Hart Trophy: Who has better claim?

[flying squirrel]

Game 6, 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Avalanche are up 3-2 in the series vs the vaunted Tampa Bay Lightning who are looking to become a dynasty.

Nathan MacKinnon 1g 1a for 2 points.
Kucherov no points.

Avalanche win the game 3-2. Series over (4-2) and Avalanche win the cup. The better player elevated his team when it mattered. Great point Outl4w.

One should just feel fortunate Ave's choked so many times in previous playoffs

• Congrats on winning that year: winning always deserves it's due, but that doesn't save it from scrutiny or taking a closer look.
• Ave's were everyone's favorite yearly from the West for how many years?
• Lightning did their part during that time frame, and achieved 6 ECF"s, 4 SCF's, and won 2 "Cups over 8 years.
• Kucherov helped with all that: that's called evaluating ones play during playoffs.
• Lightning were waiting for Ave's in the SCF's many times?
• Ave's finally reached SCF's though: They caught some breaks, and were fortunate West teams they kept facing, had major injuries during series. Think opponents top goalie was even hurt one series too.
• No problem! Every team gets breaks reaching top of mountain, but like mentioned: feel fortunate about ones situation and read the room, it's an easy room to read....
• While Lightning East playoff path was brutal again that year chasing 3-peat: believed Lightning faced 3 of top 4 teams in East that year to reach SCF's? Leafs, Florida, and Rangers were all healthy and strong teams.
• The Ave's also were fortunate Point was injured also (Lightning leading goal scorer during two "Cup" runs that produced back-to-back, and Kucherov's line-mate).
• Lightning did elevate their play many times over, and over those 8 years put together one best modern day playoff runs.
• While Ave's fumbled and stumbled to make even a few deep playoff runs during all that.
• When most NHL fans/media wanted that Lightning -vs- Ave's match-up for years. Who elevated year after year, playoff after playoff, and did their part when both teams were peaking & favorites? (Before 3-peat season: Lightning were suppose to go down with loss of whole 3rd line, if memory is remembering correctly)
• Lightning and Kucherov evaluated their play every playoff! Shame two didn't meet while both teams were peaking, and don't think I'm alone wishing we fans could've seen that match-up.
• Feel fortunate Ave's got a worn, injured, and lesser product: than the well-oiled Lightning machine that went back-to-back.
• Still took 6 games to put that Lightning team away and many OT's though, not the brag you think it is.
• Lightning or Kucherov have nothing to be worried about, when it comes to how history will show their elevation come playoffs time. Historic is a start......
• The most important fortunate Ave's had was: Corey Perry's bad-mojo being more powerful that Pat Maroon's good-mojo when it came to "Cup luck". Who would thought mojo would've decided things.....

Nothing personal Ave's fans, and nothing against your team. But..... when one calls out our own who's playoff proven, and one of best in mordern era. They deserve what's coming. Myself, was surprised Lightning made SCF's that year: didn't think they had what it would take to get through brutal East. But....Lightning showed so much guts that postseason. Probably more guts than any previous deep playoff runs in those 8 years. That Lightning bunch was full of pride and chasing that 3-peat almost carried them. Pride and guts shown was so awesome, but whole 3rd line, and Point would've been more helpful......lol Even though Lightning didn't win "Cup" that year, chasing 3-peat playoff performance is the postseason this Lightning fan is most proud of.

Have a great night.......

 

[Spilot23]

all i know is that if mackinnon had kucherov’s season he would win it with 100% first place votes

I believe Mack could still win it but can't be mad if it's Kucherov considering the season he had. There might be Avs fans or others that might overlook this comment but somehow this is the reaction I had when I read it.

 

[flying squirrel]

Ya the whining from kucherov fans is gonna be endless.

Not really, we Lightning fans are harden when it comes awards.

We've witnessed this Lightning bunch, that's gone to 6 ECF's, 4 SCF's, and won 2"Cups' in 8 yrs time. get passed over individual awards yearly. One of best examples of award disses: Is Jon Cooper never winning head coach of year, but this tells us Lightning fans, never think an award is coming Lightning's way no matter how much one has earned it. This way we're never disappointed or feel need to whine, but I like listing facts though.......

 

[Rschmitz]

More likely Kucherov isn’t a finalist than that’s he’s the winner

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

View attachment 855309


The Hockey news just released their awards picks. This was their Hart vote.

Oh wow, the same Hockey News that had Kucherov ranked the 22nd best player at the beginning of the season? LMAO

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Not really, we Lightning fans are harden when it comes awards.

We've witnessed this Lightning bunch, that's gone to 6 ECF's, 4 SCF's, and won 2"Cups' in 8 yrs time. get passed over individual awards yearly. One of best examples of award disses: Is Jon Cooper never winning head coach of year, but this tells us Lightning fans, never think an award is coming Lightning's way no matter how much one has earned it. This way we're never disappointed or feel need to whine, but I like listing facts though.......

Its the same for the Avs. Winning the cup is all that matters anyways.

