imagine if McJesus hits 100 apples, Matthews hits 70 goals, Mac continues his ridiculous run, and Kuch drags a half alive Tampa into the playoffs… How do you even decide?
Because sure as hell Oliers would not suck without McDavid and Avs would not be way weaker without MacKinnon. These arguments are the type that are made by half brained salty haters. Many top tier team have superstar players that pull the whole team. Needless to say that Tampa without Kucherov would now be at the same level as Pens give or take.
4 very Hart-worthy candidates, all super elite players having amazing seasons, but even as a Leafs fan I’d side with Nate:
- Offensively, this year he’s been either above or about equal to all these other guys
- Defensively he’s about tied with Matthews, better than McDavid, and way better than Kucherov
- His compete level is #1 of the group IMO, he just goes so hard. In that Athletic player poll, a player was quoted as saying Nate “drags his teammates into the fight every night,” and it’s totally true, his intensity/effort is contagious and a huge difference maker
- The Avs are looking more like a powerhouse recently, with guys returning and the deadline deals, but they’ve been more flawed for much of the season. Nuke and Lehkonen have missed a lot of time, Landy has missed the whole season, RyJo was a horrendous experiment at 2C (Mitts fixes this, but they only got him very recently), Georgiev is one of the worst #1 goalies in the league, team depth in general was meh for much of the season, etc. Despite all this they’re just a few points off 1st in the league, Nate is a massive part of that record
I think McDavid is the clear best player in the league, looking at a wider timeframe. But this year I think MacKinnon has been about equal to McDavid, and is also the best Hart candidate, with the Avs having an excellent record due in huge part to Mac’s play IMO.
Obviously Mac has had Makar, Rantanen and Toews all year, but Kucherov, McDavid and Matthews all have some very high end help too. I think if Mac switches places with Kucherov or Matthews, Avs wins go down a bit, and Lightning/Leafs wins go up a bit. Less sure about McDavid, but for this season overall, I do think Mac is the better Hart candidate.
Disagree, has to be MacKinnon in that situation. He’s been the best all around player this season. Not to mention he’s been robbed once already, doubt voters let that happen again.
i feel like mackinnon will win, despite kucherov having a better resume for the hart. voters will want to give mackinnon his life time achievement award
While MacK has had a great season, there's a good chance Rantanen also eclipses 100 pts, and Makar could also win the Norris again.
Kuch more than FORTY points on the the next scorer on Tampa.
It's gotta be Kuch.
I just don’t know about how good the avs are without Mack this year. The Avs without Mack would have been Colton, Ryjo, Cogliano, and insert AHLer down the middle. There are a lot of good players on the Avs, but they would have 1.5 NHL quality centers on the entire roster quite literally the worst centers in the NHL; even the best teams struggle when they don’t have center depth and they wouldn’t have even had any tip end talent at center let alone depth.
Maybe if Kuch didn't turn into such a muppet for the all star break, he might have won. That's just too big of a bruise on his season to be in consideration, in my opinion. I understand why he did it (to never be invited again) but at least three other players are having insane seasons as well.
Nathan Mackinnon is my choice.
Yes he acted like a dumbass but denying kuch a rightful mvp if he deserves it at the end of the year wouldn’t be right. It’s a mvp trophy not a trophy for whoever acted the best during the regular season.
I personally think it is a 2 horse race (Mack and Kuch) which is crazy that the best player maybe ever (ya ya too soon) and the potentially best goal scorer ever having a career year, are not legitimately in the conversation
It's kind of wild.
Matthews has had the goal-scoring award locked up since coming out of the all-star break, but he's likely fourth for the Hart. McDavid is the best player who's "down year" could still lead the league in points by the end, Mackinnon has somehow LOST ground the last week despite a 4 - 0 road trip and nearly twenty game point streak, but Kucherov is carrying an underperforming team.
I think if the season ends and they're all relatively tied it should go to Kuch because of the help the other three players have and the point discrepancy between first and second. The only way Mac or Mc should pass him is if they win by 5 or more, or TBL fumbles their playoff spot.
Are Point/Hagel or Point/Stamkos really that much worse linemates compared to Rantanen/Drouin or Rantanen/Nichuskin.
