Best Hart trophy race in recent memory?

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Seriously this is ridiculous. There's like a dozen players with legitimate claims to the MVP title.

Kucherov
Malkin
McDavid
Hall
Giroux
MacKinnon
Kopitar
Marchand
Ovechkin

I feel like that's way higher number of viable candidates than we usually see.

Click to read more...

 

[george14]

I would take out Ovi and Marchand. Ovi doesn’t have a big kead in goals and is like 13th in points. Marchand missed too many games even though he is killing it. Giroux is also doubtful to me because the other candidates either have more points or weaker supporting casts.

I agree with the rest. I genuinely don’t know who will win but I think it should be Hall.

 

[Trap Jesus]

No because the constant stream of HF threads have soured me on it.

 

[Tripod]

did we really need a new thread on this?

 

[blinds]

Giroux is also doubtful to me because the other candidates either have more points or weaker supporting casts.

So how does that same argument not apply to Malkin and Kucherov? They're all within 3 points of each other and those 2 have stronger supporting casts than Giroux.

I agree with the rest. I genuinely don’t know who will win but I think it should be Hall.

People exaggerate how much Hall is doing it on his own. He's sitting at points on 38% of his team's goals, which is right around everyone on that list not named McDavid and behind quite a few. There's no other high scorers, but his team is still putting up goals without him. Kopitar has more points, just as much separation from his nearest teammate and does way more without the puck.

 

[DitchMarner]

Does any goalie or d-man have any a shot at even finishing in the top five in Hart voting this season?

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Does any goalie or d-man have any a shot at even finishing in the top five in Hart voting this season?

Been a really weak year for D.

I have Macakinnon and Malkin as the top 2 for the Hart. Nate needs to make the playoffs to have a shot though.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I thought this was about the Bret Hart Trophy for the Excellence of Execution.

 

[george14]

So how does that same argument not apply to Malkin and Kucherov? They're all within 3 points of each other and those 2 have stronger supporting casts than Giroux.



People exaggerate how much Hall is doing it on his own. He's sitting at points on 38% of his team's goals, which is right around everyone on that list not named McDavid and behind quite a few. There's no other high scorers, but his team is still putting up goals without him. Kopitar has more points, just as much separation from his nearest teammate and does way more without the puck.

Did you not read the part that says “other candidates have more points”? Granted Giroux did get 3 today so that helped him. If Malkin and Kuch havd more points with similar casts, why would Giroux win?

Nope, you are wrong. Hall has 38 more points than #2 while Kopitar is at 32. Hall has 36 goals this year and if he had 0, he would still lead New Jersey in points. LA has a vastly superior roster to NJ so relax. Did someone piss in your coffee this morning?

 

[Sasso09]

Giroux
Hall
Malkin
Kucherov
MacKinnon
McDavid
Kopitar


All have legit claims

 

[Sasso09]

Did you not read the part that says “other candidates have more points”? Granted Giroux did get 3 today so that helped him. If Malkin and Kuch havd more points with similar casts, why would Giroux win?

Nope, you are wrong. Hall has 38 more points than #2 while Kopitar is at 32. Hall has 36 goals this year and if he had 0, he would still lead New Jersey in points. LA has a vastly superior roster to NJ so relax. Did someone piss in your coffee this morning?

How does Malkin and Kucherov have similar supporting cast.


Crosby/Kessel/Letang>Stamkos/Hedman/Point>Voracek/Couturier/Ghost

 

[Iceman]

Most boring? No matter who wins, I will probably go "meh, good for him I guess".

 

[ps241]

Seriously this is ridiculous. There's like a dozen players with legitimate claims to the MVP title.

Kucherov
Malkin
McDavid
Hall
Giroux
MacKinnon
Kopitar
Marchand
Ovechkin

I feel like that's way higher number of viable candidates than we usually see.

For me it comes down to the fact that any award decided by the Professional Hockey Writers I can't take seriously but I am probably in the minority.

 

[135ace]

Seriously this is ridiculous. There's like a dozen players with legitimate claims to the MVP title.

