The case for the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL's MVP trophy of record

The case for the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL's MVP trophy of record

The Hart Trophy shouldn’t be the MVP trophy of record in the NHL. That designation should belong to the Ted Lindsay Award. I don’t want the Hart Trophy gone; I want both trophies to exist. And, 23 players have won both in the same season — like Nathan MacKinnon in 2024 — so there are…

The Hart Trophy shouldn’t be the MVP trophy of record in the NHL. That designation should belong to the Ted Lindsay Award.

I don’t want the Hart Trophy gone; I want both trophies to exist. And, 23 players have won both in the same season — like Nathan MacKinnon in 2024 — so there are some occasions where this debate is moot.

But I want a paradigm shift: I want the Lindsay to be considered the top MVP award in the NHL, and the Hart to exist as it always has — just not at No. 1 status.

Why? Let’s break it down category by category.

Definition

Key to the debate over the Hart Memorial Trophy is the phrase “judged to be the most valuable to his team.”

Not the best player, or the most outstanding player — as it is for some other league MVP awards — the “most valuable to his team.”

The Ted Lindsay Award goes to the “most outstanding player.” That’s it.

Sometimes those two intersect. Is Connor McDavid the best player in the league? Most people would say yes. Is Connor McDavid the player most valuable to the Edmonton Oilers? Most would also say yes.

On other occasions, the literal definition wins out. Was Taylor Hall the best player in the NHL during the 2017-18 season? Some would say no. Was he the most valuable to his team? Many would argue he carried the New Jersey Devils into the postseason, so yes. He won the Hart that year for his efforts.

Voters

The Hart Trophy is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. This happens with other sports MVP awards as well, with broadcasters sometimes mixed in. No issue with that practice.

The Ted Lindsay Award is voted on by the NHL Players’ Association.

With all due respect to my fellow broadcasters and writers and anyone not on the ice who might vote for the Hart or any other trophy, the players’ opinions should mean more, collectively, than outside observers.

Sure, members of the media watch more minutes of an NHL season as a group than the players do. But the players bear closer witness to a teammate’s or opponent’s excellence on the ice. And does an award mean more coming from peers than outsiders?

History

This is where the Hart Trophy has a significant edge. The Hart has been awarded since 1924; it has history and tradition on its side. The Ted Lindsay has been around since 1971, 47 years after the Hart was first awarded.

I do feel a part of the reason a change in the psychology of the two awards hasn’t happened is simply due to inertia — trying to reframe over 100 years of history is challenging!

The trophy itself

The Hart also has the edge here as well, it just looks like a cooler trophy.

The Ted Lindsay Award has Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay on it, which is cool. But the Hart looks like an oversized Olympic torch and is more grandiose in general.

Celebrini as the pivot point

Macklin Celebrini‘s 2025-26 season raises an interesting point for this debate if the Sharks somehow make it into the postseason — which has typically served as a qualifier for players to be “eligible” for winning the Hart.

Celebrini has 42 goals and 110 points through 79 games. Will Smith, who is second on the Sharks, has 23 goals and 56 points. That’s a 54-point gap!

That’s tied for 16th for the biggest gap in leading a team in scoring in NHL history, per the NHL’s statistic group. Celebrini, 19, is the only teenager on this list:

Imagine the Sharks make the playoffs. Would Celebrini be a candidate for the Hart Trophy? By definition you could easily make the argument that he’s the most valuable to his team in the league. Are they a playoff-contending team without Celebrini this season? Probably not. Can you also make a similar argument for Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders — again, if they somehow make the postseason?

But is Celebrini (or Schaefer) the best overall player in the NHL this season? With McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon doing what they are doing this season? Many would say no.

In the end, this is more of a debate for hearts and minds than anything else — and the fact that the Hart is one of the first trophies listed on the NHL’s awards page, while the Lindsay is 16th.

But, in a sport that loves its storylines and narratives, this is something to ponder.

Jump ahead:
Games of the week
What I loved this weekend
Hart Trophy candidates
Social post of the week
Stick taps

greyline

Biggest games of the week

It’s the final week of the regular season, meaning it is the final stretch of the playoff races.

In the East, the Philadelphia Flyers face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Montreal still has playoff positioning to worry about in the Atlantic Division, while the Flyers are clinging on to third in the Metro with multiple teams trying to unseat them. The Washington Capitals face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, with neither team in control of their destiny — but one could spoil the season for the other.

Out West the Nashville Predators play the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, which could prove to be a massive matchup to end the season with the second Western wild card still in play as the week begins.

Hart Trophy contenders if the season ended today

I suppose my entire spiel at the top is ironic considering I’ve been doing a Hart Trophy top 3 all season; why didn’t I do a Ted Lindsay top 3 all season? Probably because the paradigm hasn’t shifted yet!

In any case, the scoring race remains the same:

  • Connor McDavid has 133 points through 80 games, including a five-point night on April 8 against Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks.

  • Nikita Kucherov is second, with 128 points, although he has racked up that total in just 74 games.

  • Nathan MacKinnon has 126 points through 78 games, including five in his past five contests as the Avs close the regular season down as the Presidents’ Trophy winners.

All three of the top candidates’ teams have clinched playoff berths. But who is “most valuable to his team”?

What I loved this weekend

The Zammoth. Could it be anything else?

This thing is awesome. I love how it has the skeleton of an ice resurfacer from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. I love the look, the vibe, all of it. I hope this will start an eventual tradition in every NHL barn. Every single team will have its own version, like a mascot (except for the Rangers, of course).

Social media post of the weekend

This is a simply remarkable feature from our ESPN storytelling team, where eight people from across the country visit Alex Ovechkin and tell him what he meant in their lives and the kindness he showed off the ice.

Shout out to producers Alex Nolen and Kevin Davies, in collaboration with the Washington Capitals and their communications team, including Sergey Kocharov and Megan Eichenberg. It’s truly a must-watch. Be prepared to cut some onions.

Stick taps

Stick taps to the Philadelphia Flyers organization, who are not only staying competitive on the ice but innovating off the ice in the Philly community.

This week, the Flyers, along with Rallee and the School District of Philadelphia, announced a partnership that will provide ball hockey equipment to 8,500 students throughout the school district through a $70,000 donation from Bank of America. The equipment will go to intramural hockey programs across 40 Philly schools. Students will also have increased access to the Rallee app, designed to help students reset, refocus and regulate emotions to help strengthen academic outcomes.

Within that is Flyers World, a custom, immersive experience in the Rallee app that includes a Flyers-themed environment, avatar customizations, and rewards connected to Flyers hockey and the team’s mascot, Gritty. Students participating in the program can engage in both digital activities and real-world incentives.

“We’re incredibly proud to bring several of our partners together for such an impactful program that will directly impact thousands of students throughout Philadelphia,” Flyers alternate governor Blair Listino said. “Hockey has the power to inspire, teach teamwork, and encourage resilience, and we are committed to growing the game in a way that promotes both physical wellness and mental health.”

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