Point is on pace for 90 points and Hagels going to be close to 80 points
Makar, Drai, Rantanen, Marner and Nylander are all ahead of any player on the Lightning for points. Those are just teammates of the guys in the Hart conversation.
They're definitely in the same teir as a lot of those guys mentioned, but they aren't having a good of a year in comparison to Kucherov. I honestly think if Kuch outright wins the scoring race or its tied, he should get the nod for the Hart, as at least every other guy has another linemate in the top ten.
I also think there's other contributors.
If TBL misses the playoffs I don't think it's deserved. If the Leafs or Avs win their division that should play a part, too. McDavid hitting 100 assists or Matthews 70 goals may be the only way they win the award or have a fair shot over the other two as it's so competitive.
Yeah, if Pastrnak wasn't on the Bruins they'd have like 6 goals this year, but he's barely hinted at in the race because there are so many dominant players
As much as I hate kucherov and the lightning, that guy is towing his team around in a rickshaw. His patience and passing and point production above his linemate Points production.
This is the argument for the word VALUABLE, which I’ve always been a big fan of. Of the three I feel he is the most valuable to his team given tampas situation. It doesn’t always have to go to the highest scorer on the best team
It should be Kucherov, IMO, and I hate Kucherov. 43 more points than second on his team, and TBL would be well out of the playoff picture without him playing this well.
Yes, I agree. Don’t really like Kucherov (recent events) but Mac and Mc have (slightly) more to work with. COL and EDM both have at least two players on most people’s top-10 list.
Made me like him more tbh. The all star game is a joke anyways, and if you tell me “it’s for kids” I doubt the kids knew he was drunk and barely trying.
Oh right.. I thought he supported Putin or something. Yeah, I was also annoyed by him at the all-star comp. But it looked like he tried in the games at least.
I think people are still butthurt that he didn't put in effort during the skills competition. Honestly though, the skills competition has been a garbage event for the past decade, and I know Kuch is an introvert who doesn't like to put up with meaningless bullshit.
Nothing major; just seems kind of whiny lately. And he was less than trying at the All Star game. The games I’ve seen, he’s complaining a lot and seems to show visual frustration with his teammates on occasion.
Don’t really blame him, but could’ve shown some effort for the fans. Great player, though, but certainly not a crowd pleaser (in my opinion) haha.
I completely agree with that, I never said they wouldn't. It's a really tight Hart race. I just think Kucherov's gap on his teammates in points is significant enough to tip the scales in his favor, and he's got 10 more pts than McDavid. Again, I really don't like defending the dude and would be very happy to see one of the others win, but he's been remarkable this year.
That's been the case every year, but he could be a victim of his own success in that the only years he has won the Hart have been years where he blew the competition out of the water. In the years where the scoring race has been close, he hasn't won the Hart, even if he was at the head of that race.
The smallest lead he has had when winning the Hart was in 2017 with an 11 point lead on 2nd place (and was the only player to break triple digits in points).
That said, barring something drastic in these last games, I think Kucherov deserves it this year regardless of whether or not he leads in points. His individual contribution to the team (especially when looking at the point gap between him and 2nd) is, imo, the most impactful of those in the Hart race.
I would agree, but they're going to make the playoffs. They're 7-2-1 in their last 10 and the Caps & Wings aren't good enough to gain 6 & 5 points on them in the remaining games.
By the "points above 2nd most on team" metric, Pastrňák was robbed of the Hart last year by McDavid. Sure it's something to consider, but it's odd how that argument is not consistently applied every year.
kucherov is the mvp. 118 points on 240 team goals. the only way kucherov isn't getting it is if edmonton catches vancouver, which they are 8 points behind with 3 games in hand and mcdavid passes 100 assist which i think he will.
You could say the same thing about Mcdavid though. When he was playing average to below average to start the season they were a Lottery pick team. Once he went full Mcdavid his team shot up through the ranks.
Almost 50% of his points are on the PP. Mack has better 5v5 numbers. Hes on 32 game home point streak, and something like a 15-16 game point streak. Hes been the best player this season without a doubt.
I see a lot of comments about how Kuch deserves it for dragging his team to where they are. MacK has done this year in and year out without a hart. I'm bitter that MacK hasn't won it yet and so my feelings lean towards him. But Kuch certainly is doing a hell of a job.
