Who were the NHL’s MVPs in 2023-24? One pick for each team (2024)

The NHL regular season is in the books, and it was a historic one as far as individual performances go, featuring the fourth and fifth 100-assist marks ever and a quest for 70 goals that came up just short.

But those weren’t the only highlights. Every team from the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers to the tankathon-winning San Jose Sharks had performances worth remembering. So this week, before turning the page to the playoffs for some teams and the offseason for others, The Athletic asked its NHL staff for the player who provided the very best on a nightly basis on each team: our 2023-24 MVPs.

Here’s who our writers picked.

Anaheim Ducks

Frank Vatrano: One of the reasons Vatrano came to Anaheim as a free agent in 2022 was the opportunity to prove that he was more than a third-line winger. After a strong second half to the 2022-23 season, he was given consistent top-six minutes this season, and the 30-year-old made the most of them. He had two hat tricks within Anaheim’s first eight games and 14 goals by the end of November. He earned his first All-Star Game berth and reached 30 goals for the first time. Vatrano finishes as the Ducks’ goal-scoring leader (37) and also had personal bests in assists (23) and points (60). — Eric Stephens

Arizona Coyotes

Clayton Keller: At times, there might have been a temptation to nominate defenseman Sean Durzi, who played the most minutes of any Coyote and led their rearguards in points, or goalie Connor Ingram, who wrested the No. 1 job away from Karel Vejmelka and tied for the league lead with six shutouts. But the reality is, the pick has to be Keller again. He is tops in goals (33), assists (42), points (75), power-play points (29) and shots on goal (225). Year after year, he faces the toughest defenders in the league and continues to average roughly a point a game. Arizona only makes the next step when Keller can get some consistent scoring help, to take some of the pressure and focus off him. — Eric Duhatschek

Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak: Pastrnak had to carry an offense that said goodbye to Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. Pastrnak scored 110 points, including a career-high 63 assists, to lead the Bruins. The right wing evolved to become more of a playmaker because he handled the puck more than ever. He did this while playing against top shutdown defensem*n every game. —Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: From Jan. 1 on, Luukkonen was one of the best goalies in the NHL. He finished the season with a .910 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average with a career-high 54 games played. According to Evolving-Hockey, Luukkonen was sixth in the NHL in goals saved above expected through Wednesday. During a season in which many of the Sabres’ top players regressed, his emergence as a legitimate No. 1 goalie was one of the main reasons Buffalo’s season didn’t go entirely off the rails. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames

Nazem Kadri: This would’ve gone to Jacob Markstrom had his final month not been so abysmal. Kadri went the opposite way. A poor start turned into the second-most-productive season of his career. As the Flames incorporated young players onto their roster, slotting Kadri with youngsters Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil ended up being beneficial for all three. Kadri is usually found on the team’s top line and has been its most consistent player this season, making him worthy of team MVP. — Julian McKenzie

Carolina Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho: Aho’s new $78 million contract doesn’t kick in until next season, but he’s already living up to having the most lucrative contract in Hurricanes history. The 26-year-old center set a new career high with 89 points and plays a prominent role on Carolina’s first-ranked penalty kill and second-ranked power play. If the Hurricanes are going to win their second Stanley Cup championship, Aho will be the player steering the ship. — Cory Lavalette

Chicago Blackhawks

Petr Mrázek: The Blackhawks finished in 31st place, so it’s been far from a successful season, but it could have been much worse without Mrázek. He played more than expected, played better than expected and kept the Blackhawks in a lot of games they probably shouldn’t have been in. His play also allowed a young and inexperienced Blackhawks group to learn and develop while being in competitive games. — Scott Powers

Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon: As the potential MVP of the entire league, how could Nathan MacKinnon not be the MVP of his own team? He flew by his career highs in goals (51) and points (140), and his 50.6 goals created led the entire NHL heading into the season finale, per Hockey-Reference. He’s been good in all three zones, controlling possession as well as any player while on the ice. That shows in his incredible 60.4 percent goal share through Wednesday, per Natural Stat Trick. The Avalanche had outscored the opposition 99-65 with MacKinnon on the ice at even strength. — Jesse Granger

Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski: On a club with too many underperforming star players, Werenski proved yet again that, when healthy, he’s one of the top offensive defensem*n in the NHL. Werenski was nearly the leading point producer on the team, totaling 11 goals, 46 assists and 57 points. That was good for 12th in the NHL through Wednesday and tied him with Seth Jones (2017-18) for the franchise’s single-season points record by a defenseman. The assists and points were career highs for Werenski, who also had an even plus-minus rating on a club that was outscored by 63 goals. — Aaron Portzline

Dallas Stars

Matt duch*ene: This is always a tough question, because the definition of MVP varies. For the Stars, there are a handful of players who have a case (cough cough, Wyatt Johnston). But duch*ene gave the Stars a true second top line. He helped get the most out of Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. He’s been a great veteran presence in the locker room. In many ways, he has been one of the key engines of the Stars’ strengths this season. — Saad Yousuf

Detroit Red Wings

Dylan Larkin: The simplest way to illustrate Larkin’s impact is Detroit’s record with and without its captain. With Larkin, the Red Wings were 37-22-9 — a .610 points percentage, which translates to 100 points over an 82-game season. Without him? They were 4-10-0, a .286 points percentage that would have put them on par with the Sharks. Now, did Detroit really have any business being that bad without Larkin? No. Even in a year in which Larkin had 33 goals and his first career season above a point per game, the team needed to be better in his absence. But it certainly spells out just how much the Red Wings lean on Larkin to be their engine — and just how much they miss him when he’s gone. Even as the Red Wings have taken steps forward, his importance to the team still only seems to grow. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid: There are a few players worthy of consideration. You can make a case for goal-scoring ace Zach Hyman, offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard, his steady partner Mattias Ekholm, heck, maybe even goalie Stuart Skinner. Really, though, there’s only one Oilers player in the running for the Hart Trophy. McDavid’s turnaround was likely the biggest reason the Oilers went from the bottom of the NHL standings a dozen games in to nearly winning a division title. In a so-called down year, he became the fourth player in league history to record 100 assists in a season. It’s a boring answer, but it’s the right one. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

Florida Panthers

Sam Reinhart: With all apologies to Selke favorite Aleksander Barkov, if you score 57 times in a season, you’re probably your team’s most valuable player. That’s true of Reinhart, who went nuclear in his contract year, totaling 94 points and leading the league in power-play goals (27). The Panthers are one of the league’s most complete teams, and Reinhart’s elevated play has added a major new element to their game. — Sean Gentille

Los Angeles Kings

Adrian Kempe: Can this be split three ways? Four? Really, there isn’t a clear-cut choice. Kevin Fiala was terrific in the second half, putting up numbers and doing so without putting his team in a bad spot. Anze Kopitar continued to be a two-way standout in his 18th(!) season. And Drew Doughty continued to carry the defense while laughing at those who predicted his demise as a No. 1 defenseman. But we’ll give the nod to the 27-year-old Kempe, who continues to improve as a complete player. He didn’t come close to 41 goals he scored last season, but he took advantage of the increased focus on him by teams to become a terrific playmaker and set another career best in points (73 through Wednesday). He’ll also play a physical game and work his way under the skin of opposing players. The best sign of Kempe’s growth is that he never went more than two games without factoring into a goal. — Eric Stephens

Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov: Kaprizov has been the Wild’s driving force, easily leading a mostly one-line team in goals and points (46 and 96). It’s no coincidence that the Wild’s roughest stretches have come without him, including a 1-7-1 funk following his injury Dec. 30 (the last time Minnesota was in a playoff spot). Kaprizov has played his best down stretch when the team was fighting for a playoff spot, with 20 goals in the last 21 games. — Joe Smith

Montreal Canadiens

Nick Suzuki: Suzuki was the Canadiens’ leading scorer, showed leadership in helping the development of Juraj Slafkovský and demonstrated great strides in his own game. From the All-Star break to the end of the season, he was top-25 in NHL scoring, registering more than a point per game over that span. He set new career highs in goals, assists and points while playing a sound defensive game against top opposition night after night. He was easily the Canadiens’ most important player all season and produced excellent results under difficult circ*mstances. — Arpon Basu

