Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak, and Matthew Tkachuk named finalists for 2023 Hart Trophy
The NHL announced the nominees for its most coveted individual award on Friday when Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak, and Matthew Tkachuk were named finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Connor McDavid (@EdmontonOilers), David Pastrnak (@NHLBruins) and Matthew Tkachuk (@FlaPanthers) are the three finalists for the 2022-23 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” #NHLAwards
#NHLStats: https://t.co/0E2DSaxfqH pic.twitter.com/Vrg3sKvp7g
McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is considered a shoo-in for the award thanks to the best season of his legendary career, during which the 26-year-old has already won the trophy twice.
The centerman’s 153 points were the most by any player since Steve Yzerman scored 155 during the 1988-1989 season, and his 64 goals were the most since Alexander Ovechkin buried 65 in 2007-2008.
McDavid’s season, the 15th-most prolific in NHL history, only becomes more impressive under a microscope. He scored more points in 2022-2023 than anyone ever has in a season save for Yzerman, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux; the latter two have a monopoly on the top-13 seasons.
In the time that has passed since Yzerman’s 155-point explosion, the New Jersey Devils revolutionized defensive hockey in ways that have capped individual scoring ever since. McDavid’s season is just the sixth 120-point effort of the 21st century and obliterated Nikita Kucherov’s previous high-water mark by 25 points.
Though McDavid turned the Hart Trophy debate into a race for second place before the new year, his competitors’ CVs are nothing to sneeze at.
Pastrnak became the fifth man to score 60 goals in an NHL season during the 21st century, and his 113 points spearheaded a Bruins attack that led the league in goals. Thanks in no small part to Pastrnak’s sniping, Boston finished the regular season with an NHL-record 135 points.
The Czech, who only turns 27 later this month, brought his career tally to 300 goals this season. Though the Bruins sputtered out in a first-round loss to the Florida Panthers, their exploits will live in history, along with Pastrnak’s dominant season.
Tkachuk, who forced a trade to the Panthers last offseason, brings a blend of physicality and skill unique among the league’s superstars.
Relentless forecheckers do not often score 100 points in a season, but the 25-year-old did just that by racking up a joint sixth-most 109. Tkachuk’s size and strength give him some of the best chance creation stats in the NHL and are just as influential as McDavid’s speed (well, not quite) or Pastrnak’s shot.
Tkachuk, a better defender than his rivals for the Hart Trophy, has remarkably managed to perfect the power-forward style of play to an even greater degree than his father, Keith, and brother, Brady, NHL All-Stars in their own right.
Though the Hart Trophy is a regular-season award, the winger did not hurt his chances by leading the Panthers to a historic comeback from 3-1 down against the seemingly invincible Bruins.
McDavid and Tkachuk will each continue their efforts to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals on Friday night; Pastrnak will enjoy a consolation prize of one of the richest contracts in league history beginning this summer.