Celebrini for the Hart? He’s the Real Deal

Tossing Macklin Celebrini into the Hart Trophy conversation sounds a little wild at first. He’s in his second NHL season, playing on a San Jose Sharks team that, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly stacked. But here we are in February, and the kid is third in the entire league with 70 points. Seventy! On that roster! It’s ridiculous in the best possible way.

Celebrini’s chances depend on where the Sharks finish.

Here’s the thing: if the Sharks were comfortably in a playoff spot, Celebrini would already be pencilled in as a finalist. It wouldn’t even be a debate. He’s carrying that team. Tyler Toffoli is their next-highest scorer with 32 points — that’s not a typo. Celebrini is basically dragging San Jose into the wild-card conversation by himself. That’s the definition of “most valuable to his team.”

But the Hart always ends up tied to a player on a playoff team. That’s where things get tricky. If the Sharks miss, voters tend to lean on the usual names. And this year, the usual names are having monster seasons.

Four Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers players are right near the top.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are basically playing cheat-code hockey with the Colorado Avalanche. Connor McDavid — because obviously — has once again moved into his permanent suite at the top of the Hart rankings. Leon Draisaitl always lingers right behind him. And somehow, nobody’s talking enough about Nikita Kucherov, who has 67 points on a Tampa Bay Lightning team that has been held together with duct tape and hope. He’s absolutely in the mix.

Celebrini is fighting uphill. The Sharks probably need to sneak into the playoffs, and maybe even finish higher than people expect, for him to crack the top three. Voters don’t love giving the Hart to a guy whose team never gets above water.

Every week, it seems, Celebrini is getting better and better.

But here’s the part that keeps me wondering: Celebrini keeps getting better. Every week, he adds something. He’s getting more confidence with the puck, better reads, and stronger decisions at speed. He doesn’t look overwhelmed. He looks like he’s only scratching the surface. If a couple of the big names cool off, and San Jose somehow clings to that wild-card spot, Celebrini absolutely stays in the conversation.

His work on the world stage at the Olympics also helps him trend upward. Is he the favourite? No. Is he part of the discussion anyway? Absolutely. And the crazy part is… he might actually belong there.

Every week, it seems, Celebrini finds another gear. He doesn’t look like a kid hanging on — he looks like a star who’s still rising. And if the Sharks stay in the mix long enough, this Hart race might get a lot more interesting than anyone expected.

Related: Canada’s Forward Lines Might Be the Best in Recent Memory