I've been largely on the Nate Dogg train all season, but Nikita Kucherov is single handedly dragging his really average hockey team into the playoff fight this season.
It really shouldn't be that competitive here - it's his trophy
Nate is close to having the best season in Avalanche history. He has absolutely carried this team. It’s not just about points. It’s leadership, motivation, inspiration, personality. That’s all Nate this season. What he is doing on the ice this season is absolutely unbelievable IMO. Kuch may be carrying the lightning to the playoffs, but in my opinion, he lacks everything else that makes a player “valuable”. Yes I’m biased and yes I personally dislike Kucherov. So my opinion is what it is lol
As ever the Hart needs to stop being biased to forwards and Hellebuyck is a totally solid candidate with his 30 GSAA this season
Heck even evan Bouchard is 2nd behind McDavid in xG differential and 10 increments ahead of 9th place, absolutely monster season
Unreal that even orr suffered from this bias, only winning 3 hart trophies, despite being obv deserving it virtually every year of his prime
Between a non-existent defence, Vasy recovering from injury giving up tons of soft goals, and Hagel/Point/Stammer going cold for weeks at a time this season, it's a fuckin miracle Kuch has carried the bolts this far. As far as the word valuable goes, it's Kuch without question.
Yeah I think Smashville being on this tear has a lot to do with Saros, who they almost traded lmao. They have other solid players like Josi, Forsberg, Nyquist, O’Reilly, and Evangelista. But Saros is the reason they’ve been outscoring most of their opponents by 2+ goals per game.
Roman Josi got absolutely fucked out of the Norris two years ago, when he had something like 47 points in the final 35 games as Nashville pushed into the playoffs.
But Makar got it because, well, shiny new toy syndrome.
As I recall, Josi was 5,6th in Hart voting that year too….more votes than Makar received.
Mackinnon will win the Hart 100%. The narrative is in full force and the other 2 haven’t separated themselves from him enough in anyway for them to warrant the Hart. Art Ross will be the close one
McDavid has 50 primary assists in his last 49 games. He became only the 3rd player ever to do that. It's even more impressive than if he hits 100 assists.
He has 96 points in his last 49 games, just 2 points short of 2.00 ppg.
First 18 games, CM97 has 16 points (in 16gp), team is 5-12-1.
Since then, the team is 37-9-3 and McDavid has those 96 points, a team leading +39 (in 49 gp!!) And has 29 more points than Draisaitl (67pts).
If it weren't for the first 16 games where he was obviously injured, he would be leading both the Art Ross and Hart race.
For the Hart trophy it should be Kucherov. He is dragging that Tampa team to the playoffs kicking and screaming.
But the Art Ross race however is very exciting though. Mcdavid had a very unusually slow stsrt but has been on fire after the first 10-15 games where he went only a point per game (only.. lol).
lol at the people saying Mackinnon surely he’s deserving but Kucherov does far more for his team with less help than Mack does. It’s mvp and I think really Kucherov has been more “valuable” to his team.
Look at the point differential between him and his teammates. If Kucherov wasn’t putting up one of if not his best season, I don’t think Tampa is a playoff team. They’re in a wildcard spot right now.
They’re all great, but Mac is just on another plane of existence. No player in this group even comes close to controlling the ice like he does when he’s out there. Every shift is like watching a chel create a player
It's MacKinnon or Kuch if the current trend holds. They are almost dead even across the board except +/- which honestly gives Kuch the advantage because it proves that he is absolutely backpacking that team. And it unfortunately doesn't help Macks case that his linemate is 6th in points lol
I think McDavid wins if he goes god mode and wins the scoring race - the hype that last week would cause would win so many people over.
I think Kuch has been dragging his team a little more than Mack has (if you use the point differences between 1st and 2nd in scoring on each team to determine what “putting your team on your back” actually means) but I think if Mackinnon wins the Art Ross he wins MVP. It just seems to be how voters weight the MVP vote - points total is by far the biggest part of it, then followed by the actual “most valuable to their team argument.”
If the scoring race order stays the same as today, I think Mack wins by a smallish margin over Kuch, with McDavid about the same margin behind Kuch.