 

[Outl4w]

“It’s his time” is definitely going to play a factor for voters.

Heart = Mack
Brain = Kuch

Media-mack
Greatness-kuch

 

[eviohh26]

I'd give it to Kuch. Well deserved this year .

Art Ross winner. 100Assist club. 54 more points than the next top scorer on his team.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

Kuch got 4 more points, that's a difference of less than 3% He achieved this by have 11 more assists, but at the same time scored 7 less goals. That is essentially a wash.

I am so sick of hearing this. Who considers this a wash? The voters certainly don't.

The strongest argument for Kucherov is his higher percentage of involvement in the teams offensive production.

No, the strongest argument for Kucherov is that he is the very clear Art Ross winner, and he led the race most of the season. Winning the Art Ross matters, especially in the fashion Kucherov did it.

 

[TheStatican]

Kucherov scored 144 points in 1755 minutes, that's a point every 12.1875 minutes. At 20 minutes a game that is 134.5 points

Mackinnon scored 140 points in 1871 minutes, that's a point every 13.3642 minutes. At 20 minutes a game that is 122.7 points

That's a 9% difference. Kucherov is 9% more productive than Mackinnon

When it comes to point production, that doesn't consider the greater value of goals. Yes I'm aware that for the purposes of the Art Ross trophy goals and assists are considered of 'equal value' but no one actually thinks this.

I am so sick of hearing this. Who considers this a wash? The voters certainly don't.

No, the strongest argument for Kucherov is that he is the very clear Art Ross winner, and he led the race most of the season. Winning the Art Ross matters, especially in the fashion Kucherov did it.

Then explain how did Matthews beat McDavid for the Hart in 21-22 despite having a much greater margin in points; 17 over him than the 4 Kuch has over Mac.

 

[TheStatican]

Kucherov was hyper productive against the top tier teams in the league and played better the tougher the competition. His worst games actually came against many of the lower tier teams in the league. If anything, that should clinch the Hart for him right then and there.

Someone posted the stats somewhere earlier in this thread but Kuch’s production was basically double what Mak’s was against the higher end competition.

Firstly does a win against Boston count for more points in the standings than a win against Montreal? No it does not, they're both worth 2 points. Furthermore if the argument is that MacKinnon padded his point totals only against weak defensive teams that's completely FALSE.

Not all the top teams are great defensively - Toronto is 10th overall in points but 21st overall on defense. Kucherov put up a lot of points against Toronto; 12 the most he scored against any team and while that's points against a good team, that's not points against a good defense. Toronto won largely by outscoring their opposition, not by playing great defense. No, I'm not saying Kucherov wasn't good against good defensive teams at all, I'm just using that as an example. We need to look deeper into the numbers to find out the truth behind them.

Here's the splits of the top 3 against all teams at even strength;

​

MacKinnon​

​

​

​

​

​

Kucherov​

​

​

​

​

​

McDavid​

​

​

​

​

Rk

EV goals against​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

1

138​

Florida​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Florida​

3​

2​

0​

2​

​

Florida​

2​

2​

1​

3​

2

141​

Winnipeg​

3​

1​

2​

3​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

2​

2​

3

161​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

0​

0​

4

165​

Los Angeles​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

4​

5​

5

168​

Carolina​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Carolina​

2​

0​

4​

4​

^

168​

Boston​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Boston​

2​

0​

4​

4​

7

179​

Edmonton​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Edmonton​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

8

178​

Seattle​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Seattle​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Seattle​

4​

1​

1​

2​

9

184​

NY Rangers​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

184​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

4​

4​

11

185​

Minnesota​

4​

4​

2​

6​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Minnesota​

2​

1​

0​

1​

^

185​

Dallas​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Dallas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

13

186​

Nashville​

3​

3​

2​

5​

​

Nashville​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

Nashville​

3​

2​

1​

3​

14

189​

Pittsburgh​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Pittsburgh​

2​

2​

3​

5​

15

192​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

NY Islanders​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

193​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

17

194​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

0​

2​

18

195​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

3​

3​

​

St. Louis​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

St. Louis​

3​

1​

4​

5​

19

198​

Washington​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Washington​

2​

0​

2​

2​

20

197​

Toronto​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Toronto​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

21

198​

Anaheim​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Anaheim​

4​

2​

7​

9​

22

204​

Arizona​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

204​

Montreal​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Montreal​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Montreal​

2​

1​

0​

1​

24

210​

Calgary​

3​

3​

0​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Calgary​

4​

0​

2​

2​

25

214​

Philadelphia​

2​

3​

2​

5​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Philadelphia​

2​

1​

4​

5​

^

214​

Detroit​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Detroit​

2​

1​

6​

7​

^

214​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Ottawa​

4​

1​

5​

6​

​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

0​

0​

28

222​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

1​

1​

29

225​

New Jersey​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

1​

7​

8​

​

New Jersey​

2​

2​

2​

4​

30

227​

Chicago​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Chicago​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Chicago​

