Don't underestimate the Crosbyite love.
I was sick of it BEFORE his rookie season.
He is the Canadian hero of this century.
Man the Habs are screwed. Price has a huge contract but not even close to playing up to it. Without that, they have no hope.
How could they have not foreseen this with this team? Why did they sign Price to that contract?
Kucherov (2 more goals today) or Malkin wins the Hart this year. I don't think anyone else is realistic. McDavid has been on a tear so he could still steal the Art Ross but the Oilers are a **** show. He won't get many votes otherwise because of that.
This year's voting will be interesting because they will be public.
The uneducated fan will go ballistic if McDavid doesn't win the Hart if he wins the Art Ross without realizing that bringing your team to the playoffs is a deal breaker when defining who is most valuable to their respective teams. The problem now becomes if the votes are public, will the voters chicken out and get the fans on their side by voting for the flavour of the month pick? Just like the Selke will probably go to Barkov over Bergeron or Kopitar, because he is the popular flavour right now. Not voting for a deserving Russian of choice (Kucherov, Malkin) won't break a sweat anywhere but on HFBoards.
Why is missing the play-offs a deal-breaker when determining a player's "value?. Just because a team sucks doesn't mean any particular player isn't valuable. If we're just judging value rather than dominance, it would be almost impossible for a winger to score enough for me to list him as the most valuable player on his team. Who do you think Tampa Bay would rather give up, Kucherov or Hedman?
Pekka Rinne should actually get a serious look for Hart.
Because history says so, not necessarily my opinion, but it would be really awkward with the first year of public votes, that a player of a non-playoff team wins it.
Either way, if making the playoffs or not shouldn't matter, it should just be given to the best player that specific year and so far, Kucherov has been that the longest this season.
Giving the trophy to the best player on the worst team seems to be the popular definition right now on HFBoards, but how is that even a thing? What passes as that and who doesn't?
Kucherov has been the leading scorer for the whole season. That doesn’t mean he has been the best player.
Kucherov has been the leading scorer for the whole season. That doesn’t mean he has been the best player.
How do you quantify best player?
Who should win the Hart then? if Kucherov keeps the lead for the Art Ross?
Depends if it should go to the best player or the most valuable, though neither one is Kucherov for me.
Kind of hard to be MVP when your team is going to be picking top 5-7 in all likehihood. I'm sorry but I'll never vote a player MVP who's the face of a losing team. And let's not pretend that Edmonton didn't make the postseason last year and had a decent run. They went from nearly being in the Conference finals to picking in the lottery again. McDavid doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the Hart discussion. I don't care where he ends up in points. I'd say the same damn thing about a Penguins player as well if the roles were different.
I do think MacKinnon deserves votes. His PPG is best in the league and the Avs went from a dumpster fire to potential wild card. I remember he had a ton of hype coming out and never really hit the expectations. But damn if he isn't having a monster year.
No G deserves it. I don't see a defensemen that has stood out head and shoulders above anyone else.
To me it's Kucherov, Malkin and MacKinnon. Kuch has been the best player all year on Tampa, Malkin has carried Pittsburgh for most of the year while Sid's had a "down" year and Mac is having a monster year leading a previously **** team in Colorado to a possible playoff berth.