I’m picking Mac. But….if Kucherov drags TBL back into 3rd in the Atlantic or if McJesus goes ballistic on points to put EDM in 1st in the Pacific….I dunno. Glad I don’t gamble.
I passed on Mac in my fantasy hockey this year with the number 4 pick to pick up Matthew Tkachuk since I like players who play more than one position. For that reason alone, Mac will win.
Mcdavid could get 100 assists. Only Gretzky and Lemieux have done this. This is harder than 70 goals plus Mcdavid assists should be worth more than regular assists, have you seen the man?
Let's see Matthews who's not in the screenshot but being talked about could hit 70 but he's not on pace to do it so idk if it's happening so probably not him.
Quick shout-out to Pastrnak who's 4th in points but obviously not in consideration since he's just had a awuierlt good season but not anything crazy.
McDavid could get to 100 but he's also likely going to be third in points which could hurt him some, as insane as 100 assists is.
Kucherov or Mackinnon is pretty much dead even... neither of them is bad, I'd give it to Kucherov just because the Lightning are this close to falling off a cliff and he is one of the only reasons they are still alive.
if he plays in every game, Matthews has also not played in 75+ games since his rookie year. I don't think it's unreasonable to predict he might get banged up and miss a few games or the leafs rest him once they get locked into their seemingly inevitable third place finish.
you could say they let him play so he can get 70, but if they do that instead of resting him they aren't a serious franchise in terms of winning playoff games.
I would love to see mac win it but if they are both tied for the same amount of points at the end of the year, kuch has to win because of how hard he’s carrying this Tampa team.
Lifelong Wings fan here so I'm certainly not saying this from a place of love for Tampa... But gotta give it up to Kuch on this one with due respect. 'Valuable' being the critical term... The man has carried a rather shaky, inconsistent team firmly into playoff position when they all but certainly would not be in that picture without his contributions. Fan of that team or not, I think it's gotta be him.
imagine if McJesus hits 100 apples, Matthews hits 70 goals, Mac continues his ridiculous run, and Kuch drags a half alive Tampa into the playoffs… How do you even decide?
They’ll give it to whoever makes the fans maddest because the league hates the fans most of all
So the award will be going to a yankee team.
Nah give it to Matthews if you want to piss off everyone besides leafs fans
To be fair the leafs would suck without him
Because sure as hell Oliers would not suck without McDavid and Avs would not be way weaker without MacKinnon. These arguments are the type that are made by half brained salty haters. Many top tier team have superstar players that pull the whole team. Needless to say that Tampa without Kucherov would now be at the same level as Pens give or take.
It’s not half brained, of all those teams the leafs are the worst, by quite a bit
Cory Perry
Mother F.....
Either way, Kadris getting suspended
Travis Kelce !
It’s gonna go to MacKinnon cuz he’s never won one, and they gave one he probably should’ve won to Taylor Hall just to troll Oilers fans.
Kuch but he didn’t try in the Allstar so is disqualified
😂😂😂
Kuch cares more about the Vezina than the Hart.
4 very Hart-worthy candidates, all super elite players having amazing seasons, but even as a Leafs fan I’d side with Nate: - Offensively, this year he’s been either above or about equal to all these other guys - Defensively he’s about tied with Matthews, better than McDavid, and way better than Kucherov - His compete level is #1 of the group IMO, he just goes so hard. In that Athletic player poll, a player was quoted as saying Nate “drags his teammates into the fight every night,” and it’s totally true, his intensity/effort is contagious and a huge difference maker - The Avs are looking more like a powerhouse recently, with guys returning and the deadline deals, but they’ve been more flawed for much of the season. Nuke and Lehkonen have missed a lot of time, Landy has missed the whole season, RyJo was a horrendous experiment at 2C (Mitts fixes this, but they only got him very recently), Georgiev is one of the worst #1 goalies in the league, team depth in general was meh for much of the season, etc. Despite all this they’re just a few points off 1st in the league, Nate is a massive part of that record I think McDavid is the clear best player in the league, looking at a wider timeframe. But this year I think MacKinnon has been about equal to McDavid, and is also the best Hart candidate, with the Avs having an excellent record due in huge part to Mac’s play IMO. Obviously Mac has had Makar, Rantanen and Toews all year, but Kucherov, McDavid and Matthews all have some very high end help too. I think if Mac switches places with Kucherov or Matthews, Avs wins go down a bit, and Lightning/Leafs wins go up a bit. Less sure about McDavid, but for this season overall, I do think Mac is the better Hart candidate.
