Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov are once again in the NHL's Hart Trophy conversation, but 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini moves up in this month's top five.
It's not much longer now until NHL players, coaches and GMs make their way to Milan for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Among the star players headed to Italy are multiple Hart Trophy candidates. Four players in this latest Hart Trophy ranking will be at the Olympics, including three who will represent Team Canada.
The Hart Trophy is awarded "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team," so with many players putting up impressive campaigns this season, some are more valuable to their squad's success than others.
Here are my top five front-runners for the NHL's Hart Trophy as of Feb. 3.
5. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
David Pastrnak has never won the Hart Trophy in his first 11 years in the NHL. However, he's come awfully close a number of times, including a second-place finish for the award in 2022-23.
That was also the first season in which the Boston Bruins right winger recorded 100-plus points. Pastrnak went on to score 100 points for the next two seasons, and this year, he is on the verge of hitting that mark again.
The Czechia native has 22 goals and 70 points in 51 games for the Bruins this season. Not only is he on pace to hit the century mark for the fourth straight year, but he leads Boston in scoring by 17 points.
BetMGM Hart Trophy odds: 501.00/+50000
4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nikita Kucherov is the only player on this list who won't be going to the Olympics, but that's certainly not related to the Russian's performance this season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning right winger is set to write another ridiculous season in his illustrious career. In fact, this could be his best campaign yet at 32.
In 49 games, Kucherov has 28 goals and 86 points, which almost puts him at a two-point-per-game pace. He leads the league with a 1.76 points-per-game average and is third in the NHL in points.
Kucherov has a whopping 29-point lead on his Lightning teammates, with Jake Guentzel scoring 57 points so far. Also, the playmaker has been red-hot lately, as he's in the midst of an eight-game point streak and a four-point performance in the entertaining Stadium Series battle against the Bruins.
BetMGM Hart Trophy odds: 31.00/+3000
3. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
There aren't many lists that will have Connor McDavid ranked at No. 3, or not at the top spot in general.
Nonetheless, McDavid is having a typical campaign by his standards, which means he's been a real contender for the Hart Trophy. After all, he does have three Hart Trophies to his name, with his last one coming in 2022-23.
The Edmonton Oilers captain is the NHL's leading scorer with 95 points made up of 34 goals and 61 assists in 56 games. He's also on pace to challenge 50 goals and record more than 130 points for the third time in four years.
The reason he isn't higher on this list is that superstar teammate Leon Draisaitl isn't much further behind in the scoring race, sitting in fifth with 78 points. But like Pastrnak, McDavid leads his team in scoring by 17 points.
BetMGM Hart Trophy odds: 5.75/+475
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon has been the NHL's leading scorer for almost the entire season up to this point, until McDavid overtook him not long ago.
However, MacKinnon has been the centerpiece of the Colorado Avalanche's dominance this season.
As he leads the NHL in goals with 40 in 54 games, MacKinnon is on pace to set a career-high 60 tallies. The 30-year-old also has 51 assists and 91 points.
He is the betting favorite for the Hart Trophy, according to BetMGM, and is two years removed from the first and last time he received the award.
BetMGM Hart Trophy odds: 1.44/-235
1. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
Let's not kid ourselves. While he isn't the NHL's leading scorer and probably not the best overall player in the league this season, Macklin Celebrini has certainly been the most important player to his team this season.
It's no surprise that Celebrini leads the San Jose Sharks in points, but what is surprising is how many points he's put up so far this year, and how far ahead he is among the team's top scorers.
The 19-year-old has 28 goals and 81 points across 54 appearances in this campaign. With those numbers, he leads the Sharks by 42 points.
In fact, the distance between Celebrini and Will Smith is greater than the total amount of points that Smith has recorded this season, 39.
San Jose is just shy of a playoff spot, but if the team can get in, there shouldn't be a world where Celebrini isn't awarded the Hart Trophy.
If he does win it, he'll join Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby as the youngest players to win the Hart Trophy, all at 19 years old.
BetMGM Hart Trophy odds: 2.85/+185
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