Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Igor Shesterkin named Hart Trophy finalists

Connor McDavid is a finalist for the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player.

The NHL announced the finalists on Thursday, and it’s McDavid, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

McDavid is gunning for the third Hart Trophy of his career. He won back in 2016-17 after his first 100-point season helped the Oilers break their decade-long playoff drought. He also won last season after an incredible 105-point performance in the 56-game shortened season. This season, McDavid again led the league in scoring with a career-high 123 points.

The runner-up to McDavid last season was Matthews, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy for the first time in his career with 41 goals in 52 games. This season, Matthews scored 60 goals and 106 points over the course of 73 games and helped the Leafs finish with their best season in franchise history, as they went 54-21-7 during the regular season.

And then there’s Igor Shesterkin, who seems like a shoo-in to win the Vezina Trophy this year. Shesterkin won 36 games for the Rangers this season and led the league with a .935 save percentage and a 2.07 goals against average. The Rangers finished 25th in the league in shot attempt differential but put together a 52-24-6 record largely because of Shesterkin’s amazing season in net.

The winners of the awards will be announced during the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.