Nashville Predators

Roman Josi: Filip Forsberg would like a word after obliterating Matt duch*ene’s franchise single-season goal record, finishing with 48, along with his 94 points. But the pick’s got to be the captain, who should be a Norris Trophy finalist and has a better case to win it — after a dominant second half — than some may realize. Once Josi got the hang of Andrew Brunette’s pressuring system, he flourished in it, finishing with 85 points, and he had the game on a string during the Preds’ 20-5-3 finish to the regular season. — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils

Jesper Bratt: The Devils had a disappointing year as a whole, but that can’t fall on Bratt’s shoulders. He played all 82 games, had 83 points and scored 27 goals. Jack Hughes likely would have won this award, but injury cut his season short. Bratt’s counting stats are strong, but he also has great underlying numbers. His plus-16 net rating is best on the team, per Dom Luszczyszyn’s model. At only 25, he’s part of a young Devils core that remains exciting despite the group’s poor 2023-24 season. — Peter Baugh

New York Islanders

Mathew Barzal: After winning the Calder Trophy in an otherwise disastrous 2017-18 season, Barzal willingly sacrificed offense for Barry Trotz’s defense-first system for many years. With a move to the wing and a linemate in Bo Horvat who has had good chemistry with him since just about day one, Barzal is back among the point-per-game NHL scorers. His team isn’t quite at the same level as it was under Trotz, but Barzal’s season shows he can have solid individual numbers in a decent Islanders season. —Arthur Staple

New York Rangers

Artemi Panarin: This is not a difficult choice for the Rangers. Panarin put together the best season of his career, scoring 49 goals and finishing with 120 points in 82 games. If Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid didn’t all have monster seasons, he’d be right in the thick of the Hart Trophy race. Panarin has great chemistry with linemates Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière, and the trio carried the team offensively. Rangers media members voted Panarin team MVP for his sustained brilliance throughout the season. — Peter Baugh

Ottawa Senators

Jake Sanderson: In a disappointing season highlighted by failure and defensive breakdowns, Sanderson was an aberration on Ottawa’s back end. The sophom*ore NHLer led the Senators in average ice time (23:13 per game) — finally wrestling that crown away from Thomas Chabot, who has consistently logged the most ice time in Ottawa for several seasons. Sanderson also finished with a plus-8 rating — no small feat on one of the worst defensive teams in the league. He logged significant time on the power play and penalty kill in the final year of his entry-level contract. His eight-year, $64.4 million extension that kicks in next season should age nicely if he continues this trajectory. — Ian Mendes

Philadelphia Flyers

Travis Konecny: Konecny led the Flyers in goals and points, eclipsing 30 goals for the second time in as many seasons. He also keyed their penalty kill, among the best in the league this season, while adding an NHL-leading six short-handed goals. Konecny, who was named as an alternate captain in February, could be in line for a huge contract extension this offseason. “I think he’s very cognizant that he’s the leader of this team,” coach John Tortorella said on April 13. — Kevin Kurz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby: Few selections will be easier. Crosby paced the Penguins in goals, assists and points by big margins. He took and won the most faceoffs. He played in the highest-stake situations. His singular focus during a trying season helped the Penguins overcome a multitude of roster issues and nearly rally from a 12-point deficit in the playoff race. He is Pittsburgh’s best player. He is the Penguins’ only great player. He embodied what it meant to be a franchise pillar, even as his franchise continued to flounder despite Kyle Dubas replacing Ron Hextall as general manager. — Rob Rossi

San Jose Sharks

Mikael Granlund: Bright spots weren’t easy to come by for the Sharks in this sorry season, but Granlund fashioned a nice comeback year in his first with San Jose. With Logan Couture inactive for most of the season and Tomas Hertl dealing with knee issues and eventually being traded, the 32-year-old Granlund did his best to step into the massive void at center and delivered a team-leading 60 points — his fourth 60-point season. He also finished with a 13-game point streak and 28 points in his last 25 contests. — Eric Stephens

Seattle Kraken

Joey Daccord: Daccord almost salvaged the Kraken’s third season. After the team turned to him in mid-December, he performed at a near-Vezina level, with a .916 save percentage that ranked third and a goals-against average of 2.46 that ranked fifth among goalies with more than 30 starts (he had 50). It was stability Seattle has rarely enjoyed in the franchise’s brief existence, even if it ultimately wasn’t enough to compensate for the Kraken’s offensive issues. — Thomas Drance

