NHL midseason awards: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar take home trophies as Avalanche clean up

The Avalanche are trending toward a very big night at the NHL Awards

We're already halfway through the 2025-26 NHL season, and that means it's time to hand out some (midseason) awards. Fortunately for 31 other teams, the team doesn't end today because the Colorado Avalanche would be taking home all the hardware if it did.

Right now, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are atop the Hart Trophy race. MacKinnon has been rolling along all season, but McDavid has closed the gap lately as he tries to will the Edmonton Oilers into the playoffs. If there's another name to watch for the NHL's most prestigious individual award, it would be Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. He has turned that franchise around in a hurry.

As always, Cale Makar is one of the frontrunners for the Norris Trophy, and Avalanche coach Jared Bednar looks like he could buck the usual trend of Jack Adams Award winners. The only areas in which Colorado might not clean up are the Vezina Trophy and the Calder Trophy.

The Vezina Trophy race will probably go down to the wire with a handful of candidates boasting legitimate cases for the award. You can probably go ahead and start etching Matthew Schaefer's name on the Calder Trophy, though.

With half of the NHL season in the rearview mirror, here are your major award winners so far.

Hart Trophy | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche

Yes, Connor McDavid has been on an insane heater of late. He's made the Hart Trophy race much tighter than it was just a few weeks ago, but MacKinnon has played at that level all season. MacKinnon is on pace for 70 goals, which would be a new career high by a country mile. He's also tracking toward 148 points, which would be a career high.

The numbers on the stat sheet are reason enough for MacKinnon to be a leading candidate for the Hart Trophy, but it's what's under the hood that truly separates him. With MacKinnon on the ice at five-on-five, The Avalanche have outscored opponents 58-16, per Natural Stat Trick. That plus-42 goal differential leads all players by a wide margin. Colorado has been practically unstoppable with MacKinnon in the game.

Runner-up: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Norris Trophy | Cale Makar | Avalanche

It wasn't enough for the Avalanche to have the league MVP on their roster. They also had to have the NHL's best defenseman. Makar is gunning for his second consecutive Norris Trophy, and it looks like he will get it. I don't think anyone would mistake Makar for a shutdown defenseman, but sometimes the best way to defend is by keeping the puck at the other end of the rink. In that regard, Makar has little competition.

With 47 points in 41 games, Makar is on his way to another career year (94 points). That alone shouldn't be the measure of a Norris Trophy candidate, but it certainly helps. The bottom line is that Makar is a huge net positive whenever he's on the ice. Makar's plus-25 goal differential at five-on-five isn't quite as eye-popping as MacKinnon's, but it's still absurdly good, especially for a No. 1 defenseman facing some tough competition.

Runner-up: Moritz Seider, Red Wings

Vezina Trophy | Jesper Wallstedt | Wild

The Vezina Trophy race is wide open, and there are a handful of goalies who should be in consideration at this point. I gave Wallstedt the nod because he's been able to post some dominant numbers -- albeit over a smaller sample size than other candidates for the award. In just 14 appearances, Wallstedt has saved 15.5 goals above average (1st in the NHL), according to Natural Stat Trick. He's also posted a .926 save percentage and a .854 high-danger save percentage. Did I mention that nearly 25% of his starts have resulted in shutouts?

While Wallstedt has been tremendous, it should be noted that there's a lot of hockey left to play. Can Wallstedt keep this up throughout the second half of the season? He's got an impressive pedigree, but Wallstedt has just 22 career games under his belt. If he falters, Spencer Knight, Scott Wedgewood and Logan Thompson will be right on his heels.

Runner-up: Spencer Knight, Blackhawks

Calder Trophy | Matthew Schaefer | Islanders

The New York Islanders expected big things out of Schaefer when they called his name with the No. 1 pick last summer, but I'm not sure anyone expected him to flourish this quickly. The 18-year-old has adjusted to the NHL seamlessly, and that's resulted in 12 goals and 16 assists from the blue line in just 42 games.

On top of that, Schaefer has served as a steadying presence at even strength, which is impressive for a player of his age. The rookie defenseman is right around break even in terms of his expected goals share at five-on-five (49.0%), and he boasts a plus-12 goal differential in those situations. If Jesper Wallstedt keeps stonewalling teams on a nightly basis, he could make a push for this award, but Schaefer is the clear frontrunner now.

Runner-up: Jesper Wallstedt, Wild

Jack Adams Award | Jared Bednar | Avalanche

The way this award usually works is that it goes to the coach who does the most with the least -- often leading a pedestrian roster to the postseason. That needs to change this season because Bednar has Colorado playing like one of the best teams in NHL history, and that's not hyperbole. With a 31-3-7 record through 41 games, the Avalanche are on track to break the league record with 138 standings points.

Not only are the wins piling up, but the underlying numbers paint a picture of a true juggernaut. Colorado leads the league with a five-on-five expected goals share of 57.3%, per Natural Stat Trick. The Avs lead the league in goals scored (164) and goals against (89). The only thing that hasn't been clicking is the power play, but I imagine it's only a matter of time before the Avalanche iron out those wrinkles to bludgeon opponents even worse than they already are.

Runner-up: Jon Cooper, Lightning