3​

2​

2​

4​

31

236​

Columbus​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Columbus​

2​

1​

1​

2​

32

251​

San Jose​

3​

2​

1​

3​

​

San Jose​

2​

0​

3​

3​

​

San Jose​

3​

1​

2​

3​

And here's their powerplay numbers;

Rk

PK%​

MacKinnon​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

​

Kucherov​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

McDavid​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

1

86.43​

Carolina​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

4​

5​

Carolina​

2​

0​

0​

0​

2

84.92​

Los Angeles​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

1​

2​

3

84.48​

NY Rangers​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

0​

1​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

0​

0​

4

83.40​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

1​

1​

2​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

1​

1​

5

83.33​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

Tampa Bay​

2​

1​

0​

1​

6

82.47​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Florida​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

7

82.46​

Boston​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

1​

0​

1​

Boston​

2​

0​

0​

0​

8

82.01​

Dallas​

4​

0​

2​

2​

​

Dallas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

9

81.07​

Calgary​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Calgary​

4​

0​

3​

3​

10

80.66​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

0​

0​

0​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

0​

0​

11

80.66​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

1​

4​

5​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

12

80.15​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

13

79.84​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

0​

0​

14

79.72​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Vegas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

15

79.58​

Detroit​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Detroit​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

79.53​

Edmonton​

3​

1​

0​

1​

​

Edmonton​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

17

79.36​

Seattle​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Seattle​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Seattle​

4​

0​

1​

1​

18

78.97​

Washington​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

0​

0​

Washington​

2​

1​

4​

5​

19

78.80​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

1​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

2​

3​

20

78.60​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

St. Louis​

2​

0​

0​

0​

St. Louis​

3​

0​

2​

2​

21

77.27​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

3​

3​

22

76.92​

Nashville​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Nashville​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Nashville​

3​

0​

4​

4​

23

76.89​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Toronto​

4​

3​

2​

5​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

24

76.53​

Montreal​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Montreal​

4​

1​

2​

3​

Montreal​

2​

0​

2​

2​

25

76.32​

Arizona​

4​

2​

1​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

26

76.27​

Columbus​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Columbus​

2​

0​

0​

0​

27

76.21​

Chicago​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Chicago​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Chicago​

3​

1​

1​

2​

28

75.30​

San​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

San​

2​

0​

2​

2​

San​

3​

0​

0​

0​

29

75.10​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Ottawa​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

3​

3​

30

74.62​

Minnesota​

4​

0​

4​

4​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

3​

3​

31

72.48​

Anaheim​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

3​

3​

Anaheim​

4​

1​

2​

3​

32

71.49​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

0​

2​

2​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

Out of that we get;

Even Strength
Vs Top 2 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	5​	2​	3​	5​	1.00​
MacKinnon​	5​	1​	3​	4​	0.80​
Kucherov​	5​	2​	0​	2​	0.40​

Vs Top 6 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	16​	3​	15​	18​	1.13​
MacKinnon​	15​	5​	7​	12​	0.80​
Kucherov​	15​	6​	5​	11​	0.73​

Vs Top 12 teams

​	​ Gm​	​ G​	​ A​	​ Pt​	​ ppg​
MacKinnon​	33​	14​	19​	33​	1.00​
Kucherov​	30​	12​	16​	28​	0.93​
McDavid​	28​	5​	22​	27​	0.96​

Vs the entire top & bottom halves of the league

Mackinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	43​	19​	25​	44​	1.02​
Bottom half​	39​	22​	26​	48​	1.23​

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	40​	17​	23​	40​	1.00​
Bottom half​	41​	14​	37​	51​	1.28​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	37​	10​	27​	37​	1.00​
Bottom half​	38​	14​	36​	50​	1.32​

Vs Bottom 5 teams

​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
MacKinnon​	13​	7​	5​	12​	0.92​
McDavid​	12​	6​	8​	14​	1.17​
Kucherov​	10​	2​	13​	15​	1.50​

McDavid did the best against the very best teams in the league, but he also racked up a lot of points against weaker teams, specifically in the 18 to 25 range. But when we consider a larger selection of teams and compare each players performance against the entire top and bottom half's MacKinnon did in fact perform the best while having to play more games against teams with better defense. Kucherov meanwhile did the worst against the very best, top 2 or top 6 and when it came to the bottom dwellers he feasted the most against them at ES.

The powerplay is where Kucherov excelled at this season;

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	40​	7​	20​	27​	0.68​
Bottom half​	41​	6​	20​	26​	0.63​

MacKinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
Top half​	36​	2​	16​	18​	0.50​
Bottom half​	46​	9​	21​	30​	0.65​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	34​	2​	6​	8​	0.24​
Bottom half​	42​	5​	31​	36​	0.86​

The conclusion here is clear - while it's not by a huge amount MacKinnon was in fact slightly better than Kucherov during even strength play against the best defensive teams. Kucherov in turn was better than MacKinnon on the powerplay but the difference isn't as great as people presume. And he certainly didn't fest on the weak PK teams by any significant amount, only McDavid did. McDavid also had 1 short handed point this year which is why his numbers are off by one, which obviously is inconsequential overall.

