Greg WyshynskiMar 9, 2026, 09:30 AM ETCloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.Follow on XMultiple Authors
play0:41Nathan MacKinnon capitalizes on the power playNathan MacKinnon capitalizes on the power play
play0:56McDavid bides his time to score for the OilersConnor McDavid skates around the back of the net before scoring a goal for the Oilers in the second period.
play0:47Cale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado AvalancheCale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado Avalanche
play0:52Matthew Schaefer’s 20th goal of season gives Islanders a leadMatthew Schaefer scores giving the Islanders the lead in the third period
play1:23Goalie fight breaks out at Stadium Series after scrum in front of Bruins’ netBruins goalie Jeremy Swayman gets involved in a scrum in front of the net, which sends Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the other side of the ice to fight Swayman.
Macklin Celebrini lights the lamp for Sharks (0:44)Macklin Celebrini lights the lamp for Sharks (0:44)
McDavid bides his time to score for the OilersConnor McDavid skates around the back of the net before scoring a goal for the Oilers in the second period.
Connor McDavid skates around the back of the net before scoring a goal for the Oilers in the second period.
Cale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado AvalancheCale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado Avalanche
Matthew Schaefer’s 20th goal of season gives Islanders a leadMatthew Schaefer scores giving the Islanders the lead in the third period
Goalie fight breaks out at Stadium Series after scrum in front of Bruins’ netBruins goalie Jeremy Swayman gets involved in a scrum in front of the net, which sends Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the other side of the ice to fight Swayman.
Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman gets involved in a scrum in front of the net, which sends Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the other side of the ice to fight Swayman.
play0:38Macklin Celebrini tallies goal vs. KrakenMacklin Celebrini tallies goal vs. Kraken
play0:42Zach Werenski nets goal for Blue JacketsZach Werenski nets goal for Blue Jackets
play0:40Nick Suzuki scores goal for CanadiensNick Suzuki nets goal for Canadiens
Where teams finish in the standings can impact how voters select their NHL Award winners. As we see in this month’s NHL Awards Watch, that’s especially true for a young superstar with the San Jose Sharks.
Welcome to the NHL Awards Watch for March. We’ve polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense of who has the edge among 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.
MacKinnon has led the Hart Trophy race for four straight months, and rightfully so. The Avalanche have led the league in points since October, and MacKinnon has been the engine behind that success.
MacKinnon has 104 points in 61 games, including an NHL-best 43 goals. He leads Brock Nelson by 13 goals and tops teammate Martin Necas by 28 points. MacKinnon’s career high in goals is 51, and the Avalanche record is Mikko Rantanen’s 55 goals in 2022-23. If we include the Quebec Nordiques — and we might as well because the Avs sometimes dress like them — then MacKinnon is potentially within reach of Michel Goulet’s 1982-83 record of 57 goals.
“Nathan MacKinnon remains the front-runner for me. Leads the league in even-strength points and has a plus-55 rating,” one voter said.
“He’s the clear MVP for me with 20 or so games remaining,” another MacKinnon voter said. “I hope he doesn’t get dinged for the fact that his organization outthinks and out-operates everybody else.”
Nathan MacKinnon capitalizes on the power playNathan MacKinnon capitalizes on the power play
MacKinnon is seeking his second Hart after winning in 2023-24. Kucherov is also looking for his second MVP win, having last won in 2018-19.
Despite a recent push by the Buffalo Sabres, the Lightning have been leading the Atlantic Division for a good stretch of the season. Though some credit should go to goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the majority of it goes to Kucherov, who is having another dominant campaign.
Kucherov is third in the league points (103), second in assists (69) and first in points-per-game average (1.78). He was 36 points ahead of the Lightning’s second-leading scorer, Jake Guentzel.
Once again, McDavid has lifted the Oilers on his shoulders. Through 64 games, McDavid has an NHL-leading 108 points, including 35 goals, which was third behind MacKinnon and Cole Caufield. McDavid was second in the voting in January but has been outside the top 3 in consecutive months. But he’s still collecting votes, while seeking his third Hart Trophy win, having last won regular-season MVP honors in 2022-23.
A solid case can be made for either of these veterans. And then there’s the new superstar in town who finished with the second-most first-place votes behind MacKinnon.
