Nathan MacKinnon is one step closer to winning his first NHL MVP

Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon is inching closer to winning his first ever NHL MVP award.

The nominees for the Hart Trophy were announced on Tuesday morning, and to no one’s surprise, MacKinnon is one of three finalists. He’s joined by Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid.

Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Hart Memorial Trophy.#NHLAwards: https://t.co/pnAGn3bwul pic.twitter.com/Kw8efdHeOp

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 7, 2024

MacKinnon had a monster year, shattering some personal records. He finished with 140 points, the most in his career in a single season by 29. MacKinnon had 111 points in 2022-23.

He also scored more than 50 goals for the first time, finishing with 51 total. His 89 assists were by far the most he’s ever had in one year.

MacKinnon finished second in the NHL in points to Kucherov, who had 144. McDavid came in third with 132.

But also don’t forget all the history MacKinnon made throughout this campaign. He had two four-goal games, a natural hat trick, and the second-longest home point streak in NHL history. He went 35 straight games at Ball Arena getting on the scoresheet, trailing only Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game record from the 1988-89 season. That’s pretty good company to be in.

It felt like every night, MacKinnon was doing something historic. Now hopefully he’s awarded his first NHL MVP when the voting is revealed next month. MacKinnon’s finished in the top-3 three times for the Hart Trophy, most recently in the 2020-21 season. But again, he’s never won it.

He joins superstar teammate Cale Makar up for some major hardware, as Makar is going for his second Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.

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