Can Auston Matthews top Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy for a second straight season? Or is Cale Makar the real threat to McDavid’s best-in-game status? Who are the early favorites for what look like tight contests for the Vezina and Calder trophies? And which team will win the Patrick Kane sweepstakes?
The 2022-23 NHL season is upon us, and that means it’s time for The Athletic to ask its staff for their predictions. We’ll have team picks — like the Stanley Cup winner and the full playoff field — on Monday. For now, we start with all the major awards, plus the Kane question that will be hanging over the league until the Blackhawks star is dealt.
To pick apart the results of our polling, provide context and give us a healthy critique, we’ve brought in senior national writer Sean Gentille, analytics guru Shayna Goldman and NHL betting expert Jesse Granger.
Hart Trophy
Given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. Voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).
Gentille: This feels about right, given how last season played out, yeah? I’m not trying to knock Matthews — he was spectacular and deserved the votes he got — but voters get tired of voting for the same guy. It’s human nature. We see it in the NBA all the time.