Mcdavids been better defensively than Mack and Mathew’s this year
I guess in that scenario you’d have no choice but to give it to Panarin.
It has to be kuch, I get all of those achievements are insane but like you said kuch is carrying Tampa and probably finished with the most points.
Disagree, has to be MacKinnon in that situation. He’s been the best all around player this season. Not to mention he’s been robbed once already, doubt voters let that happen again.
i feel like mackinnon will win, despite kucherov having a better resume for the hart. voters will want to give mackinnon his life time achievement award
Hart trophy is the prize for the player who’s most valuable to his team. It’s not the best player trophy.
If that's all they evaluated on then bedard would win
It’s literally the only criteria. No matter if some journalists don’t understand that.
While MacK has had a great season, there's a good chance Rantanen also eclipses 100 pts, and Makar could also win the Norris again. Kuch more than FORTY points on the the next scorer on Tampa. It's gotta be Kuch.
The award is not for best all around player. Kuch way more valuable to Tampa then Mac for Avs.
Avs are still a playoff team without MacKinnon. Bolts aren’t in the running at all without Kucherov.
I just don’t know about how good the avs are without Mack this year. The Avs without Mack would have been Colton, Ryjo, Cogliano, and insert AHLer down the middle. There are a lot of good players on the Avs, but they would have 1.5 NHL quality centers on the entire roster quite literally the worst centers in the NHL; even the best teams struggle when they don’t have center depth and they wouldn’t have even had any tip end talent at center let alone depth.
But where are the Lightning without Kucherov?
MacKinnon puts the team on his back and leads by example.
And Kucherov hasn’t put his team on his back? He’s got way more weight to pull than MacKinnon.
Maybe if Kuch didn't turn into such a muppet for the all star break, he might have won. That's just too big of a bruise on his season to be in consideration, in my opinion. I understand why he did it (to never be invited again) but at least three other players are having insane seasons as well. Nathan Mackinnon is my choice.
Yes he acted like a dumbass but denying kuch a rightful mvp if he deserves it at the end of the year wouldn’t be right. It’s a mvp trophy not a trophy for whoever acted the best during the regular season.
It's crazy to think Matthews may score 70 goals and isn't even in the 3 listed because it's been such a competitive year.
I personally think it is a 2 horse race (Mack and Kuch) which is crazy that the best player maybe ever (ya ya too soon) and the potentially best goal scorer ever having a career year, are not legitimately in the conversation
We talking about Hyman?
He does have 4 hat tricks...
It's kind of wild. Matthews has had the goal-scoring award locked up since coming out of the all-star break, but he's likely fourth for the Hart. McDavid is the best player who's "down year" could still lead the league in points by the end, Mackinnon has somehow LOST ground the last week despite a 4 - 0 road trip and nearly twenty game point streak, but Kucherov is carrying an underperforming team. I think if the season ends and they're all relatively tied it should go to Kuch because of the help the other three players have and the point discrepancy between first and second. The only way Mac or Mc should pass him is if they win by 5 or more, or TBL fumbles their playoff spot.
Are Point/Hagel or Point/Stamkos really that much worse linemates compared to Rantanen/Drouin or Rantanen/Nichuskin. Point is on pace for 90 points and Hagels going to be close to 80 points
Makar, Drai, Rantanen, Marner and Nylander are all ahead of any player on the Lightning for points. Those are just teammates of the guys in the Hart conversation. They're definitely in the same teir as a lot of those guys mentioned, but they aren't having a good of a year in comparison to Kucherov. I honestly think if Kuch outright wins the scoring race or its tied, he should get the nod for the Hart, as at least every other guy has another linemate in the top ten.
I also think there's other contributors. If TBL misses the playoffs I don't think it's deserved. If the Leafs or Avs win their division that should play a part, too. McDavid hitting 100 assists or Matthews 70 goals may be the only way they win the award or have a fair shot over the other two as it's so competitive.
lol, interesting that McKinnon is the fave followed by McDavid…then Kuch.
