NHL Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in MVP race
This week, a familiar name joins the race for MVP. Where does Connor McDavid rank after a ridiculous run for himself and the Edmonton Oilers?
By Nick Villano
He's back. Connor McDavid is firmly back into the MVP race. The money is in, and he's the odds-on favorite to win MVP as we head into the second week of December. After the Oilers were the most disappointing team in the league, a win against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday has Edmonton in fourth place in the Pacific Division. They are three points outside a playoff spot with two games at hand on the Arizona Coyotes. Seven-straight wins have the Oilers back and as scary as ever.
However, McDavid is not number one just yet. There have been more consistent players who deserve to be higher in the rankings. McDavid is eighth in points. There are just players higher than him, but let's give the best in the world his just due.
Who would win the Hart Trophy if the NHL Season ended today?
6. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
We've covered this already, but let's go through all the stats. McDavid had 10 points on Nov. 12. Exactly one month later, he has 36 points. Nobody has as many points as McDavid in that span. This is a crazy way to pull yourself back into the race, but it's undeniable that's what the reigning Hart Trophy winner did.
A 26-point month will get anyone back into the MVP conversation, but the Oilers star is legitimately carrying his team back into the playoff race. The goaltending hasn't gotten much better. The defense is still full of holes. There is very little secondary scoring that McDavid doesn't create. Leon Draisaitl is still great, but the team is very weak outside those two.
It's wild what a few weeks can do. People were legitimately talking about a Connor McDavid trade or even him asking for a trade just a few weeks ago. Everyone pretended to be a body language expert. Now, he's an MVP candidate again for a team almost guaranteed to make a playoff spot after this recent stretch.