There will be a new Hart Trophy winner this year.
Last year's winner was theWinnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck, who picked up a rareMVP/Vezina Trophy double. Repeating as Hart Trophy winner is hard enough and no goalie has done it since Dominik Hasek in the 1990s.
Hellebuyck's chances slipped away when he hadarthroscopic knee surgeryto deal with an issue that has been bothering him since training camp. He will miss four to six weeks. The U.S.-born goalie will be back in time for the Olympics in February, but he'll miss valuable time to make an MVP case.
Here are USA TODAY Sports' front-runners in the Hart Trophy race a little more than a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 season:
NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits
5. Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers
Marchand has been the most important of thebig three signings(also Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad) that general manager Bill Zito got done to keep the two-time Stanley Cup champions together. Marchandscored key goalsin last year's playoff run and his role has grown because ofmajor injurieson the team. His line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen has essentially been the top line, though Luostarinen is now out after a"barbecuing mishap."Marchand leads the Panthers in goals and points and put together an 11-game point streak while maintaininghis feistiness.
4. Connor McDavid,Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers got off to their traditional slow start and McDavid didn't score a goal until the seventh game. But the three-time MVP has nine goals in his last 14 games and more than his share of assists to move into third in the scoring race with 33 points. He's averaging 1.8 points per game in victories and leads NHL forwards in average ice time as the Oilers hope to push a third consecutive team to the Stanley Cup Final.
3. Connor Bedard,Chicago Blackhawks
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick got off to a slow start last season. Not so this season. He has two hat tricks and ranks fourth in the league with 31 points. He's winning more than half of his faceoffs, a weak spot in his first two seasons. Bedard has the Blackhawks in the playoff hunt after two consecutive finishes in the bottom two.
2. Macklin Celebrini,San Jose Sharks
If the Sharks make the playoffs this season after finishing last the past two seasons, Celebrini will play a big role. He's second in the league in scoring with 34 points and hejoined elite companyby becoming the fourth teenager in NHL history to score 30 points in 20 games. He has had a hand in half of the Sharks' goals.
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are dominating the league, as is MacKinnon. He's the league's leading scorer with 37 points and tied for the league lead with 17 goals. Most of his points are at even strength and he leads the league in plus-minus rating. He's also third in the league in shots. He and Celebrini will face each other on Tuesday.
Others to watch:Leo Carlsson, Ducks; Cale Makar, Avalanche; Dylan Larkin, Red Wings; Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights; David Pastrnak, Bruins.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL MVP race: Early favorites for the Hart Trophy