 

[Outl4w]

Its the same for the Avs. Winning the cup is all that matters anyways.

The avs haven't made 6 scf finals with Mackinnon
I don't think they did with sackic either because rhe wins and colorado series was always the real final.

 

[BullyHockey]

Crazy how tight it is, which speaks to level of high end talent, but I'd probably give it to Kucherov or Mack over the others. I think the others have stronger offensive depth, that I think without them their teams don't have the success they do. So it's Mack or Kuch, I'll go with Kuch.

 

[Rschmitz]

Then explain how did Matthews beat McDavid for the Hart in 21-22 despite having a much greater margin in points; 17 over him than the 4 Kuch has over Mac.

Because Draisatl also had an impressive resume that year and stole some spotlight away. This is why the 50+ points Kucherov has over next teammate is seen by many as the most important factor. It won't be a factor this year though.

If goals mattered.....Lecavalier won the 06-07 RR and was 16 goals ahead of Crosby who won the Hart, was only a dozen points behind. Lecavalier wasn't even a finalist that year. If that hadn't happened, I'd put a lot more stock into Matthews or Mackinnon's goals being meaningful

 

[kugelbahn]

If goals mattered.....Lecavalier won the 06-07 RR and was 16 goals ahead of Crosby who won the Hart, was only a dozen points behind. Lecavalier wasn't even a finalist that year. If that hadn't happened, I'd put a lot more stock into Matthews or Mackinnon's goals being meaningful

Better example is Sedin's Hart over OV and Crosby
29G, 112P in full 82 games vs
50G, 109P in 72 games
51G, 109P in 81 games

 

[Rschmitz]

Firstly does a win against Boston count for more points in the standings than a win against Montreal? No it does not, they're both worth 2 points. Furthermore if the argument is that MacKinnon padded his point totals only against weak defensive teams that's completely FALSE.

Not all the top teams are great defensively - Toronto is 10th overall in points but 21st overall on defense. Kucherov put up a lot of points against Toronto; 12 the most he scored against any team and while that's points against a good team, that's not points against a good defense. Toronto won largely by outscoring their opposition, not by playing great defense. No, I'm not saying Kucherov wasn't good against good defensive teams at all, I'm just using that as an example. We need to look deeper into the numbers to find out the truth behind them.

Here's the splits of the top 3 against all teams at even strength;

​

MacKinnon​

​

​

​

​

​

Kucherov​

​

​

​

​

​

McDavid​

​

​

​

​

Rk

EV goals against​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

1

138​

Florida​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Florida​

3​

2​

0​

2​

​

Florida​

2​

2​

1​

3​

2

141​

Winnipeg​

3​

1​

2​

3​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

2​

2​

3

161​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

0​

0​

4

165​

Los Angeles​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

4​

5​

5

168​

Carolina​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Carolina​

2​

0​

4​

4​

^

168​

Boston​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Boston​

2​

0​

4​

4​

7

179​

Edmonton​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Edmonton​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

8

178​

Seattle​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Seattle​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Seattle​

4​

1​

1​

2​

9

184​

NY Rangers​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

184​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

4​

4​

11

185​

Minnesota​

4​

4​

2​

6​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Minnesota​

2​

1​

0​

1​

^

185​

Dallas​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Dallas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

13

186​

Nashville​

3​

3​

2​

5​

​

Nashville​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

Nashville​

3​

2​

1​

3​

14

189​

Pittsburgh​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Pittsburgh​

2​

2​

3​

5​

15

192​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

NY Islanders​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

193​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

17

194​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

0​

2​

18

195​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

3​

3​

​

St. Louis​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

St. Louis​

3​

1​

4​

5​

19

198​

Washington​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Washington​

2​

0​

2​

2​

20

197​

Toronto​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Toronto​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

21

198​

Anaheim​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Anaheim​

4​

2​

7​

9​

22

204​

Arizona​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

204​

Montreal​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Montreal​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Montreal​

2​

1​

0​

1​

24

210​

Calgary​

3​

3​

0​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Calgary​

4​

0​

2​

2​

25

214​

Philadelphia​

2​

3​

2​

5​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Philadelphia​

2​

1​

4​

5​

^

214​

Detroit​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Detroit​

2​

1​

6​

7​

^

214​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Ottawa​

4​

1​

5​

6​

​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

0​

0​

28

222​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

1​

1​

29

225​

New Jersey​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

1​

7​

8​

​

New Jersey​

2​

2​

2​

4​

30

227​

Chicago​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Chicago​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Chicago​

3​

2​

2​

4​

31

236​

Columbus​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Columbus​

2​

1​

1​

2​

32

251​

San Jose​

3​

2​

1​

3​

​

San Jose​

2​

0​

3​

3​

​

San Jose​

3​

1​

2​

3​

And here's their powerplay numbers;