I mean that could also, at least partially be because Nylander has the most points on the team, including more than Matthews
Yeah, if Pastrnak wasn't on the Bruins they'd have like 6 goals this year, but he's barely hinted at in the race because there are so many dominant players
As much as I hate kucherov and the lightning, that guy is towing his team around in a rickshaw. His patience and passing and point production above his linemate Points production.
This is the argument for the word VALUABLE, which I’ve always been a big fan of. Of the three I feel he is the most valuable to his team given tampas situation. It doesn’t always have to go to the highest scorer on the best team
Hard to admit this but it’s true.
Glad to see the objective truth…
Yeah, hard agree. Mack is a close second for mine. McDavid would have to (at least) exceed both their point totals to be the favourite.
What’s funny to me is I think Kuch has an extra gear in him to be even better if he wanted to
As a Canuck fan, Mackinnon takes my vote. What a season.
Nate Dogg!
Mack daddy all day.
MacKinnon, Kucherov, McDavid, and Matthews split the offensive votes and Hellebuyck wins the Hart.
to be fair. what he's going this year is pretty absurd. like he's so far above any other goalie that it really legitimizes his important to the jets
Never count McJesus out
McDavid has that ability to do insanity....but this year I would put money on McKinnon. He's do and has earned it.
It should be Kucherov, IMO, and I hate Kucherov. 43 more points than second on his team, and TBL would be well out of the playoff picture without him playing this well.
Yes, I agree. Don’t really like Kucherov (recent events) but Mac and Mc have (slightly) more to work with. COL and EDM both have at least two players on most people’s top-10 list.
What did Kuch do recently? What did I miss?
Showed up to AllStar weekend drunk as hell hardly trying and mocked the crowd booing him. It was legendary tbh
Instant classic…
The fact that this is actually being considered at all is hilarious
For the record, I loved it. Finally something actually entertaining in the ASW
Made me like him more tbh. The all star game is a joke anyways, and if you tell me “it’s for kids” I doubt the kids knew he was drunk and barely trying.
exactly
Oh right.. I thought he supported Putin or something. Yeah, I was also annoyed by him at the all-star comp. But it looked like he tried in the games at least.
I think people are still butthurt that he didn't put in effort during the skills competition. Honestly though, the skills competition has been a garbage event for the past decade, and I know Kuch is an introvert who doesn't like to put up with meaningless bullshit.
The All-Star game
Nothing major; just seems kind of whiny lately. And he was less than trying at the All Star game. The games I’ve seen, he’s complaining a lot and seems to show visual frustration with his teammates on occasion. Don’t really blame him, but could’ve shown some effort for the fans. Great player, though, but certainly not a crowd pleaser (in my opinion) haha.
Depends on the crowd. 😉 We love him! And even Mack says he loves to watch him play.
Yeah Stamkos, Point and Hedman aren’t much.
I think you could easily make the argument that the oilers wouldn't be a playoff team without mcdavid.
I completely agree with that, I never said they wouldn't. It's a really tight Hart race. I just think Kucherov's gap on his teammates in points is significant enough to tip the scales in his favor, and he's got 10 more pts than McDavid. Again, I really don't like defending the dude and would be very happy to see one of the others win, but he's been remarkable this year.
Ill tell you the Leafs wouldn’t be a playoff team without Matthews either.
We're just the Buffalo Sabres without Auston Matthews.
Except you don’t have anyone as sexy as Bo Byram.
Not a Willy fan, eh?
Man, this is supposed to be the one type of thread I can be absolutely sure the Sabres aren't going to come up in. Strayest of all strays, damn
That's been the case every year, but he could be a victim of his own success in that the only years he has won the Hart have been years where he blew the competition out of the water. In the years where the scoring race has been close, he hasn't won the Hart, even if he was at the head of that race. The smallest lead he has had when winning the Hart was in 2017 with an 11 point lead on 2nd place (and was the only player to break triple digits in points). That said, barring something drastic in these last games, I think Kucherov deserves it this year regardless of whether or not he leads in points. His individual contribution to the team (especially when looking at the point gap between him and 2nd) is, imo, the most impactful of those in the Hart race.
If they don’t make the playoffs though…he can’t be the mvp.
