The expectations are as high as they've been in years for the Edmonton Oilers. Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens discuss if they will meet them. Cale Makar and Connor McDavid [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNDY5ODMzNTM0NDE2MjQ4/usatsi_19746691.jpg] Cale Makar and Connor McDavid With the calendar about to flip to September, hockey season is finally just around the corner. It still sounds a bit jarring to say that the Vegas Golden Knights have possession of the Stanley Cup after a dominating run through the playoffs. At least the knowledge that Connor McDavid collected the third Hart Trophy of his eight-year career last June feels comfortably familiar, like a warm sweater or a pumpkin spice latte. So what's in store for 2023-24? Who will take home the honors as league MVP? Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association annually award the Hart Memorial Trophy "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." Each voter must rank their top five choices in order. And more goes into that process than you might think. 'Value' is not just about goals, points or saves. It can also be about which players shoulder the most weight as individuals — having fellow stars as teammates can muddy the water a bit. Also, a significant body of work is important — not too many games lost to injury. And while the Hart is a regular-season award, it's rarely handed out to a player whose team isn't headed to the post-season. With all that in mind, here's a way-too-early look at five names that could appear prominently when the next batch of Hart Trophy ballots are tabulated next April. 1. CONNOR MCDAVID, EDMONTON OILERS No player has won back-to-back Hart Trophies [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-hart-memorial-trophy-winners-complete-list/c-287743272] since Alex Ovechkin turned the trick in 2008 and 2009. But after a personal-best 153-point season that would have turned heads during the NHL's peak offensive era in the early '90s, can you really bet against the 26-year-old who comfortably wears the title of hockey's best player right now? Though he breaks one Hart Trophy taboo because he lines up with another top star in 2020 winner Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid generally gets a pass because his stats are not just otherworldly — his contributions always seem to serve team objectives. The Oilers go as far as McDavid takes them. At this point, that's getting very close to Stanley Cup territory. 2. MATTHEW TKACHUK, FLORIDA PANTHERS Florida's roster is dotted with plenty of other talent. But the swagger that Matthew Tkachuk brought to Sunrise after his trade last season didn't just boost the Panthers' mojo — it also helped get them on the never-say-die conveyer that delivered them into the playoffs, then all the way to the Stanley Cup final. Physically, Tkachuk and his teammates were battered and broken by the post-season's end. So the Panthers may not start especially hot this fall — and that could be an issue in the increasingly competitive Atlantic Division. But as Tkachuk and his cohorts showed last year, it's not how you start but how you finish. If they can tap into the same magic again, the older Tkachuk brother will have every opportunity to improve on last season's third-place finish in the Hart Trophy balloting. 3. CALE MAKAR, COLORADO AVALANCHE In recent years, Nathan MacKinnon has been the Avalanche's traditional representative in Hart voting. He landed in the top six in five of the last six seasons and settled for fifth place last year. MacKinnon's new contract extension will put him at the top of the NHL's salary list for the 2023-24 season, but he should be listening for footsteps as Cale Makar challenges him for Hart attention. In just 238 career games, the cerebral, smooth-skating defenseman has already captured the Calder Trophy, the Norris, the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup. His talent is matched by earnest diligence, which makes him a superstar who carries himself like a role player — an enticing combination that has landed him on the cover of EA Sports NHL 24 [https://thehockeynews.com/gaming/news/exclusive-cale-makar-reveals-journey-to-becoming-the-nhl-24-cover-athlete]. And, with no slight intended to Devon Toews, Makar's singular importance on Colorado's blueline fits the Hart Trophy criteria more tightly these days. Up front, MacKinnon shares the spotlight with Mikko Rantanen, whose monster skill set evokes the McDavid/Draisaitl dynamic rather than a scenario where MacKinnon leads the way alone. If a long summer of rest has made the Avs healthier and hungrier, Makar could catapult himself into the top echelon of the Hart conversation this season. 4. TAGE THOMPSON, BUFFALO SABRES After jumping from 68 to 94 points last season, the Buffalo Sabres' towering 25-year-old earned the first Hart Trophy votes of his career: one third-place tally and three for fourth place, to land him 14th in the 2023 rankings. Does Tage Thompson have yet another level? The Sabres are widely expected to take another step forward this season. That rising tide should lift them into a playoff spot while also elevating Thompson as he blows past the 50-goal mark. 5. AUSTON MATTHEWS, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS For an illustration of how hard it is to be the best in the NHL business in back-to-back seasons, look no further than Maple Leafs sharpshooter Auston Matthews. With 60 goals and 106 points in 2022, he handily claimed his first Hart Trophy with 119 of 195 first-place votes. And while most players would be thrilled with the 40-goal, 85-point campaign that Matthews logged last season, he dealt with nagging injury issues and saw his shooting percentage drop to a career-low 12.2 percent, leading only four voters to put him back on their Hart ballots: one in third place, one in fourth place and two in fifth. As part of the Leafs' Core Four, Matthews may not individually carry as much of his team's workload as top stars on some other squads. But his star power is undeniable, and his new contract extension finally alleviates the anxiety that he'll bolt south of the border as soon as the opportunity arises. With the financials handled and his body expected to be back at full power, Matthews should be in top form this fall. Expect him to score his way back into the Hart conversation.