Rk

PK%​

MacKinnon​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

​

Kucherov​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

McDavid​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

1

86.43​

Carolina​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

4​

5​

Carolina​

2​

0​

0​

0​

2

84.92​

Los Angeles​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

1​

2​

3

84.48​

NY Rangers​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

0​

1​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

0​

0​

4

83.40​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

1​

1​

2​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

1​

1​

5

83.33​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

Tampa Bay​

2​

1​

0​

1​

6

82.47​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Florida​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

7

82.46​

Boston​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

1​

0​

1​

Boston​

2​

0​

0​

0​

8

82.01​

Dallas​

4​

0​

2​

2​

​

Dallas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

9

81.07​

Calgary​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Calgary​

4​

0​

3​

3​

10

80.66​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

0​

0​

0​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

0​

0​

11

80.66​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

1​

4​

5​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

12

80.15​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

13

79.84​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

0​

0​

14

79.72​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Vegas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

15

79.58​

Detroit​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Detroit​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

79.53​

Edmonton​

3​

1​

0​

1​

​

Edmonton​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

17

79.36​

Seattle​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Seattle​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Seattle​

4​

0​

1​

1​

18

78.97​

Washington​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

0​

0​

Washington​

2​

1​

4​

5​

19

78.80​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

1​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

2​

3​

20

78.60​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

St. Louis​

2​

0​

0​

0​

St. Louis​

3​

0​

2​

2​

21

77.27​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

3​

3​

22

76.92​

Nashville​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Nashville​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Nashville​

3​

0​

4​

4​

23

76.89​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Toronto​

4​

3​

2​

5​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

24

76.53​

Montreal​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Montreal​

4​

1​

2​

3​

Montreal​

2​

0​

2​

2​

25

76.32​

Arizona​

4​

2​

1​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

26

76.27​

Columbus​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Columbus​

2​

0​

0​

0​

27

76.21​

Chicago​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Chicago​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Chicago​

3​

1​

1​

2​

28

75.30​

San​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

San​

2​

0​

2​

2​

San​

3​

0​

0​

0​

29

75.10​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Ottawa​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

3​

3​

30

74.62​

Minnesota​

4​

0​

4​

4​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

3​

3​

31

72.48​

Anaheim​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

3​

3​

Anaheim​

4​

1​

2​

3​

32

71.49​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

0​

2​

2​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

Out of that we get;

Even Strength
Vs Top 2 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	5​	2​	3​	5​	1.00​
MacKinnon​	5​	1​	3​	4​	0.80​
Kucherov​	5​	2​	0​	2​	0.40​

Vs Top 6 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	16​	3​	15​	18​	1.13​
MacKinnon​	15​	5​	7​	12​	0.80​
Kucherov​	15​	6​	5​	11​	0.73​

Vs Top 12 teams

​	​ Gm​	​ G​	​ A​	​ Pt​	​ ppg​
MacKinnon​	33​	14​	19​	33​	1.00​
Kucherov​	30​	12​	16​	28​	0.93​
McDavid​	28​	5​	22​	27​	0.96​

Vs the entire top & bottom halves of the league

Mackinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	43​	19​	25​	44​	1.02​
Bottom half​	39​	22​	26​	48​	1.23​

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	40​	17​	23​	40​	1.00​
Bottom half​	41​	14​	37​	51​	1.28​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	37​	10​	27​	37​	1.00​
Bottom half​	38​	14​	36​	50​	1.32​

Vs Bottom 5 teams

​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
MacKinnon​	13​	7​	5​	12​	0.92​
McDavid​	12​	6​	8​	14​	1.17​
Kucherov​	10​	2​	13​	15​	1.50​

McDavid did the best against the very best teams in the league, but he also racked up a lot of points against weaker teams, specifically in the 18 to 25 range. But when we consider a larger selection of teams and compare each players performance against the entire top and bottom half's MacKinnon did in fact perform the best while having to play more games against teams with better defense. Kucherov meanwhile did the worst against the very best, top 2 or top 6 and when it came to the bottom dwellers he feasted the most against them at ES.

The powerplay is where Kucherov excelled at this season;

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	40​	7​	20​	27​	0.68​
Bottom half​	41​	6​	20​	26​	0.63​

MacKinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
Top half​	36​	2​	16​	18​	0.50​
Bottom half​	46​	9​	21​	30​	0.65​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	34​	2​	6​	8​	0.24​
Bottom half​	42​	5​	31​	36​	0.86​

The conclusion here is clear - while it's not by a huge amount MacKinnon was in fact slightly better than Kucherov during even strength play against the best defensive teams. Kucherov in turn was better than MacKinnon on the powerplay but the difference isn't as great as people presume. And he certainly didn't fest on the weak PK teams by any significant amount, only McDavid did. McDavid also had 1 short handed point this year which is why his numbers are off by one, which obviously is inconsequential overall.

This is obnoxious.

The Jets have the fourth best overall record in the league and have given up the fewest goals, 199. They are a top 2 EV team.

Kucherov lit them up in two games. According to you however, since he did it on the PP, that doesn't count. In fact since their PK is below middle of the pack Kucherov was actually exploiting a lower half team.

