4 Darkhorse Hart Trophy Candidates for 2026-27

Every season, a handful of players emerge from the pack to declare themselves the most valuable. Over the past five seasons, nominations for the Hart Trophy for the league’s MVP have largely belonged to three players: Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon.

In the past three seasons, all but two of the nine finalist spots have belonged to the trio. These three have simply been in a class their own and they have elevated one another to all-time levels of greatness.

Kucherov is the defending MVP, having won for the second time. Though we are in the midst of an all-time run by the aforementioned three players, there may be a handful of names that can break through and find themselves as a finalist for the 2026-27 Hart Trophy.

Jason Robertson, W, Dallas Stars

Robertson has all the makings of an MVP-level season incoming. He is on one of the league’s best teams that has something to prove after yet another early elimination from the playoffs. He was their best player and pushed for 50 goals (45) and 100 points (96).

Perhaps most importantly, Robertson is playing for a new contract. He signed a one-year deal after a prolonged negotiation with the Stars. The 27-year-old is entering the prime of his career and will be looking to take advantage of rapidly escalating salaries.

That is the recipe for a monster season from Robertson. A top five finish in scoring – plus his first 50-goal season – and another huge season from the Stars could be enough to land Robertson on the list of finalists for the league’s most prestigious award.

Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Robertson isn’t the only superstar playing for a new contract. Makar, long considered the best defenseman in the world, is entering the final season of a six-year, $54 million contract signed in 2021. To say that he is due for a substantial raise would be an understatement.

Makar was excellent again for the Avalanche in 2025-26 but didn’t see 100% like himself. Even still, he put up 20 goals and 79 points in 75 games. A return to health and leading an Avalanche team hungry to make up for last season could see him hit a new level.

Makar finished ninth in league scoring in 2024-25 with 92 points and it feels like he can do more. A return to health and the drive to earn what could become the largest per-year salary in the league may be the recipe to propel Makar to be just the seventh defenseman in league history to register 100 points, which would give him as good a case as any to finish as a finalist for the Hart Trophy.

Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens were one of the darlings of the NHL offseason, not only building one of the best young cores in the league but signing nearly all of them to favorable contracts. One of the best is Suzuki, who emerged one of the premier centers in the league.

Suzuki is coming off career-highs in assists (72) and points (101) while earning his first Selke Trophy as the game’s best defensive forwards. His linemates, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, are trending upward and Suzuki is the engine driving it all.

Should Suzuki be able to return to the 100-point plateau while hitting 30 goals and playing Selke-level hockey once again, it will be hard to ignore him as a finalist. The Canadiens are a team on the rise and a dominant season with Suzuki leading the charge will give him as strong a case as anyone.

David Pastrnak, W, Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins continue to teeter on the edge, one that separates contention from rebuilding. Part of that has to do with Pastrnak and the tremendous value he delivers to the team both on and off the ice.

Pastrnak has been a finalist before, when he scored 61 goals and racked up 113 points during the 2022-23 season. He remains arguably the second-best winger in the league behind Kucherov and is a major reason why the Bruins remain a playoff-level team despite so many glaring flaws.

With J.J. Peterka now in the mix, could Pastrnak’s playmaking hit yet another level? He has ripped off four consecutive seasons of 100 points, but his best may be ahead. Dragging the Bruins to a top three finish in the Atlantic Division while once again finishing in the top five in scoring (he did the three seasons prior to last, where he finished seventh) could make his case too hard to ignore.

Who Can Crack the Triad of Dominance?

We are witnessing one of the greatest stretches of offensive hockey led by a trio of generational talents. That makes life tougher on the game’s other stars to crack through the glass ceiling, but the names above have as good a chance as anyone.

Whether they can break through and capture the award is another debate entirely. The trio of MacKinnon, McDavid, and Kucherov have won three of the last five awards and four of six. All three will be looking to separate themselves from the others, making it even tougher on the field to break through.