“For me, Nate, he’s somewhat of a unicorn when it comes to his abilities, the way he plays, the physicality and the skill level and pace he plays with,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “There aren’t too many guys who are putting up 100-plus points a year that go play as physical as Nate did last game. … We saw it in 2022, we’re seeing it again in this series. It’s personally why I think he should be in that (Hart) running every year. It’s because there’s no one else like him, really, in the league that plays that way with that sort of speed, ability, skill and then physicality and sort of emotion and passion. Everyone does it differently, it’s not taking away anything from the other guys, some of those other guys do things that Nate doesn’t do and they play a little more of a cerebral game. But that’s what I think makes Nate so special. He’s 1-of-1.”
The 30-year-old center helped Colorado win the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the NHL (55-16-11) as well as the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL (203 including shootout goals).
McDavid, who led the League with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists), to win the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion for the sixth time, is a Hart finalist for the seventh time, and is a three-time winner (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23). The Edmonton Oilers captain could become the fourth player to win the award at least four times, joining Eddie Shore (four), Gordie Howe (six) and Wayne Gretzky (nine).
McDavid had points in 68 of the 82 games he played this season, including 43 multipoint games, and seven games with at least four points, including three games with five points. The 29-year-old center had 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in a 20-game point streak from Dec. 4-Jan. 13. He led Edmonton in goals, assists and points and helped it finish second in the Pacific Division (41-30-11).
He was also named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award last week.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won the Hart Trophy last season.