Any fool can smell the BS in your criteria. If you actually wanted to be objective about another teams defensive capabilities, you'd rank them by GA and then calculate totals.

 

[Rschmitz]

Better example is Sedin's Hart over OV and Crosby
29G, 112P in full 82 games vs
50G, 109P in 72 games
51G, 109P in 81 games

Indeed

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Kuch hit every benchmark for the award but the media openly favored Mack all year. Mack winning would just be the latest example of these awards becoming popularity contest and lifetime achievement awards. Over time the awards lose credibility when the voters can't be consistent in their standards.

If that's the way it is, Mack can have the popularity contest. Kuch won the trophy that's determined on the ice.

 

[TheStatican]

Because Draisatl also had an impressive resume that year and stole some spotlight away. This is why the 50+ points Kucherov has over next teammate is seen by many as the most important factor.

Your crazy if you think goals weren't the biggest reason why Matthews won. The Leafs in fact had a player that was closer to Matthews than the Oilers did. Draisatl was 13 points behind McDavid while Marner was 9 points behind and yet that didn’t effect Matthews chances. Care to take one guess as to why Draisaitl siphoned off more votes than Marner did? Goals.

It won't be a factor this year though.

Actual voters think otherwise

Trophy tracker: MacKinnon of Avalanche choice to win Hart as MVP | NHL.com

Kucherov of Lightning, McDavid of Oilers also among favorites in poll of NHL.com panel

www.nhl.com

"He did, scoring 51 in fact, but that was only the tip of it, and the reason why MacKinnon is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy, voted as the NHL's most valuable player to his team this season, according to a panel of 15 NHL.com writers/editors"

This is why the 50+ points Kucherov has over next teammate is seen by many as the most important factor. It won't be a factor this year though.

That's a factor to consider sure, but it's hardly the be all end all. Is Kucherov only playing with Point everytime he stepped out on to the ice? No, he's other there with 4 other teammates most of the time. This idea that he had no offensive support is ridiculous especially since more of Tampa's production came from the powerpaly where scoring is more evenly distributed. In the end the overall the top end production on both teams was fairly equal;

Tampa’s top 5 scorers:
144, 90, 81, 76, 75
322 points from the next top 4 players

Colorado’s top 5 scorers:
140, 104, 90, 56, 53
300 points from the next top 4 players

Case in point, the Jets have the fourth best overall record in the league and have given up the fewest goals, 199. They are a "top 2" EV team.

And that's exactly where they are in the EV chart.

Any fool can smell the BS in your criteria. If you actually wanted to be objective about another teams defensive capabilities, you'd rank them by GA and then calculate totals.

First off that doesn't change the numbers as much as you seem to think it does. Secondly, did MacKinnon or Kucherov actually play shorthanded this season? Because last I checked Mac had 0:03 seconds of SH ice time(*per game) and Kuch had basically zero. And yet you think a criteria that includes shorthanded goals against, a situation that neither player significantly participated in, paints a more accurate picture about the strengths and weakness of their games?

Kucherov lit them up in two games. According to you however, since he did it on the PP, that doesn't count.

Exactly where did I say it "doesn't count"? I said that Kucherov "excelled on the powerplay this season". Enough with the persecution complex.

 

[KevinRedkey]

I'd vote McDavid for the Hart, and Kucherov for the Ted Lindsay.

 

[Frank Drebin]

If anyone but Kucherov wins the Hart I'll unmask my falcoln

 

[TheRarestDangles]

It belongs to Taylor Hall this year

 

[OilWagon]

Firstly does a win against Boston count for more points in the standings than a win against Montreal? No it does not, they're both worth 2 points. Furthermore if the argument is that MacKinnon padded his point totals only against weak defensive teams that's completely FALSE.

Not all the top teams are great defensively - Toronto is 10th overall in points but 21st overall on defense. Kucherov put up a lot of points against Toronto; 12 the most he scored against any team and while that's points against a good team, that's not points against a good defense. Toronto won largely by outscoring their opposition, not by playing great defense. No, I'm not saying Kucherov wasn't good against good defensive teams at all, I'm just using that as an example. We need to look deeper into the numbers to find out the truth behind them.

Here's the splits of the top 3 against all teams at even strength;

​

MacKinnon​

​

​

​

​

​

Kucherov​

​

​

​

​

​

McDavid​

​

​

​

​

Rk

EV goals against​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

​

Team​

GP​

EVG​

EVA​

EVP​

1

138​

Florida​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Florida​

3​

2​

0​

2​

​

Florida​

2​

2​

1​

3​

2

141​

Winnipeg​

3​

1​

2​

3​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

2​

2​

3

161​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Vancouver​

3​

0​

0​

0​

4

165​

Los Angeles​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

4​

5​

5

168​

Carolina​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Carolina​

2​

0​

4​

4​

^

168​

Boston​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Boston​

2​

0​

4​

4​

7

179​

Edmonton​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Edmonton​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

8

178​

Seattle​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Seattle​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Seattle​

