<p>The battle for the NHL’s most valuable player might be shaping up to be more than just a two-horse race. </p>



<p>A lot of the Hart Trophy conversation has been centered around <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations">Colorado Avalanche</a> center Nathan MacKinnon and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a> forward Leon Draisaitl, and deservedly so. MacKinnon became the first player in the NHL this season to crack 100 points and has a good lead on Draisaitl in overall scoring, though the longtime Oiler has a huge lead in the goal-scoring race.</p>



<p>However, there are other names that have been having MVP-caliber seasons, especially <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/winnipeg-jets/line-combinations">Winnipeg Jets</a> goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who is well on his way to another Vezina Trophy while leading his team into the race for the President’s Trophy.</p>



<p>On <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tekn4z-TLc&amp;ab_channel=DailyFaceoff">Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE</a>, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discussed how many honest contenders there are for the Hart Trophy.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="143"></div>



<p><strong>Tyler Yaremchuk:</strong> I do agree that it’s Draisaitl/MacKinnon at one and two. I always struggle with the goaltending side of it. You see Connor Hellebuyck at number two on the board…I’m saying I wouldn’t have Hellebuyck on my ballot, but I think I would have Zach Werenski there.</p>



<p><strong>Frank Seravalli:</strong> To answer the question in our title of the show, how many true MVP candidates are there? I think the answer is four. I think it’s Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Hellebuyck and Werenski. Then after that, I think you have to squint real hard. Jack Eichel just set a new franchise record for the Vegas Golden Knights in points. He’s been excellent, but I think when you consider the level that Eichel is at, and the level that those other guys are at, it’s there’s probably a pretty clear gap…I think Werenski certainly deserves consideration. Hellebuyck – we’ve talked about his numbers, we’ve talked about how it’s not even a conversation for the Vezina, but Hellebuyck also has more wins in net than a team like the Oilers do all season long, just himself. He certainly is gonna be deserving of that consideration, I think, when it comes to adding the goalie into the mix. You have to really transcend the position.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="210"></div>



<p><em>You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…</em></p>



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