Can Connor McDavid overtake Nathan MacKinnon in the Hart Trophy race in the second half of the season?
The battle for who the best player is in the NHL this season looks to be coming down to two players.
At the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign, it looked like Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was going to be the favorite to win the Hart Trophy because of how he led his team to one of the best starts in league history. Yet, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has had something to say about that.
McDavid helped drag the Oilers out of their early-season funk and has brought the team back near the top of the Pacific Division. The former first overall pick leads the league in points (82), just one head of MacKinnon, while MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (36). While the two duke it out for the Art Ross, the value to each other’s respective teams will be measured from here on out.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discuss whether McDavid can grab another MVP title in his illustrious career.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I don’t think anyone’s gonna argue that Nathan Mackinnon is a very deserving first half MVP. He’s leading Colorado to a historic first half of the season, but Connor McDavid on a 20-game point streak has really came on in the last sort of four to six weeks here and really started to up the production, up the goal scoring as well. He’s already passed his goal total from last season…Do you think Connor McDavid has it in him to dethrone MacKinnon in the back half of the year, or is this award going to be Nate’s to lose?
Carter Hutton: Connor McDavid has the capability. He has the run that he can go on. My concern about this is how his game management goes…It’s going to be something that’s real. I think when you look at Connor McDavid, and the fact that like now you’ve had two years of going to the Stanley Cup Final, and there’s like a war of attrition going on. It’s like a body maintenance thing where you’re at. So, I think, at times, sometimes he’s got a push to get a little extra to get more out of his team, but if the others can stay hot and produce, then I think you start to reel him back a little bit because you want him to be good at the right time.
I definitely never would want to count out Connor McDavid…he can go on an absolute run. But the way that the Colorado Avalanche are built right now, it does feel like there’s no stopping this team right now in the Central. It feels like they’re going to continue to pile up wins and points and it’s going to come. But it’s fun to watch these two players.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…