play0:24Matthew Schaefer lights the lamp to give Islanders OT winMatthew Schaefer scores to gives the Islanders an epic 4-3 overtime win vs. the Maple Leafs.
play0:33Scott Wedgewood makes big-time save vs. MammothScott Wedgewood makes big-time save vs. Mammoth
play0:38Nick Suzuki wins it in OT for HabsNick Suzuki tallies an overtime goal on a power play to deliver the Canadiens a win vs. the Panthers.
Matthew Schaefer lights the lamp to give Islanders OT winMatthew Schaefer scores to gives the Islanders an epic 4-3 overtime win vs. the Maple Leafs.
Nick Suzuki wins it in OT for HabsNick Suzuki tallies an overtime goal on a power play to deliver the Canadiens a win vs. the Panthers.
Nick Suzuki tallies an overtime goal on a power play to deliver the Canadiens a win vs. the Panthers.
Greg WyshynskiJan 6, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.Follow on X
play0:55Nathan MacKinnon tallies goal vs. HurricanesNathan MacKinnon nets goal for Avalanche
play0:45Cale Makar nets goal for AvalancheCale Makar scores goal vs. Blues
Connor McDavid nets goal for Oilers (0:46)Connor McDavid lights the lamp for Oilers (0:46)
The NHL Awards races this season have been anything but predictable, given some of the chaotic variables.
Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov won the past two Selke Trophies as the NHL’s best defensive forward. He has yet to play a game this season after a preseason injury required knee surgery. Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has won the past two Vezina Trophies as the NHL’s top netminder, as well as the Hart Trophy as league MVP last season. He sat out around a month this season because of surgery, and hasn’t hit his usual stats standards.
Perhaps the biggest X factor of all? The 19-year-old star in San Jose who has announced his arrival among the NHL’s superstars and in the MVP race.
Welcome to the NHL Awards Watch for January. We’ve polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense of where the wind is blowing for the current leaders. We’ve made sure it’s a cross section from the entire league, trying to gain as many perspectives as possible.
Keep in mind that the PHWA votes for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng finalists, broadcasters vote for the Jack Adams and general managers vote for the Vezina.
Leader: Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche Finalists: Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks; Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
MacKinnon leads the MVP race for the second straight month, because what hasn’t he led this season? Entering Monday, MacKinnon had a significant lead in the NHL goals race and was slightly ahead of McDavid in the points race. Most importantly, he has been the driving force behind the Avalanche’s record pace this season, with an .841 points percentage and only three regulation losses in 41 games.
MacKinnon won the Hart in 2023-24 and was fourth for the award last season. His vote share fell from 82% last month to just over 50% of the first-place votes this month. “Just a ridonkulous season,” one MacKinnon voter declared.
“MacKinnon is just too critical to the Avs’ success and he’s been the league’s best offensive player all season. Until that changes, he’s got this on lock,” another voter noted.
“No matter how historically absurd Connor McDavid’s offensive output in December was, it will take something really severe for MacKinnon not to be at the top of my ballot at this point, assuming the Avalanche continue rolling,” another MacKinnon backer revealed.
Nathan MacKinnon tallies goal vs. HurricanesNathan MacKinnon nets goal for Avalanche
Calling McDavid’s December “historically absurd” might be underselling it. McDavid had 34 points in 15 games. That was the most points by an NHL player in a single calendar month since Mario Lemieux in December 1995 (34 points in 14 games). McDavid moved the Oilers from sixth to first place in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers star is seeking his fourth MVP trophy, having last won in 2022-23. He didn’t receive a first-place vote last month and wasn’t prominently featured down our voters’ ballots. But now that he’s threatening MacKinnon’s points lead, he’s second for the Hart, with 30% of the first-place votes.
Many of our McDavid voters framed their support as being just slightly ahead of MacKinnon — although some MacKinnon voters also acknowledged that McDavid was “right there” for MVP.
“I was firmly championing MacKinnon until this point, I’m now sashaying over to backing the Oilers captain as the league’s most valuable to his team,” another voter explained. “No chance Edmonton is anywhere near first place in the Pacific without him. At this rate, Colorado’s elite power forward won’t be leading the scoring race much longer.”
The only other player to receive first-place votes was Celebrini. A young phenom winning the Hart has historic precedence: Wayne Gretzky won the Hart at 19 years old in 1979-80. McDavid won the Hart at 19 years old in 2016-17. That’s some rather exclusive company Celebrini’s keeping in vying for MVP honors in his second NHL season. But he has been that good.
