The NHL’s got a whole lotta Hart
LIST OF CONTENDERS RUNS TO DOUBLE DIGITS
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was asked i f he was paying attention to the fact that the Boston Bruins had been chasing down the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Yes, he replied, before giving a rundown of the previous night’s channel surfing. Several plays involved Brad Marchand, who in Patrice Bergeron’s absence has crept into the Hart Memorial Trophy debate. The award is given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.
Despite playing only 60 of the Bruins’ 74 games so far this season Marchand was tied for 14th in scoring with 33 goals and 80 points before Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
In all, Marchand is competing against 10 legitimate Hart Trophy candidates — and that’s leaving out names such as Aleksander Barkov and Eric Staal. Here’s the lowdown:
NATHAN MacKINNON, COLORADO
Why he deserves to win: After finishing dead last in the standings in 2016-17, Colorado was supposed to be even worse after trading away Matt Duchene. But thanks to MacKinnon, who was tied for third in scoring with 92 points going into Tuesday’s game and has a league- best 1.35 points per game, the Avs are in a wild card spot.
Why he won’t: If the Avalanche fall out of the playoff mix, so could MacKinnon.
EVGENI MALKIN, PITTSBURGH
Why he deserves to win: As of Tuesday morning, Malkin was ranked third in the Rocket Richard Trophy race with 42 goals and tied for third in overall scoring with 92 points. Since the all-star break, only McDavid has scored more than Malkin, who has 40 points in his past 25 games.
Why he won’t: Unlike McDavid or MacKinnon, Malkin has the luxury of being on a team where Phil Kessel (85 points before Tuesday’s game) and Sidney Crosby (83) are also in the top 10 in scoring.
CONNOR McDAVID, EDMONTON
Why he deserves to win: The reigning Hart Trophy winner has been even better this year. Before Tuesday’s game, McDavid was leading all players with 99 points and had a plus- 24 rating on a bad team. Since the all-star break, he has 24 goals and 45 points in 27 games.
Why he won’t: It’s hard to make the argument he is valuable to the Oilers when the club has been so bad.
NIKITA KUCHEROV, TAMPA BAY
Why he deserves to win: No one was better in the first half than Kucherov, who scored 64 points in 49 games heading into the all-star break. He’s cooled since then — and others have heated up — but as of Tuesday the Lightning forward was second with 96 points.
Why he won’t: Getting passed by McDavid hurts. So does the fact he plays on a star-studded team.
WILLIAM KARLSSON, VEGAS
Why he deserves to win: Karlsson had six goals last season. On Monday, he scored his 40th, and he did it while playing on an expansion team with linemates who were essentially unwanted by their previous teams.
Why he won’t: Though he leads the Golden Knights in goals, you could argue that Jonathan Marchessault (72 points) has been the better forward and that goalie Marc- Andre Fleury has been the team’s MVP.
TAYLOR HALL, NEW JERSEY
Why he deserves to win: Hall put up 82 points in his first 70 games, and without him the Devils would not be battling for a wild card spot. Before Tuesday’s game he had 33 more points than the nexthighest scorer on his team.
Why he won’t: Unless he can get on another scoring streak, his point total won’t be enough.
ALEX OVECHKIN, WASHINGTON
Why he deserves to win: T he Rocket Richard Trophy leader is five goals away from reaching the 50- goal mark, plus he’s been among the top 10 in league scoring during the season. Unlike previous years, he doesn’t have a teammate with him there.
Why he won’t: Based on the stats, Ovechkin hasn’t played well with others. His 38 assists are lower than anyone else in the top 20 in scoring.
BLAKE WHEELER, WINNIPEG
Why he deserves to win: The Jets captain has really done it all. He’s played centre and wing, picked up the slack whenever Mark Scheifele got hurt, and helped with Kyle Connor’s breakout year.
Why he won’t: For whatever reason, Wheeler hasn’t got much attention. Maybe i t’s because teammate Patrik Laine had 43 goals going into Tuesday’s game.
CLAUDE GIROUX, PHILADELPHIA
Why he deserves to win: As of Tuesday morning, Giroux was among the top five in scoring — something he has maintained for most of the season — while propelling the Flyers to a playoff berth.
Why he won’t: Most top players have someone riding shotgun with them, but Giroux has the luxury of playing on a line with Jakub Voracek ( 80 points before Tuesday’s game) and Sean Couturier (71).
ANZE KOPITAR, LOS ANGELES
Why he deserves to win: The Selke Trophy favourite has shown a different side to his game this season with 34 goals and 88 points to rank sixth in scoring going into Tuesday’s game.
Why he won’t: Only Sergei Fedorov won the Selke and Hart in the same year — and he did it by finishing second in points and third in goals.