The NHL MVP Is Right in Front of Us — And It’s Obvious

A conversation between Jeff O’Neill and Bryan Hayes on TSN OverDrive has us asking a legitimate question: “Are we ignoring greatness right now?” Moreover, do we have our heads in the sand when it comes to the MVP of the NHL this season? It has to be Connor McDavid, doesn’t it?

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With Leon Draisaitl out for so long, what McDavid is doing to help push the Oilers towards another playoff berth has been incredible. O’Neill asked, why do we keep looking past this guy? He then says, it doesn’t feel right to ignore the obvious.

He noted, “It almost seems like we’ve got a different MVP flavour every week on this show, but are we overlooking the guy right in front of our eyes? McDavid is incredible right now.”

One of the co-hosts suggested, “Maybe it’s a bit of fatigue. Not that people are tired of him, but maybe they’re exhausted by how great he is every year—like what we’ve seen with Aaron Judge.” Everyone on the show seemed to agree that when you look at the odds and projections between Nathan MacKinnon and McDavid, fans should be a bit shocked that it leans so heavily toward MacKinnon.

McDavid Just Stands Apart, Even If Several Players Are Within Range

Points-wise, they’re all within range. McDavid likely wrapped up the Art Ross with his performance against the Sharks on Wednesday. Given that we’re running out of time—teams only have a handful of games left to try and catch him, which they won’t. But MacKinnon and others could still be within 8–10 points.

MacKinnon may win the Rocket, though that’s not guaranteed, and Cole Caufield (who scored his 50th on Thursday) is right there, too. Nikita Kucherov has been electric as well, going on an unbelievable run.

So what matters more? Total points? Goals? Overall impact?

Coming into the season, analysts likely had McDavid pegged to score no more than 135–140 points. Hayes also argued — and still sticks by the statement — that even with how great he’s been, McDavid is not touching his own records. But the fact that he may not score 64 or get 158 points shouldn’t be used against him. It’s likely McDavid scores 50, and 140 points certainly isn’t out of reach.

Hayes said, “I do think he’s right there for the Hart Trophy now.” O’Neill added, “If you handed me a ballot and said write one name down, I’d pick McDavid.”

His performance against the Sharks—five points within the first 30 minutes — that’s MVP stuff. It’s undeniable at this point, even if he ultimately doesn’t win the award.

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