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To mark the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series. Today, we look at the race for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team in the NHL as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

We are firmly into the second half with a neck-and-neck-and-neck race for the top of the fantasy podium. Connor Hellebuyck will surely start getting some additional rest later in the season, so the race at the top right now is between Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

Ovechkin & Co. are back on top according to our voters. And at the midway point of the season, we identify the best fantasy player for all 32 clubs.

It’s safe to assume NHL players forgo the usual health-related resolutions the rest of us double-down on this time of year. Being pro athletes in the prime of their lives and all, there are probably other things these fitness freaks can focus on.

It likely won't happen, but if the Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner and Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen don't re-sign before March, a 1-for-1 trade could be worth considering.

NHL All-Star Game, representatives of the NHL and the NHL Players Association made an announcement of intense interest to Team Canada fans—that NHL players would return to international best-on-best tournament play,

With every team now having played 40+ games, it’s a great time to reflect on the season so far and look at some of the incredible performances we’ve seen from players around the league.

Usually at the midseason, the contenders and pretenders begin to separate and we have an idea who's going to buy and sell on the trade market. Not so in 2024-25, where the standings are tight, especially in the Eastern Conference.

Through games of Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025

Jan. 15, 2025