NHL futures: Will Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon win his second Hart Trophy in 2026?

Since the NHL awarded Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Nighbor of the original Ottawa Senators with the first Hart Memorial Trophy following the 1923-24 season, 19 different players have been named the league's most valuable player multiple times. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon might make it an even 20 this season.

MacKinnon is the leader in what is considered to be a three-player race for the 2026 Hart Trophy that includes previous winners Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (2017, 2021, 2023) and Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov (2019). The 30-year-old MacKinnon became the third player in Avalanche history to win the award in 2024, joining Joe Sakic (2001) and Peter Forsberg (2003).

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The 2014 Calder Trophy winner and 2020 Lady Byng Trophy recipient, MacKinnon is on the verge of capturing this season's Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, as he has scored a career-high 53 goals. McDavid is the only player with a remote chance of passing him but will need a six-goal performance against the Vancouver Canucks while MacKinnon comes up empty versus the Seattle Kraken when Edmonton and Colorado play their regular-season finales on Thursday.

McDavid is in line to win the Art Ross Trophy for the sixth time as he leads the NHL with 134 points. Kucherov, whose Lightning conclude their regular season against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, trails him by four points while MacKinnon is third in the league with 127.

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However, MacKinnon was a major reason why the Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy for the fourth time in franchise history this season. The seven-time All-Star has recorded at least one point in 61 of the 80 games in which he has appeared and has been kept off the score sheet in back-to-back contests only three times, with two of those occasions taking place in January.

NHL futures odds at the major sports betting sites see MacKinnon as the favorite to win the Hart Trophy, with odds in the -145 to -160 range. McDavid is the second favorite, with prices from +200 to +220, while Kucherov is a distant third at between +400 and +500.

Pick: McDavid (+220, FanDuel)

There's no arguing what MacKinnon has done to help Colorado dominate the NHL this season, especially over the first three months. But many voters tend to have recency bias, and McDavid has been key in Edmonton's current run for the Pacific Division title.

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Leon Draisaitl suffered a lower-body injury on Mar. 15 and hasn't played since, although the 2020 Hart Trophy winner has been skating and hopes to return early in the Oilers' first-round playoff series. McDavid has put the team on his back during Draisaitl's absence, registering 11 goals and nine assists as Edmonton has posted a 7-4-2 record.

McDavid has been strong all season, however, as he has been kept off the scoresheet in just 14 of his 81 outings. He also posted a career-best 20-game point streak from Dec. 4, 2025-Jan. 13, 2026, the seventh-longest run in franchise history and second-longest by an Oiler not named Gretzky (Paul Coffey, 28 games in 1985-86).

Throw in the fact that the 29-year-old McDavid is likely to join Wayne Gretzky (10), Gordie Howe (six) and Mario Lemieux (six) as the only players to win the Art Ross Trophy more than five times, and the Oilers captain is a good bet to become the fourth member of the club of four-time Hart Trophy recipients, along with Gretzky (nine), Gordie Howe (six) and Eddie Shore.

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