St. Louis Blues

Jordan Binnington: Robert Thomas has a strong case, with a career-high 86 points and the most ice time in the NHL against the opposition’s top players. But I’ve got to go with Binnington, who saved the Blues’ bacon on a nightly basis. His goals saved above expected (16.5) ranked third in the league among goalies with 50-plus appearances, per MoneyPuck, trailing Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko. Binnington’s save percentage jumped from .894 last season to .913, his best mark since his rookie year in 2018-19 (.927). — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning

Nikita Kucherov: Kucherov has been a game-breaker all season for Tampa Bay and is the biggest reason they’re in the playoffs. With 144 points, he had a point on 50 percent of the Lightning’s all-situation goals this season. He’s dynamic on the power play and their primary source of offense at five-on-five. The winger has been everything and more to his team, which is why he isn’t just the Lightning’s MVP but is also in a very tight Hart Trophy race. — Shayna Goldman

Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews: I had William Nylander as the Maple Leafs’ MVP at the midway point. Now? There’s no debate: Matthews was far and away the team’s MVP this season (and in my opinion, the MVP of the league). Not only did he lead the Leafs in goals (by a lot, with 69) and points (107), both career-highs, he also happens to be the best defensive player on the team. He even ranks among the league leaders in blocked shots and takeaways among his peers at forward and added part-time penalty-killing duties to his resume for the first time this season. If Matthews was having even an ordinary season by his standards, the Leafs might be a wild-card team. He’s not. This is a slam dunk. — Jonas Siegel

Vancouver Canucks

Quinn Hughes: In his first season as the club’s captain, Hughes drove the bus for Vancouver at five-on-five while also more than doubling his previous career high in goals. He’s the heavy favorite to win the Norris Trophy and will likely receive at least a small handful of down-ballot Hart Trophy votes. Hughes controls games like an elite skater, and his emergence as one of the top defenders in the game was crucial in powering the Canucks’ stunning year-over-year improvement. — Thomas Drance

Vegas Golden Knights

William Karlsson: Karlsson has been the Golden Knights’ most consistent player in all aspects of the game this season. He was third on the team with 30 goals and has done it while playing with less offensively skilled players on the third line most of the season. Jonathan Marchessault had an excellent season with 42 goals but did it with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev as his most consistent linemates. Karlsson’s were Michael Amadio and Paul Cotter. He plays on the top power-play and penalty-kill units, and his even strength on-ice goal share of 56.5 percent through Wednesday is impressive considering the tough defensive matchups he faces every night. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals

Charlie Lindgren: One of the bigger no-brainers in the league. Lindgren would’ve deserved this only for his first 17 games, when he put up a .929 save percentage and helped the Caps stack 19 points. His .928 save percentage against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — the two Metro teams Washington needed to beat out — makes it even easier. The Caps needed every solitary point they got, and Lindgren (.911 save percentage, ninth in goals saved above expected, through Wednesday, per Evolving-Hockey) earned plenty on his own. — Sean Gentille

Winnipeg Jets

Connor Hellebuyck: This isn’t a case of Hellebuyck dragging the Jets to the playoffs. That story has been written in previous seasons. He won his first Vezina Trophy in 2020, for example, behind perhaps the most porous defense corps of the Jets 2.0 era. Instead, it’s a case of Hellebuyck’s excellence — and long-term contract — elevating a quality five-on-five team into the NHL’s upper echelon. The Jets had the fewest goals against in the league, and Hellebuyck will finish the season with the most goals saved above expected, whichever public model you use. He also leads all starters in save percentage, turning a good defensive team into the hardest teams to score on in the NHL. Finally, there’s no denying the significance of his (and Mark Scheifele’s) contracts, signaling that the Jets were in it to win it this year and beyond. Hellebuyck is Winnipeg’s MVP, and the ripples of his value go well beyond what should be a Vezina-winning stat sheet. — Murat Ates

(Top photos of Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews and Sidney Crosby: Bruce Bennett, Claus Andersen and Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)