Top five Hart Trophy candidates through the first month of the NHL season

The 2025-26 NHL season is just over a month old, which means we now have a large enough sample size to start making more educated predictions on player and team accolades.

Almost everyone around the league is about one quarter of the way into the new campaign. While a lot is going to change over the three quarters to follow, several players have come out of the gates firing, and that is worthy of some recognition. 

So, let’s have some fun and dive into the top-five Hart Trophy candidates through the first month of the season. 

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche superstar is the clear-cut leader in the clubhouse right now. MacKinnon has been otherworldly through 19 games, racking up a ridiculous 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists), which includes 13 points in his last five games alone.

His dominance has resulted in the Avalanche bullying the rest of the NHL thus far, with just one regulation loss on the season. This is nothing new for a guy who's taken home plenty of hardware in his career, but that doesn’t make what he’s doing any less impressive.

Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

After two years of being scrutiny revolving around Bedard's ability to live up to his lofty draft status, the 2023 No. 1 pick has exploded in year three. While some might have expected the Blackhawks to take a small step in 2025-26, nobody predicted they would be a playoff team, but they currently sit tied for third in the Central Division with 22 points.

Bedard’s 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) are impressive enough, and when you factor in his supporting cast you get an MVP candidate. Leading the Hawks into the postseason while producing at an 118-point pace will be tough to maintain, but Bedard’s done it so far, and he deserves his flowers for it.

Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have been one of the more fun stories in hockey this season as they sit in a tie for second place in the Pacific Division, and Carlsson has been the catalyst in that. He showed glimpses of his elite talent the last two years, but like Bedard, year three has been an explosion.

Carlsson is tied for fourth in league scoring with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 18 games. His two-way play draws comparison to Aleksander Barkov, and with the Ducks near the top of the Pacific Division, everyone is starting to take notice of Carlsson. 

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

In a development that should surprise nobody, the best player in the world has quietly worked his way into the MVP mix. McDavid is well past his slow start to the season, now up to 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 20 games, tracking down MacKinnon for the league lead.

Edmonton’s struggles have been well documented, but the captain has put the Oilers on his back recently when they’ve needed it most. There could be some voter fatigue given that he’s won the award three times, but at the same time, you just have to recognize his brilliance. 

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

This guy would be much higher on the list if the Hart Trophy favorite wasn’t his teammate. Makar is doing things we’ve never seen from a defenseman, and the fact that he and MacKinnon both reside in Colorado is almost unfair for the rest of the league. 

With 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 19 games, Makar is not only top-10 in league scoring, but he’s far ahead of any other blue-liners in point production. Not to mention he’s excellent defensively, which shows in his whopping +17 rating already.