Hart Trophy (MVP)
Leader: Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Finalists: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
It's not even close.
Kaprizov captured 78% of the first-place ballots from our voters, as they viewed the dynamic winger as the engine behind the Wild's impressive 10-2-3 start. Through 15 games, Kaprizov was second to MacKinnon in scoring, which included nine goals and 20 even-strength points. He was tied with Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov with a plus-14 rating.
"Making the Minnesota Wild exciting is some real hero stuff," a voter said, cheekily.
Kaprizov was seventh for the Hart in 2021-22 when he tallied 108 points and 47 goals. He's been one of the NHL's premier goal scorers over the past three seasons: His 133 goals tied him for fifth in that span with Colorado's Mikko Rantanen.
"With 10 multipoint outings already, Kaprizov has failed to register a single point in only three of 15 contests," another voter said. "If he plays 80 this year, or very near that number, the league's most underrated superstar will serve as a genuine Hart contender when it matters most."
Early on, Kaprizov has one of the bellwether stats for a Hart Trophy candidate: The gap between his numbers and the next highest scorer on his team. Through 15 games, he led Matt Boldy by 12 points. No other current playoff team has a gap that large between its top two scorers.
"I mean, this guy has been absolutely ridiculous this year and you can see the value both in terms of his numbers and everyone's favorite way to determine 'value,' how much he is carrying the load for his team," another voter backing Kirill the Thrill said. "Kaprizov's insane start has helped take this team from one that lacks offensive firepower, but has a steady core, and turned it into a playoff contender. I think that covers both ends of what an MVP means."
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