brilliance. But the truth is that, at age 27, he’s still improving and still finding ways to impose his will on otherwise helpless opponents. Night after night, McDavid makes it look effortless, and all of his Oilers teammates would have lower offensive totals if he weren’t on their team. 

He probably won’t match or equal his career-best 153-point total from last season, but that shouldn’t make a difference regarding the Hart Trophy. McDavid would instantly raise the bar for any team he was on – the same goes for Matthews, MacKinnon, Hughes and Kucherov. Another factor is that many Hart voters interpret the award as the most outstanding player since NHL players vote for the Ted Lindsay Award, and McDavid fits that bill as well.

It’s wonderful to have a legitimate battle for the Hart. You can make a very good case for any of the aforementioned stars as the Hart winner, and that’s a credit to how many astounding talents there are in the sport today. But there’s a reason McDavid dominated at the recent 2024 NHL all-star skills competition and game – he’s consistently tremendous whether he’s facing an elite defensive attack or romping over hapless opponents. 

No coach has the answer to stop McDavid, and really, the only one who can impact his play is McDavid himself. He set a high bar heading into this season, and once again, he’s clearing that bar. His combination of speed and savvy separates him from the rest of the pack, and everyone is doing their utmost just to try and keep up with him.

There’s still plenty of time left for another superstar to edge out McDavid for the Hart this season. But his goal totals could spike in the final third of the regular season, and nobody would be shocked to see it. He’s ultimately going to be judged by how many playoff wins he and the Oilers can string together, but as an individual force in the regular season, there’s nobody better.

At this stage, the Hart is McDavid’s to lose, and as we see on the ice each and every night, McDavid hates to lose as much as any player on the planet. The wise bet is to bet on him taking home what would be his second straight Hart and the fourth of his incredible career. 

Here's what Jacob Stoller and George Nassios had to say about McDavid's Hart Trophy chances in last Thursday's episode of The Hockey News Action Show:

And for a broader look at the Hart Trophy race, check out the links below: