As January 2025 approaches, the NHL's 2024-25 season heads toward its midway point. This moment provides an opportunity to evaluate the leading contenders for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player deemed most valuable to their team at the end of the regular season based on a poll conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association across all 32 NHL cities. A previous assessment of potential candidates was made shortly after the season commenced and was revisited a month into the campaign. At midseason, noteworthy players such as Nathan MacKinnon, the 2023-24 Hart winner, and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid continue to be strong contenders. This analysis will review where MacKinnon and McDavid stand in the current rankings, as well as highlight new faces emerging as potential Hart nominees.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Nečas was at the center of trade discussions leading up to the previous season's trade deadline and into the offseason, being a prominent figure on the NHL Trade Block Big Boards in June and July. Those rumors subsided when he signed a two-year contract with the Hurricanes on July 29. Nečas has subsequently delivered performances that suggest he has something to prove, contributing significantly with 14 goals and 31 assists in 37 games, leading his team in scoring while placing him among the top 15 scorers in the league as the new year began. His timely performances helped offset the struggles of fellow stars Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov early in the season, enabling Carolina to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference playoff race. However, his production has seen a decline since December 17, with just one point in seven games leading into January 2's match against the Florida Panthers. Regardless, Nečas has notably contributed to the Hurricanes' success through the first half of the season.

Last season marked a career highlight for Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers. At 29 years old, he emerged as a pivotal player, leading the team with a record-breaking 57 goals and 94 points while shining in playoff performance with 10 goals and 16 points during a run that culminated in a Game 7 winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers rewarded his efforts with an eight-year, $69 million contract. Despite expectations suggesting he would revert to his 30-goal form seen in previous seasons, Reinhart has surpassed those predictions. He leads the Panthers this season with 22 goals and 45 points through 38 games, while ranking second in plus/minus tied with Dimitri Kulikov at plus-nine. With consistent scoring, having been blanked only nine times in those 38 games, Reinhart has proven himself as Florida's most reliable scorer and emerges as a deserving Hart Trophy candidate.

In his 10th NHL season, Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights is performing at an elevated level. With 48 points in 37 games, the 28-year-old is on track to surpass his previous career high of 82 points set during the 2018-19 season with the Buffalo Sabres. His noteworthy play has significantly contributed to the Golden Knights' position in the standings, where they are contending for the top spot overall. Eichel also ranks among the NHL's top-10 scorers this season, marking a return to form not seen since his 2018-19 breakout. After battling injuries in the past, he has enjoyed a healthy season thus far. Notably, he has exhibited commendable two-way play, contributing effectively both offensively and defensively as structural support for special teams. The Athletic's Jesse Granger pointed out that Eichel is in contention for what could be the best season in Golden Knights history, potentially reaching 111 points. Although he may face stiff competition in the Hart Trophy discussion, Eichel's performance underscores his importance to his team.

Quinn Hughes, now captain of the Vancouver Canucks, showcased an exceptional performance during the 2023-24 season that culminated in a career-best 92-point total, leading all defensemen in scoring and earning his first James Norris Memorial Trophy. Hughes’ remarkable contributions played a crucial role in the Canucks achieving their third-best season ever, securing 109 points and a playoff appearance for the first time since 2020. This season posed challenges as expectations surged. The Canucks struggled amidst injuries to key players like Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, and Filip Hronek. Nevertheless, Hughes took charge and currently leads the Canucks with 42 points, vying for the top defenseman scoring position against Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Despite facing injury issues himself, Hughes has proven his immense value to the team.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may no longer hold the same dominance they exhibited in recent years, having reached four Stanley Cup Finals and winning back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Presidents' Trophy in the 2018-19 season. Following the departure of former captain and franchise scoring leader Steven Stamkos to the Nashville Predators as a free agent last July, the Lightning remain competitive largely due to Nikita Kucherov's contributions. At 31 years old, Kucherov stays among the league's offensive elite. A Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award winner in 2018-19, Kucherov achieved a career-high 144 points last season and finished as a runner-up for the Hart and Lindsay awards. Currently leading the Lightning in scoring with 37 assists and 54 points, he ranks within the NHL's top five in both categories. If Kucherov can maintain this level of performance, he stands a strong chance of contending for both his third Art Ross and a potential second Hart Trophy.

Leon Draisaitl, often overshadowed as the other superstar alongside Connor McDavid in Edmonton Oilers history, has solidified his position as a top-tier player. The 29-year-old center has previously won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Art Ross Trophy in the 2019-20 season. Despite challenges posed by rib and hand injuries, Draisaitl played a pivotal role in the Oilers' journey to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. The team initially struggled at the start of the season but has rebounded to occupy third place in the Pacific Division standings. Draisaitl's impressive form has him leading the league with 27 goals while ranking second in points with 56, surpassing even McDavid in both categories. The duo remains an offensive powerhouse for the Oilers, and Draisaitl's performance supports the case for him being a serious Hart Trophy candidate. His recent eight-year, $112 million contract extension beginning July 1, 2025, further highlights his value to the organization.

Expectations for the Minnesota Wild were modest as they commenced the 2024-25 season, given their struggles the previous year that led to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19. On top of management's attempts to enhance the roster being hampered by salary-cap limitations, the Wild have still managed to exceed early-season predictions. As of January 2, they sit third in the Western Conference standings with 50 points, marking a significant improvement compared to their earlier performance. Central to their success has been winger Kirill Kaprizov, who, despite his status as the team's standout player for three straight seasons with 40-plus goals, has elevated his game this year. Kaprizov's contributions of 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points position him among the league's top-10 scorers midway through the season. His absence, now noted as he operates from injured reserve with a lower-body issue, has been a considerable loss for the Wild.

In the NHL, dominant goaltenders are gradually becoming rarer entities as goals-against averages soar and save percentages dwindle amidst an increase in scoring. Carey Price remains the last goalie to clinch the Hart Trophy during the 2014-15 season. Exceptions to this trend include Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, who, along with Sergei Bobrovsky, stands as one of only two active goalies to have won the Vezina Trophy twice, capturing his first in 2019-20 and his second in 2023-24. The Jets initiated the season with remarkable momentum, winning 15 of their first 16 games up until November 12, though they have since experienced a more modest performance with a record of 12 wins, 10 losses, and an overtime loss as of January 2, while still leading the overall standings. Hellebuyck's stellar showing between the pipes has been vital in this success. He currently leads all goaltenders in wins with 24, save percentage at .930, goals-against average at 2.00, and achieving five shutouts. Such performance underscores Hellebuyck's candidacy for being the most valuable player to his team.

Connor McDavid, center for the Edmonton Oilers, is solidifying his status as one of the NHL's all-time greats. On November 14, the 27-year-old reached the 1,000-point milestone in just 659 games, becoming the fourth-fastest player to do so. McDavid has won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times, capturing it in 2016-17, 2020-21, and 2022-23, while being a finalist in 2018-19, 2021-22, and 2023-24. Although a slow start to the previous season hindered his chances for a fourth Hart, he still placed third in scoring with 132 points. The Oilers, alongside McDavid, began this season sluggishly following a shortened offseason after their Stanley Cup Final run but managed to bounce back sooner than last year's slow recovery. McDavid currently ranks among the top five scorers with 54 points. Following a painful loss to the Florida Panthers in last season's Stanley Cup Final, he, along with his teammates, is fiercely determined for another opportunity to compete for the championship, bolstered by his Hart Trophy-caliber form.

A career performance from Nathan MacKinnon led the Colorado Avalanche center to win his first Hart Memorial Trophy last season, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the NHL with 140 points and ranking third with 89 assists, which propelled the Avalanche to a fourth-overall finish in the Western Conference with 107 points. Continuing in the current season, MacKinnon has maintained his high level of play, leading the scoring race with 61 points and leading the league with 47 assists. His performance demonstrates that last season's exceptional output was not merely a fluke. As injuries continue to plague the Avalanche, including the ongoing absence of team captain Gabriel Landeskog—with two seasons lost due to knee issues—MacKinnon has stepped into a leadership role, significantly contributing to keeping the injury-depleted Avalanche in contention for the playoffs in the ever-competitive Western Conference.

This assessment of potential Hart Memorial Trophy candidates draws from statistics and standings updates as of January 2, 2025, as sourced from NHL.com and supplemented by data from Hockey Reference.