EDMONTON, AB – For the seventh time in his career, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has been selected as a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The 29-year-old forward, who led the NHL with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) to claim his sixth-career Art Ross Trophy, has won the Hart Trophy three times (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23) and is a finalist for the seventh time. The NHLPA announced last week that McDavid is also a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award for the seventh time in his career.
McDavid had points in 68 of the 82 games he played this season, including 43 multi-point performances, and seven appearances with at least four points, including three games with five points. He accumulated 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) during a torrid 20-game point streak from Dec. 4 to Jan. 13. He led Edmonton in goals, assists and points and helped the Oilers finish second in the Pacific Division (41-30-11).
McDavid became the third player in NHL history, after Wayne Gretzky (15) and Mario Lemieux (10), to produce at least nine 100-point seasons when he hit the century mark on Feb. 26 in Los Angeles. He also became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach the 1,100-point milestone (726 GP on Nov. 3 at St. Louis) and later became the third-fastest player to 1,200 career points (784 GP on March 24 at Utah).
McDavid is looking to become the fourth player in NHL history with at least four Hart Trophies, after Gretzky (9), Gordie Howe (6) and Eddie Shore (4).
The other two Hart finalists are Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, with the winner to be announced at a later date.
