Oilers captain McDavid named one of three Hart Trophy finalists

The NHL has released its three finalists for the Hart Trophy.

The three candidates for the annual award are Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak, and Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk.

McDavid and Pastrnak are also finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the most outstanding player as voted by the players. The Hart Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Leon Draisaitl, who finished 15 points ahead of Pastrnak for second in NHL regular season scoring, was not named a finalist for either award.

McDavid, who is expected to win the award, had the best regular season we have seen since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96, registering 64 goals and 153 points in 82 games. Both are career highs for the 26-year-old.

Pastrnak had an incredible season in his own right, finishing just three goals shy of McDavid with 61, while also amassing 113 points. It marks both the first 60-goal season of his career as well as his first time hitting the 100-point marker.

Last but certainly not least is Tkachuk, who took no time to adapt to life with the Florida Panthers after being acquired in an offseason trade from the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old scored 40 goals while registering a career high 109 points in 79 games.

In any other year, both Pastrnak and Tkachuk would have as good of a chance as anyone in winning the Hart Trophy, but the public consensus is that it will belong to McDavid this season. If that is the case, it will mark the third time he has won it, with the other two coming in 2016-17 and 2020-21.

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