4​

1​

1​

2​

9

184​

NY Rangers​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

184​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

4​

4​

11

185​

Minnesota​

4​

4​

2​

6​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Minnesota​

2​

1​

0​

1​

^

185​

Dallas​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Dallas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

13

186​

Nashville​

3​

3​

2​

5​

​

Nashville​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

Nashville​

3​

2​

1​

3​

14

189​

Pittsburgh​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Pittsburgh​

2​

2​

3​

5​

15

192​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

NY Islanders​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

193​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

1​

2​

17

194​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Colorado​

2​

2​

0​

2​

18

195​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

3​

3​

​

St. Louis​

2​

2​

0​

2​

​

St. Louis​

3​

1​

4​

5​

19

198​

Washington​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Washington​

2​

0​

2​

2​

20

197​

Toronto​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Toronto​

3​

1​

5​

6​

​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

21

198​

Anaheim​

3​

1​

4​

5​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Anaheim​

4​

2​

7​

9​

22

204​

Arizona​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

1​

2​

3​

​

Arizona​

1​

0​

1​

1​

^

204​

Montreal​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

Montreal​

4​

2​

3​

5​

​

Montreal​

2​

1​

0​

1​

24

210​

Calgary​

3​

3​

0​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Calgary​

4​

0​

2​

2​

25

214​

Philadelphia​

2​

3​

2​

5​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

2​

2​

4​

​

Philadelphia​

2​

1​

4​

5​

^

214​

Detroit​

2​

1​

3​

4​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Detroit​

2​

1​

6​

7​

^

214​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

2​

4​

​

Ottawa​

4​

1​

5​

6​

​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

0​

0​

28

222​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

1​

1​

29

225​

New Jersey​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

1​

7​

8​

​

New Jersey​

2​

2​

2​

4​

30

227​

Chicago​

4​

3​

2​

5​

​

Chicago​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Chicago​

3​

2​

2​

4​

31

236​

Columbus​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Columbus​

2​

1​

1​

2​

32

251​

San Jose​

3​

2​

1​

3​

​

San Jose​

2​

0​

3​

3​

​

San Jose​

3​

1​

2​

3​

And here's their powerplay numbers;

Rk

PK%​

MacKinnon​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

​

Kucherov​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

McDavid​

GP​

PPG​

PPA​

Pts​

1

86.43​

Carolina​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Carolina​

2​

1​

4​

5​

Carolina​

2​

0​

0​

0​

2

84.92​

Los Angeles​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Los Angeles​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Los Angeles​

4​

1​

1​

2​

3

84.48​

NY Rangers​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

NY Rangers​

3​

1​

0​

1​

NY Rangers​

1​

0​

0​

0​

4

83.40​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Philadelphia​

3​

1​

1​

2​

Philadelphia​

2​

0​

1​

1​

5

83.33​

Tampa Bay​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Tampa Bay​

na​

-​

-​

-​

Tampa Bay​

2​

1​

0​

1​

6

82.47​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Florida​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Florida​

2​

0​

0​

0​

7

82.46​

Boston​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Boston​

4​

1​

0​

1​

Boston​

2​

0​

0​

0​

8

82.01​

Dallas​

4​

0​

2​

2​

​

Dallas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Dallas​

3​

0​

0​

0​

9

81.07​

Calgary​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

Calgary​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Calgary​

4​

0​

3​

3​

10

80.66​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

New Jersey​

3​

0​

0​

0​

New Jersey​

2​

0​

0​

0​

11

80.66​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Pittsburgh​

3​

1​

4​

5​

Pittsburgh​

2​

0​

0​

0​

12

80.15​

Colorado​

na​

-​

-​

-​

​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Colorado​

2​

0​

0​

0​

13

79.84​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Buffalo​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Buffalo​

2​

0​

0​

0​

14

79.72​

Vegas​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Vegas​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Vegas​

2​

0​

1​

1​

15

79.58​

Detroit​

2​

1​

0​

1​

​

Detroit​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Detroit​

2​

0​

0​

0​

16

79.53​

Edmonton​

3​

1​

0​

1​

​

Edmonton​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Edmonton​

na​

-​

-​

-​

17

79.36​

Seattle​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Seattle​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Seattle​