Kucherov
Malkin
McDavid
Hall
Giroux
MacKinnon
Kopitar
Marchand
Ovechkin

I feel like that's way higher number of viable candidates than we usually see.

I don't see Gaudreau in there? Are you feeling alright? Or does this mean you've finally come to the realization that Hall is better?

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I don't see Gaudreau in there? Are you feeling alright? Or does this mean you've finally come to the realization that Hall is better?

Hall has been excellent this season but I still have Gaudreau as the better player by a fair margin. This is the first time in 5 seasons where Hall will finish with more points and he's done so on the back of some pretty unsustainable numbers + some excellent support from Hischier. Meanwhile Gaudreau was saddled with a visibly injured Sean Monahan during the closing stretch of the season . . . I mean good on Monahan for fighting through it but he was almost useless since like February.

But for the Hart discussion, results are what matter, and Hall's results have been excellent. He's got better Hart odds than Crosby but that doesn't mean he's the better player.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Nope, you are wrong. Hall has 38 more points than #2 while Kopitar is at 32. Hall has 36 goals this year and if he had 0, he would still lead New Jersey in points. LA has a vastly superior roster to NJ so relax. Did someone piss in your coffee this morning?

The gap between 1 and 2 is not a great indicator of roster quality, or even necessarily of how much a player is carrying his team.

The devils have had excellent offensive depth all season. Did you know that at 5v5, Hischier actually leads us in primary points /60?

We've got 12 different players with double digit goal totals.

This is pretty good depth, even though it's not laden with super stars:

Hischier
Palmieri
Bratt
Maroon
Grabner
Gibbons
Zajac
Boyle
Wood
Johansson
Zacha
Noesen
Coleman

 

[Sombastate]

I feel like Giroux has to be strongly considered.

Its a playoff team that would not be a playoff team without him.

Tampa and Pittsburgh would still be a playoff team without one of their big three.

I expect McDavid to get a nod as well because of how many points he has, but i don't think he deserves it just because how terrible his team is (though he's clearly the BEST player in the league).

I think it should be Kucherov, Malkin and Giroux.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I feel like Giroux has to be strongly considered.

Its a playoff team that would not be a playoff team without him.

Tampa and Pittsburgh would still be a playoff team without one of their big three.

I expect McDavid to get a nod as well because of how many points he has, but i don't think he deserves it just because how terrible his team is (though he's clearly the BEST player in the league).

I think it should be Kucherov, Malkin and Giroux.

Then Hall and Kopitar should be there as well by your logic.

 

[Sasso09]

Then Hall and Kopitar should be there as well by your logic.

I think, in a vacuum, Giroux has been the best of the 3 this year fwiw

 

[TMLeafs17]

Hall, Kopitar, and MacKinnon for finalists if they all make the PO's

 

[East Coast Icestyle]

Kinda Meh. Prefer someone to run away with it

 

[tony d]

I think it's a wide open race this year for sure. Some worthy candidates for the Hart. Hall, Malkin and Mackinnon (Should the Avs make the playoffs) are my finalists.

 

[nevermore]

I feel like Giroux has to be strongly considered.

Its a playoff team that would not be a playoff team without him.

Tampa and Pittsburgh would still be a playoff team without one of their big three.

Tampa? Yes. But Pittsburgh? I don't think it's outlandish to say the Pens would have 10 less points without Malkin.

 

[Sombastate]

Then Hall and Kopitar should be there as well by your logic.

I'd be ok with that. Though, i think Giroux has had the better of the 3 seasons, but i wouldn't argue them being there.

 

[Sasso09]

Tampa? Yes. But Pittsburgh? I don't think it's outlandish to say the Pens would have 10 less points without Malkin.

Possibly... but it's tough to tell with the pens, Crosby and Malkin are weird. When both are healthy they're amongst the best in the world competitively... when Malkin doesn't play Crosby elevates himself to clear best player.. when Crosby is hurt Malkin plays like Mario.

Those guys always elevate