The Sharks center was third in the league in points entering Monday night. He has been an impact player on offense and defense.
Everyone defines “value” differently when it comes to the Hart Trophy. One methodology: Looking at a player’s offensive totals within context of those of his teammates. That’s essentially what won Taylor Hall the Hart in 2017-18, finishing 41 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils’ second-leading scorer.
Entering Monday night, Celebrini had 63 points in 41 games. The next highest scorer on the Sharks was Will Smith, with 29 points. Celebrini has dragged this Sharks team to the playoff bubble. If San Jose makes it, he could win the Hart.
“Macklin Celebrini has absolutely and very credibly entered the conversation with what he accomplished last month,” one voter concluded.
“Celebrini has a real shot to overtake MacKinnon if Sharks make the playoffs,” a MacKinnon voter predicted.
“It’s still MacKinnon, but I’m looking forward to the possibility of putting Macklin Celebrini on my ballot,” another quipped.
Other names listed by voters down the ballot included Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers, Cale Makar of the Avalanche, Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild and Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens.
Leader: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche Finalists: Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars; Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings
Makar was a unanimous choice for the Norris last month, and nearly repeated the feat this month, securing all but two first-place votes.
Through 41 games, he had 47 points and skated to a plus-32 with the juggernaut Avalanche, averaging 25 minutes, 3 seconds. That includes 16 power-play points. He won the Norris last season for the second time, and he has been a finalist for the award for five consecutive seasons.
“Makar has a similarly significant lead over the field compared to what MacKinnon has for Hart,” another voter expressed.
Cale Makar nets goal for AvalancheCale Makar scores goal vs. Blues
The Stars’ franchise blueliner has 36 points in 42 games, skating 26:01 per game. His highest finish in the Norris voting was seventh in 2022-23.
Seider, meanwhile, is having perhaps his finest season with the Red Wings, with 31 points in 43 games, skating 25:12 on average. “Seider has taken a big step and it’s making a difference in Detroit,” one voter mentioned.
Two names to watch who were cited with frequency down the ballot for our voters: Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blues Jackets. Hughes has 35 points in 37 games, including 12 points in his first 11 games in Minnesota.
“It’s Makar and then a giant gap to Werenski and Hughes, whose impact has unsurprisingly improved since moving to Minnesota,” one voter explained.
“Zach Werenski is having a great season with Columbus that isn’t getting enough attention,” another argued.
Jakob Chychrun of the Washington Capitals earned a mention, as did Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens. Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, a finalist last month, wasn’t mentioned, which is probably a symptom of the Jets’ diminished place in the standings.
Leader: Matthew Schaefer, D, New York Islanders Finalists: Ivan Demidov, RW, Montreal Canadiens; Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota Wild
That’s how much Schaefer has made NHL rookie of the year a foregone conclusion just over halfway through the season. The 18-year-old blueliner leads all rookie defensemen in points (28) and goals (12), placing in the top three in those categories for all rookies. He leads all rookies in average ice time (23:50), as the Islanders continue to give him more responsibility and Schaefer continues to meet the moment.
Few rookies, if any, can claim to have had the transformative effect on their teams as Schaefer has had with the Islanders, who are second in the Metro Division. That goes for his play and his undeniable charisma.
“We throw the term ‘generational talent’ around too often. It’s not hubris in Schaefer’s case. To do what he’s doing at that age is quite something,” one voter beamed.
“Nearly named to an elite Olympic blue line featuring some of the best in the NHL biz, Schaefer might still end up representing Canada if someone else falls injured before early February. As an 18-year-old defender. Which is ridiculous,” another declared.
Matthew Schaefer lights the lamp to give Islanders OT win
Matthew Schaefer scores to gives the Islanders an epic 4-3 overtime win vs. the Maple Leafs.
The only other players to receive first-place votes were Demidov and Wallstedt. The Canadiens winger led all rookie scorers with 36 points in 42 games, including 10 goals. He’s making the most of his 15:14 on average per game.
“Demidov has improved and is in the nomination conversation, but he’s not playing tough matchups, and his overall value is not close to that of Schaefer who plays much tougher minutes,” another voter explained. “The notion that he is the best rookie is buoyed by the market he plays in.”