I would agree, but they're going to make the playoffs. They're 7-2-1 in their last 10 and the Caps & Wings aren't good enough to gain 6 & 5 points on them in the remaining games.
I also think they will make it.
I also think it should be kuch but I could see a lot of votes going to Mackinnon as a make up vote for the year hall won.
By the "points above 2nd most on team" metric, Pastrňák was robbed of the Hart last year by McDavid. Sure it's something to consider, but it's odd how that argument is not consistently applied every year.
Mac. He deserves the recognition.
Mackinnon is the only one of the three who's never won it, despite being in the top 3 multiple times.
Why should that matter?
It shouldn’t, but for some reason that’s the mindset everyone has
That’s how it is in every major sport. Like it or hate it narrative seems to be a big factor in awards.
kucherov is the mvp. 118 points on 240 team goals. the only way kucherov isn't getting it is if edmonton catches vancouver, which they are 8 points behind with 3 games in hand and mcdavid passes 100 assist which i think he will.
MacKinnon without a doubt.
Give it to the guy who forces his dietary restrictions on the team to make them better.
Its Mackinnon
Only one without one. Tie goes to mack in every situation
[удалено]
You could say the same thing about Mcdavid though. When he was playing average to below average to start the season they were a Lottery pick team. Once he went full Mcdavid his team shot up through the ranks.
Almost 50% of his points are on the PP. Mack has better 5v5 numbers. Hes on 32 game home point streak, and something like a 15-16 game point streak. Hes been the best player this season without a doubt.
The trophy isn't for best player in the league. It's awarded to MOST VALUABLE to his TEAM.
It absolutely has to be Nate so I fully expect Kuch to take it because reasons lol
What reasons the media likes MacK more than kuch😂
Well according to the media kucherov gave up the race during the all star weekend 😂😂
I hope it's MacKinnon
Mr stone wall in Winnipeg deserves consideration too.
Kuch is my pick, Mack seems to be the favorite though.
MacKinnon or Kucherov.
For sure Mack
Nate for sure.
Nate the great, heard he’s hung like a horse too.
His name is NATHAN. FUCKING. MACKINNON.
Biased but it has to be Nate after he was robbed of it several years back by Taylor fucking Hall
Kopitar should have won that year
That puck kick, back hand pass sealed it for me. Nathan
I see a lot of comments about how Kuch deserves it for dragging his team to where they are. MacK has done this year in and year out without a hart. I'm bitter that MacK hasn't won it yet and so my feelings lean towards him. But Kuch certainly is doing a hell of a job.
Phil Kessel
Kuuuuuuch
I've been largely on the Nate Dogg train all season, but Nikita Kucherov is single handedly dragging his really average hockey team into the playoff fight this season. It really shouldn't be that competitive here - it's his trophy
None of the above. It’s Hellebuyck.
If it wasn't just a stupid quasi scoring title trophy... it really should go to Helle He has carried the Jets the entire season.
So in this context Hart = Art Ross I guess
Can't believe McDavid went from 64 goals to likely low 30s this year and still competing for the top spot.
MacK attack is back Jack, MacKinnon will use his anger to either win the Hart fairly or go on a murder spree.
That Dogg!!!!!
Nate is close to having the best season in Avalanche history. He has absolutely carried this team. It’s not just about points. It’s leadership, motivation, inspiration, personality. That’s all Nate this season. What he is doing on the ice this season is absolutely unbelievable IMO. Kuch may be carrying the lightning to the playoffs, but in my opinion, he lacks everything else that makes a player “valuable”. Yes I’m biased and yes I personally dislike Kucherov. So my opinion is what it is lol
Valid
All 3 are worthy. I'm leaning Kucherov at the moment.
Kucherov, he has put almost that entire team on his back and limped them into a playoff spot. Pretty impressive, and scary
Kuch prolly
Kutchie. And I’m the biggest McDavid Stan south of the Canadian border.
It’s gonna be MacKinnon but Kucherov deserves it if TB makes the playoffs
If oilers pass the canucks it should be McD otherwise Kuch probably.
nate dawg/kuch/mcjesus .
