Draisaitl a Finalist for Hart Trophy: Why He Deserves to Win

Leon Draisaitl is among the three finalists for the Hart Trophy in 2024-25. Along with Nikita Kucherov and Connor Hellebuyck, Draisaitl’s season wasn’t just impressive — it was dominant. All three are deserving candidates, but one could make the argument that Draisaitl should be the frontrunner to win the award as the NHL’s most valuable player to his team.

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The Edmonton Oilers superstar led the league with 52 goals in just 71 games, capturing the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and becoming the NHL’s only 50-goal scorer this season. Not only did he pace all players in goals, but he also led the league with 11 game-winning tallies.

Despite missing 11 games, Draisaitl finished seven goals ahead of the next closest scorer, William Nylander. It’s not easy to lead the league in goals in any given season. To do it while missing a chunk of games as the season drew to a close is impressive. It goes to show how dominant he was in the games he did play.

Draisaitl Is More than Just a Scorer

His impact went beyond scoring. Draisaitl posted a +32 rating on a team that only finished +23 in goal differential — a staggering individual swing that speaks to his two-way presence and dominance at both ends of the ice.

While Connor Hellebuyck is a potential shoo-in for the Vezina Trophy, and Nikita Kucherov won the Art Ross, Draisaitl’s combination of goal scoring, leadership, and consistency makes him the most indispensable player among the three finalists.

Kucherov, for example, often lacks consistency in games that matter., In his three Art Ross seasons, he has scored zero playoff goals, including this season in the Lightning’s five-game loss to the Florida Panthers.

Though teammate Connor McDavid has often dominated the MVP spotlight, this was Draisaitl’s year to carry the load, and he delivered. Some will argue that Draisaitl’s success is a byproduct of playing with McDavid, but it’s important to note that they were often not on the ice together. In fact, down the stretch, they didn’t play in the same games. Both were sidelined for parts of the season, and Draisaitl’s production happened a lot while McDavid was away. He kept Edmonton in the playoff hunt.

Already a Hart Trophy winner in 2020, Draisaitl is making a compelling case to add a second to his resume — and based on the numbers and his importance to the Oilers, there’s no better candidate this year.

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