One of the most tiresome things about the NHL Awards is that we spend as much time debating their subjective parameters as we do which players and coaches should win them.
Should the Norris Trophy rely so heavily on a defenseman’s offensive output? How much should team success factor into the Vezina Trophy’s goaltending field? Is age nothing but a number for the Calder Trophy, or should an 18-year-old’s accomplishments be weighed favorably against those of a 25-year-old who played three seasons in the KHL?
Perhaps no trophy creates more handwringing than the Hart Trophy — understandable, given the prestige an MVP award carries throughout sports. Who should win, and for what reasons, is a question that vexes voters and flummoxes fans.
So I decided to ask an actual Hart Trophy winner to find out what he thought about the award and its arbitrary parameters.
As luck would have it, I work with one that won the award twice. Consider these Mark Messier’s Rules for Hockey MVPs.
And now, the race for the playoffs is officially on!
In the East, the Atlantic Division seeds seem pretty well set, and that goes for two of three Metro Division seeds as well; the New Jersey Devils, in the No. 3 spot, are dealing with major injury woes. They are currently without Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler.
But it’s in the wild-card race where things get truly, well, wild. The Columbus Blue Jackets (68 points in 62 games) and Ottawa Senators (67 in 61) hold those positions heading into Saturday’s slate of games. But five teams are within four points of the Sens, with around 20 games left each.
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 18 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 11
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline: