MacKinnon and Makar aren’t favorites for top NHL awards, but close

Colorado Avalanche superstars Nathan MacKinnon an Cale Makar are seemingly always in the mix for the NHL’s top awards.

MacKinnon for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP and Makar for the Norris Trophy given to the top defender.

And while both guys are close in ESPN’s latest awards watch, neither is currently the favorite.

Greg Wyshynski published his latest “poll of a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters” in which MacKinnon is second for the Hart and Makar is third for the Norris.

What’s a bit surprising is who MacKinnon is now behind, none other than a goalie. That shows you how great of a season Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck is having, as he’s currently first. A goalie hasn’t won NHL MVP since the 2014-15 season, when Montreal’s Carey Price did it.

The good news is this is an insanely close race. Wyshynski says Hellebuyck is getting 25 percent of the first-place votes, while MacKinnon is receiving just over 20 percent of them. Of course, MacKinnon leads the NHL in points with 80 through 54 games.

Hellebuyck has 33 of the 37 wins for the Jets and leads all goalies in save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (2.04).

Meanwhile, for the first time all season, Makar has been passed by Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes as the Norris Trophy favorite. Hughes earned 45 percent of the first-place votes, while Makar captured slightly less than Hughes and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Makar has 58 points thus far, while Hughes has 59 and Werenski has 57.

“It’s a very tight race between Hughes and Makar. Hughes seems to be doing a little more with a little less in Vancouver, but this likely will come down to the wire,” one voter told Wyshynski.

Look, at the end of the day, MacKinnon and Makar care way more about another Stanley Cup as opposed to individual awards. But as the regular season winds down, both guys have a bit of work to do on already stellar regular seasons to climb back to the top of the Hart and Norris races.

To read the full awards watch from ESPN, click here.

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