Celebrini, who has played in 61 games, has 89 points, good for fifth in the NHL and well ahead of the Sharks’ next-highest scorer: Celebrini led Will Smith by 45 points on San Jose. Celebrini’s 32 goals were 13 more than Smith’s as well — although Smith has played just 48 games because of injury. Comparisons to Sidney Crosby will only intensify if Celebrini also wins league MVP in his second season, as Crosby did in 2006-07.
Celebrini is easily the most fascinating MVP candidate this season. He’s 19 years old and was one of the best players for Team Canada in the 2026 Olympics. While the Avalanche and Lightning are playoff mainstays, Celebrini is trying to drag the Sharks out of a rebuild and into their first postseason appearance since 2019.
“MacKinnon has been incredible, as usual. With Celebrini and Kucherov, my thought process is, ‘How different would their team be if their top player were out?'” said one voter, who had these players in the top three of their ballots. “The Sharks wouldn’t be sniffing the playoffs without Celebrini. Kucherov has over 30 more points than his closest teammate.”
Macklin Celebrini tallies goal vs. KrakenMacklin Celebrini tallies goal vs. Kraken
Entering Sunday, the Sharks had a 36.5% chance of making the cut in the Western Conference, per Money Puck. The playoff race is the key to Celebrini’s candidacy. At least, that’s the sense we get from our voters.
“If the Sharks squeak into the postseason — a reasonable notion given the wan state of this season’s Pacific Division — it will be because of the sophomore who has more than twice as many points as anyone else on his squad,” one of the Celebrini voters said.
“I don’t buy the notion that you have to make the playoffs to win this award,” the voter said. “If your team narrowly misses but would be a lottery team without you — like San Jose — you provide more value than a team who would still be good without a singular player.”
Finally, earning his first MVP vote in this season’s awards watch is New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who is second in points (46) on his team.
“It’s time for Matthew Schaefer to get Hart buzz. There’s no player in the NHL more ‘valuable’ to his team,” the Schaefer voter said.
Leader: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche/Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (tie) Finalists: Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild
The Norris race has been fun this season. Not because any of these finalists are unexpected — they were the official finalists for the Norris last season, with Makar winning and Werenski placing second — but in how Werenski has steadily chipped away at Makar’s once-substantial vote lead to turn the Norris into a two-defensemen race with just over a month left in the season.
In fact, it’s a dead heat: Makar and Werenski finished with 41% of the first-place votes, tied for the Norris lead.
Makar had 66 points in his first 61 games, skating to a plus-33 in 25:03 of average ice time. That 1.08 points-per-game average would be a badge of honor for 99% of the NHL’s defensemen, but it’s slightly down by Makar’s standards. But he has excelled beyond his usual offensive dominance: The Avalanche have a 67% goals-for percentage when Makar is on the ice at five-on-five, averaging 3.77 goals and just 1.86 goals against per 60 minutes.
“It’s Makar up top, no question. After that, I could argue for probably close to seven or eight guys,” another Makar voter said.
Cale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar scores on the power play for Colorado Avalanche
Werenski, who has played in 55 games, has 65 points, which led all scorers on the Blue Jackets and was 11 points clear of second-leading scorer Kirill Marchenko entering Sunday’s action. That includes 20 goals, which was second on the Jackets.
Werenski is second in the NHL in average ice time (26:27) and plays in all situations. His underlying numbers don’t pop like those of Makar, but are outstanding relative to his teammates. Werenski earned some spotlight in Team USA’s gold medal victory in the Olympics, and will continue to do the same in the NHL if the Blue Jackets keep up their playoff push.
“Makar’s play has dropped of late. Werenski is going to find himself in the Hart conversation if Columbus makes the playoffs,” one voter said. “He’s been incredible, all year.”
Makar received 55% of the vote last month, and his lead has declined for three straight Awards Watch installments. If his recent play has opened the door for Werenski a little, it’s the Columbus defenseman who has knocked it down and made this a dead heat.
Zach Werenski nets goal for Blue JacketsZach Werenski nets goal for Blue Jackets
Hughes was the clear third choice among our voters. He leads the NHL with 27:44 in average ice time per game, and has 63 points in 58 games this season with the Wild and the Vancouver Canucks. In 32 games with the Wild, Hughes has 36 assists and 40 points — 17 of them on the power play.