The calendar has now turned to 2026, and the race to the postseason is in full swing. With every team being within two games of the midseason mark, it’s time to examine every team’s most valuable player up to this point.
Anaheim Ducks: Leo Carlsson
It is only fitting that the MVP of the young Ducks is a 21-year old budding superstar. The Swedish center has nearly matched his point total from last season in just over half the games. Carlsson’s play for the rest of the season is crucial for Anaheim to end their playoff drought, as their goaltending leaves a lot to be desired.
Boston Bruins: Morgan Geekie
The Bruins have struggled to generate offense this season, however, that is not at all the fault of Morgan Geekie. He currently sits second in the league with 25 goals. If he stays healthy, he will easily eclipse his career high of 33 goals. The slumping Bruins are relying on Geekie to continue to put pucks in the back of the net.
Buffalo Sabres: Alex Lyon
The Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL, as they have won ten in a row. The 33-year-old goaltender, who has bounced around from team-to-team throughout his career, seems to have found a home in Western New York. If he and backup Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen can continue to be rock solid in net, Buffalo has a good shot to end their 15-year playoff drought.
Calgary Flames: Devin Cooley
An absolute no-brainer here. Cooley has been the one bright spot on a flawed Calgary Flames team. The 28-year old, who had only appeared in six games prior to this season, has far outplayed Calder runner-up Dustin Wolf. Cooley has a .914 save percentage in 13 starts and has kept the Flames in games they have no business being in.
Carolina Hurricanes: Brandon Bussi
Bussi has been phenomenal in 16 starts, winning 13 of them while posting a .901 save percentage. The Hurricanes have come up short the last couple of seasons due to poor goaltending. If the rookie netkeeper can continue his strong play into the postseason, nobody may have a better shot in the East than Carolina.
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard
This was an easy choice considering the way the Blackhawks have looked since Bedard went on IR. In the 31 games he’s played, he has racked up 44 points along with a +8 on the plus/minus scale. Chicago has only won twice since Bedard got hurt three weeks ago, and they desperately need him back if they want any chance of saving their season.
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon
The Avalanche are on pace to have one of the greatest regular seasons in NHL history. MacKinnon is at the forefront of that success, and his 70 points are tied for tops in the league. In addition, he has posted an absolutely ridiculous +51 on the plus/minus scale. 150 points is not out of the question at all, and he has to be considered the front runner in the MVP race.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Werenski is without a doubt the most underrated defenseman in the league today. He has built off a career season which saw him finish top three in Norris Trophy voting. His season did take a hit recently with a trip to the IR. Similar to Chicago, Columbus needs their star back as soon as possible if they want any chance to make the playoffs.
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
I don’t think Robertson gets talked about enough as one of the best two-way forwards in the league. He has excelled offensively with 48 points, along with having a +15 on the ice. Dallas is strong at basically every position, but to me Robertson has had the biggest impact on what’s been an incredibly successful season for first year head coach Glen Gulutzan.
Detroit Red Wings: Alex DeBrincat
DeBrincat has been an absolute iron man for the Red Wings, as he has yet to miss a game since joining Detroit in 2023. He had a career season last year with 39 goals and 31 assists. Already having 21 goals and 20 assists this season, it’s certainly possible he reaches 40 in both the goals and assists category by season’s end.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid
As usual, Edmonton’s goaltending has been subpar and holding the team back at times. Also as usual, McDavid has been stealing the show with his world-class talent. His 24 goals are just two away from the amount he scored all of last season. He is currently on a 14-game point streak, which included 31 points in the first 11 games of that stretch.
Florida Panthers: Brad Marchand
At 37 years old, Marchand continues to build on a hall of fame career. With both Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk yet to see the ice this season, Marchand’s production has been crucial in keeping Florida competitive in a loaded Atlantic Division. With the return of Tkachuk looming, Florida is poised for a monster second half run.
Los Angeles Kings: Darcy Kuemper
Kuemper is the only reason the Kings are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. This team flat out refuses to score, and their power play is the second worst in the league, only ahead of Calgary. Kuemper has been marvelous in net with a .913 save percentage, including a .946 mark for the month of December.
Minnesota Wild: Jesper Wallstedt
In the span of a few short months, the Wild went from 3-6-3 to acquiring Quinn Hughes in an all-in move. A massive reason for Minnesota’s turnaround has been rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. In 16 starts, Wallstedt is 11-2-3 with a .928 save percentage, which is tops across the league. If Minnesota didn’t have another stud goaltender in Filip Gustavsson, Wallstedt would be running away in the Vezina Trophy standings.
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Suzuki, the captain of the young Canadiens, has been the catalyst of their offensive explosion this season. Suzuki has 45 points with a +16 on the ice. In addition, his 21 power play points puts him near the top of the league. That power play, speaking of, ranks seventh in the league and features other key contributors such as Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson.
Nashville Predators: Ryan O’Reilly
The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has bounced back in a big way for the Predators this season. After posting just 53 points last season, he has already posted 35 in about half the games with a difference of +25 on the plus/minus scale. I expect the 34-year old to be a highly coveted piece at the trade deadline this March (maybe even before).
