For the second time in three seasons, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is a finalist for the NHL‘s Hart Memorial Trophy.
The winner is recognized as the league’s most valuable player, voted on by member of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association.
McDavid set career highs in 2018-19 in assists (75) and points (116) and finished second in league scoring.
He also factored in on more than 50 per cent of the Oilers’ 229 goals, leading the league in that category, and never went consecutive games without a point.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who won the NHL’s scoring race with 128 points, and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby are the other nominees.
It would be Kucherov’s first and Crosby’s third time winning the Hart.
McDavid won the award in 2016-17 and could become the second player in history to win multiple Hart Trophies before their 23rd birthday, a feat accomplished only by Wayne Gretzky who did it four times.
The winner will be announced at the NHL’s award show on June 19 in Las Vegas.