The race for the Hart Memorial Trophy is heating up as the regular season winds down, and Brady Tkachuk has added fuel to the debate. The Ottawa Senators captain recently explained why Connor McDavid doesn’t currently have his vote, even amid another dominant season.
Why Brady Tkachuk Picked Macklin Celebrini Over Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy
The conversation picked up even more after the NHL sparked debate by leaving McDavid off a recent graphic of Hart Trophy contenders. The post on X asked fans who would win the award, listing Nikita Kucherov (42%), Nathan MacKinnon (39%), and Macklin Celebrini (10%). McDavid’s absence stood out, especially given his dominant season.
Statistically, McDavid leads the league with 128 points, just ahead of Kucherov (127) and MacKinnon (123), while Celebrini sits at 107. Even so, Brady Tkachuk said his interpretation of “most valuable” goes beyond raw scoring totals.
Speaking on the “Wingmen” podcast, Tkachuk explained that while MacKinnon and McDavid continue to drive strong teams, and Kucherov has been dominant in the second half, he believes the award should reflect a player’s value relative to his team’s situation.
“I feel like most valuable player is like, of course best in the league, like putting their team in a best spot, I’m going with Celebrini. Like what he’s done, giving that team a chance, and he’s already top five in points, top four I think he is,” Brady said.
That’s why he leaned toward Celebrini, pointing to the young forward’s impact at just 19 years old and his role in keeping the San Jose Sharks competitive.
Tkachuk’s brother, Matthew Tkachuk, also weighed in, noting that the Hart Trophy isn’t always about the best player in the league.
“Best player in the league every year McDavid winning it, let’s be honest. Like just not the award. But if you take McDavid off Edmonton like they’re in trouble, you know, what I mean. He’s definitely up for the award, obviously,” Matthew said.
Beyond raw totals, McDavid’s influence remains hard to ignore. He has been involved in nearly half of the Edmonton Oilers’ goals this season, highlighting just how central he is to the team’s offense.
Later in the discussion, Brady predicted McDavid could still win the Art Ross Trophy, while Matthew pointed to a favorable schedule as another factor working in his favor.
With multiple candidates making strong cases and differing interpretations of “most valuable,” the Hart Trophy debate remains wide open and likely won’t be settled until the final ballots are cast.
