Celebrini Isn’t Hart Finalist

Macklin Celebrini isn’t a Hart Trophy finalist.

The NHL announced on Friday that Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche were the finalists.

The Hart Trophy, voted on by the PHWA, is awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”

By that definition, the San Jose Sharks superstar is certainly a leading candidate.

Celebrini’s 115 points was involved with 46.2 of the San Jose Sharks’ 249 goals, the second-highest individual player percentage in the NHL, after McDavid’s 48.9. Celebrini had 56 points more than No. 2 on San Jose, Will Smith’s 59, the largest difference between No. 1 and No. 2 scorer in the league.

Celebrini almost dragged the San Jose Sharks into the playoff playoffs, leading a 34-point improvement for the team, from 52 to 86.

For Celebrini though, it is a strong year for MVP candidates: McDavid led the NHL with 138 points, MacKinnon was third with 127 points and on the best regular season team in the league, and Kucherov was second with 130 points, finishing the season with a staggering 79 points in his last 41 appearances.

Macklin Celebrini was voted by his peers as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, an NHLPA-voted award for most outstanding player, along with McDavid and Kucherov.