New Jersey Devils: Jake Allen
The Devils’ offense has regressed significantly this season. You wonder if Jack Hughes’ freak hand injury suffered in November is still affecting him. Despite the lack of scoring, New Jersey has remained competitive thanks to goaltender Jake Allen, who in 21 starts has 11 wins while posting a .912 save percentage.
New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokon & David Rittich
I am making an exception for the Islanders, and giving two players a shared MVP. Quite simply, Sorokin and Rittich have had too similar stats to decide on one. However, there is no question that the Islanders are in the position they are because of their goaltending. Sorokin has a .910 save percentage in 24 starts with Rittich right behind him at .909 in 17 starts.
New York Rangers: Artemi Panarin
It’s been an abysmal season for the Rangers, who were already coming off a disappointing 2024-2025 season. However, Artemi Panarin has continued to live up to the mega contract the Rangers handed him back in the summer of 2029. “Bread” has racked up 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games and with a monster second half, he could easily reach 100 points again.
Ottawa Senators: Tim Stutzle
Ottawa reached the playoffs last season thanks to remarkable goaltending. Amazingly, this season, their goaltending has been among the worst in the league. Fortunately for the Senators, they remain a playoff contender thanks to their offensive output, headed by German center Tim Stutzle, who is currently on a 11-game point streak and has 42 points for the season.
Philadelphia Flyers: Trevor Zegras
It turns out all the former top ten draft pick needed was a fresh start. Zegras has fit like a glove in the Philadelphia offense, as he has racked up 39 points in as many games. The New York native has a career high of 65 points in a season. Assuming he stays healthy, he should easily eclipse that mark in his first season in Philly.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby
The greatest player of this generation continues to play strongly well into his late thirties. Crosby is still a lethal weapon on the power play, as he has 16 points on the second best power play unit in the league, right behind Edmonton. Crosby is one of the greatest two-hundred foot players of all time, and one of the greatest players of all time period.
San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, the Sharks currently occupy the first wild card spot in the West halfway through the season. If it wasn’t for MacKinnon or McDavid, Celebrini would be the frontrunner in the Hart Trophy race, as the 2024 No. 1 overall pick has 62 points and a +13 on the season. The 19-year old Vancouver native will make his Olympic debut for Team Canada this February.
Seattle Kraken: Phillipp Grubauer
The Kraken have been decimated with injuries this season, and it doesn’t help that their offense hasn’t generated much scoring production. However, Seattle can thank their goaltending for why they are still in the playoff race. Grubauer is at the forefront of that, with a .922 save percentage in 13 starts.
St. Louis Blues: Joel Hofer
Jim Montgomery’s squad has failed to build on such a strong ending to last season, as St. Louis currently sits five points out of a playoff spot. The offense has been one of the worst in hockey. Backup goalie Joel Hofer has been the one bright spot, far outplaying Jordan Binnington with a .901 save percentage in 22 starts vs Binnington’s .869 in 24 starts.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov
Not many skaters are hotter right now than Kucherov, as the Russian right-winger has a five-game multi-point streak. Tampa Bay has won six in a row and are on an absolute roll as the new year has arrived. With Kucherov’s play, along with Andrei Vasilevskiy defying father time in net, the Lightning are arguably the favorite in the East right now.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Joseph Woll
It has been a very disappointing season in Toronto, as the offense has regressed significantly following the trade of Mitch Marner. On the flip side, Woll has been outstanding in his 14 starts in net, racking up eight wins and a .916 save percentage. The Maple Leafs will need to get their offense going, but it should at least comfort head coach Craig Berube that they have stable goaltending for the time being.
Utah Mammoth: Dylan Guenther
It’s been an up-and-down season for Utah. The goaltending, defense, and special teams have been inconsistent at best. However, quite a few guys are on pace for career seasons on the offensive front, including Guenther, who is well on pace to surpass the 27 goals he scored last season. In a weak Western Conference, Guenther and the offense may be able to do just enough to lead the Mammoth into the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko
Quinn Hughes would’ve easily won this award, but since he is now in Minnesota, the honor goes to Demko instead. In 17 starts, he has a .907 save percentage with a superb 2.72 GAA. The Canucks have almost zero offensive output now that Hughes is gone, but if Demko can continue to deliver strong goaltending, they will be able to steal games on any given night.
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Eichel’s growth into a true two-hundred foot player in Vegas has been awesome to see. He seems to get better and better every single year, and this season is no expectation. Though the injury bug has hit the former No. 2 overall pick again, in the 31 games he has played, he has 12 goals and 29 assists, with 16 of those assists coming on the power play.
Washington Capitals: Logan Thompson
The Capitals have done two things well this season: 1) score at even strength and 2) goaltending. Thompson is probably the favorite for the Vezine Trophy right now, as in his 29 starts he has accumulated 15 wins with a .913 save percentage and a ridiculous 2.39 GAA. With Washington not nearly having the luck they did last season, Thompson’s play has been extremely important in keeping this team a playoff contender.
Winnipeg Jets: Mark Scheifele
The Jets have gone from President Trophy winners to last place in the league in just one season. However, that is not at all the fault of Scheifle, as the veteran has 20 goals and 28 assists in what has been a nightmare season in Manitoba. Scheifle, along with Kyle Connor, have kept an otherwise lackluster offense afloat.