4​

0​

1​

1​

18

78.97​

Washington​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Washington​

3​

0​

0​

0​

Washington​

2​

1​

4​

5​

19

78.80​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

1​

2​

​

Vancouver​

2​

1​

0​

1​

Vancouver​

3​

1​

2​

3​

20

78.60​

St. Louis​

4​

0​

1​

1​

​

St. Louis​

2​

0​

0​

0​

St. Louis​

3​

0​

2​

2​

21

77.27​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Winnipeg​

2​

1​

2​

3​

Winnipeg​

3​

0​

3​

3​

22

76.92​

Nashville​

3​

0​

2​

2​

​

Nashville​

2​

0​

0​

0​

Nashville​

3​

0​

4​

4​

23

76.89​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

​

Toronto​

4​

3​

2​

5​

Toronto​

2​

0​

2​

2​

24

76.53​

Montreal​

2​

0​

0​

0​

​

Montreal​

4​

1​

2​

3​

Montreal​

2​

0​

2​

2​

25

76.32​

Arizona​

4​

2​

1​

3​

​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Arizona​

2​

0​

1​

1​

26

76.27​

Columbus​

2​

0​

1​

1​

​

Columbus​

3​

0​

2​

2​

Columbus​

2​

0​

0​

0​

27

76.21​

Chicago​

4​

1​

2​

3​

​

Chicago​

2​

0​

1​

1​

Chicago​

3​

1​

1​

2​

28

75.30​

San​

3​

0​

3​

3​

​

San​

2​

0​

2​

2​

San​

3​

0​

0​

0​

29

75.10​

Ottawa​

2​

2​

1​

3​

​

Ottawa​

4​

0​

1​

1​

Ottawa​

2​

0​

3​

3​

30

74.62​

Minnesota​

4​

0​

4​

4​

​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

2​

2​

Minnesota​

2​

0​

3​

3​

31

72.48​

Anaheim​

3​

0​

1​

1​

​

Anaheim​

2​

0​

3​

3​

Anaheim​

4​

1​

2​

3​

32

71.49​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

​

NY Islanders​

3​

0​

2​

2​

NY Islanders​

2​

1​

1​

2​

Out of that we get;

Even Strength
Vs Top 2 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	5​	2​	3​	5​	1.00​
MacKinnon​	5​	1​	3​	4​	0.80​
Kucherov​	5​	2​	0​	2​	0.40​

Vs Top 6 teams

	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
McDavid​	16​	3​	15​	18​	1.13​
MacKinnon​	15​	5​	7​	12​	0.80​
Kucherov​	15​	6​	5​	11​	0.73​

Vs Top 12 teams

​	​ Gm​	​ G​	​ A​	​ Pt​	​ ppg​
MacKinnon​	33​	14​	19​	33​	1.00​
Kucherov​	30​	12​	16​	28​	0.93​
McDavid​	28​	5​	22​	27​	0.96​

Vs the entire top & bottom halves of the league

Mackinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	43​	19​	25​	44​	1.02​
Bottom half​	39​	22​	26​	48​	1.23​

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	40​	17​	23​	40​	1.00​
Bottom half​	41​	14​	37​	51​	1.28​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
Top Half​	37​	10​	27​	37​	1.00​
Bottom half​	38​	14​	36​	50​	1.32​

Vs Bottom 5 teams

​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pts​	ppg​
MacKinnon​	13​	7​	5​	12​	0.92​
McDavid​	12​	6​	8​	14​	1.17​
Kucherov​	10​	2​	13​	15​	1.50​

McDavid did the best against the very best teams in the league, but he also racked up a lot of points against weaker teams, specifically in the 18 to 25 range. But when we consider a larger selection of teams and compare each players performance against the entire top and bottom half's MacKinnon did in fact perform the best while having to play more games against teams with better defense. Kucherov meanwhile did the worst against the very best, top 2 or top 6 and when it came to the bottom dwellers he feasted the most against them at ES.

The powerplay is where Kucherov excelled at this season;

Kucherov​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	40​	7​	20​	27​	0.68​
Bottom half​	41​	6​	20​	26​	0.63​

MacKinnon​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	ppg​
Top half​	36​	2​	16​	18​	0.50​
Bottom half​	46​	9​	21​	30​	0.65​

McDavid​	Gm​	G​	A​	Pt​	​ ppg​
Top half​	34​	2​	6​	8​	0.24​
Bottom half​	42​	5​	31​	36​	0.86​

The conclusion here is clear - while it's not by a huge amount MacKinnon was in fact slightly better than Kucherov during even strength play against the best defensive teams. Kucherov in turn was better than MacKinnon on the powerplay but the difference isn't as great as people presume. And he certainly didn't fest on the weak PK teams by any significant amount, only McDavid did. McDavid also had 1 short handed point this year which is why his numbers are off by one, which obviously is inconsequential overall.

awesome post, very informative

 

[Rschmitz]

Your crazy if you think goals weren't the biggest reason why Matthews won. The Leafs in fact had a player that was closer to Matthews than the Oilers did.

Marner didn't steal spotlight from Matthews like Draisatl did from McDavid. Drai already won a Hart and only had 5 fewer goals than Matthews, you're talking about teammates neck and neck for the Hart most of the season while Marner wasn't. It wasn't that long ago, not really that hard to recall the narrative that year.

There are already a few examples posted in this thread of goals not being given preference from voters

Exactly where did I say it "doesn't count"? I said that Kucherov "excelled on the powerplay this season". Enough with the persecution complex.

Do you know what a persecution complex is? Me pointing out your flawed statistical criteria is not a persecution complex.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

So if we look at the combined results between the nhl.com and hockey news polls , first place votes are as follows:

Mackinnon - 36
Kucherov - 20
Matthews - 5
Panarin -1

Pretty small sample size , and this might not look anything like the actual voters ' choices, but I think it's enough to conclude that mackinnon is the favorite right now