The Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP is a hot topic of debate as we hit the season’s halfway point.
There are so many players you can make the argument for, including Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks and a couple of others.
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When you look at the definition of the definition of Hart Trophy, it is the “most valuable player to his team.” The award goes to the best player, but when you look at the definition, how can you not say it is either one of MacKinnon, Kucherov, or Crosby?
Let’s first take a look at Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon has yet to win the Hart Trophy and is on a mission to win that award this season. He has been carrying the Avalanche. It feels like he is the captain despite not having the title.
If you look at his stats, MacKinnon is second in the NHL in scoring with 70 points (23 goals and 47 assists) in 44 games played. His 47 assists leads the NHL. MacKinnon is 1.6 points per game. If the Avalanche needs a big goal, there is MacKinnon, as he was on Saturday night, scoring the winner against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But MacKinnon is not the only one who has a chance to win this award. Kucherov is the second favorite to win this award. He leads the NHL in scoring with 72 points (28 goals and 44 assists). If it was not for Kucherov’s play, the Lightning might not be in a playoff spot or just on the outside looking in.
And if the Lightning makes the playoffs, you can argue that he is the Hart Trophy winner. If you dive deeper into his stats, you can see what he means to the Lightning. He accounts for 50 percent of the Lightning’s goals. Of his 72 points, 33 of them have come on the power play. And he is 28 points ahead of Brayden Point, who is second on the Lightning for team scoring.
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Right now, it is hard to argue against Sidney Crosby, especially if the Penguins make the playoffs. The Penguins are not a playoff team, but they are only one point out of the final wild-card spot held by the Lightning.
Look what Crosby is doing at the age of 36. He has a passion and drive for the game. He loves to learn and excel at his craft. He is tied with Jake Guentzel with 46 points (26 goals and 20 assists). While he is 20th in scoring, the Penguins are not in this position without Crosby.
As an older player in the league, how is he not still one of the players? He is putting together a remarkable season. And why not Crosby?
Of course, Connor McDavid is starting to turn things up, as he is up to 57 points. They are on a 10-game winning streak. McDavid has been a big part of the reason why the Oilers are winning. But Leon Draisaitl is there as well.
If you look at the Canucks, they have a couple of candidates in Pettersson, Hughes, and J.T. Miller. And, of course, there is David Pastrnak in Boston, Artemi Panarin is in New York, and William Nylander in Toronto.
But it feels like a two-horse race for the Hart Trophy between Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov. However, there is still a half-season left, and would it shock anyone if someone else entered the mix? Nope.