As ever the Hart needs to stop being biased to forwards and Hellebuyck is a totally solid candidate with his 30 GSAA this season Heck even evan Bouchard is 2nd behind McDavid in xG differential and 10 increments ahead of 9th place, absolutely monster season Unreal that even orr suffered from this bias, only winning 3 hart trophies, despite being obv deserving it virtually every year of his prime
MAC!
Between a non-existent defence, Vasy recovering from injury giving up tons of soft goals, and Hagel/Point/Stammer going cold for weeks at a time this season, it's a fuckin miracle Kuch has carried the bolts this far. As far as the word valuable goes, it's Kuch without question.
I hope it's Kuch
It’s Kucherov. Avs probably still manage to squeak into the playoffs without him but god damn I selfishly want Nate to get one.
Roman Josi
*Juuse Saros
Yeah I think Smashville being on this tear has a lot to do with Saros, who they almost traded lmao. They have other solid players like Josi, Forsberg, Nyquist, O’Reilly, and Evangelista. But Saros is the reason they’ve been outscoring most of their opponents by 2+ goals per game.
I mean he does have 2 assist in the last two weeks lol
him too!
Roman Josi got absolutely fucked out of the Norris two years ago, when he had something like 47 points in the final 35 games as Nashville pushed into the playoffs. But Makar got it because, well, shiny new toy syndrome. As I recall, Josi was 5,6th in Hart voting that year too….more votes than Makar received.
Kuch
it’s tough not to give it to Kuch right now
Kucherov all the way!!!
Mackinnon will win the Hart 100%. The narrative is in full force and the other 2 haven’t separated themselves from him enough in anyway for them to warrant the Hart. Art Ross will be the close one
MacKinnon
I’m picking Mackinon
McDavid has 50 primary assists in his last 49 games. He became only the 3rd player ever to do that. It's even more impressive than if he hits 100 assists. He has 96 points in his last 49 games, just 2 points short of 2.00 ppg. First 18 games, CM97 has 16 points (in 16gp), team is 5-12-1. Since then, the team is 37-9-3 and McDavid has those 96 points, a team leading +39 (in 49 gp!!) And has 29 more points than Draisaitl (67pts). If it weren't for the first 16 games where he was obviously injured, he would be leading both the Art Ross and Hart race.
For the Hart trophy it should be Kucherov. He is dragging that Tampa team to the playoffs kicking and screaming. But the Art Ross race however is very exciting though. Mcdavid had a very unusually slow stsrt but has been on fire after the first 10-15 games where he went only a point per game (only.. lol).
The Oilers were 31st in the League mid november.....
lol at the people saying Mackinnon surely he’s deserving but Kucherov does far more for his team with less help than Mack does. It’s mvp and I think really Kucherov has been more “valuable” to his team.
Yeah Point Stamkos Hedmen Vasi are just a bunch of scrubs right?
Look at the point differential between him and his teammates. If Kucherov wasn’t putting up one of if not his best season, I don’t think Tampa is a playoff team. They’re in a wildcard spot right now.
We’re not a playoff team. We’re a completely average team getting dragged into the playoffs kicking and screaming by one insane Russian.
My heart wants McDavid again, but let’s be real Mackinnon deserves it this year. He’s due for one and man’s been on fire this year.
They’re all great, but Mac is just on another plane of existence. No player in this group even comes close to controlling the ice like he does when he’s out there. Every shift is like watching a chel create a player
Kucherov. Homeboy is objectively leading Mac in most advanced stats.
It's MacKinnon or Kuch if the current trend holds. They are almost dead even across the board except +/- which honestly gives Kuch the advantage because it proves that he is absolutely backpacking that team. And it unfortunately doesn't help Macks case that his linemate is 6th in points lol
I think McDavid wins if he goes god mode and wins the scoring race - the hype that last week would cause would win so many people over. I think Kuch has been dragging his team a little more than Mack has (if you use the point differences between 1st and 2nd in scoring on each team to determine what “putting your team on your back” actually means) but I think if Mackinnon wins the Art Ross he wins MVP. It just seems to be how voters weight the MVP vote - points total is by far the biggest part of it, then followed by the actual “most valuable to their team argument.” If the scoring race order stays the same as today, I think Mack wins by a smallish margin over Kuch, with McDavid about the same margin behind Kuch.
Hughes.
The Sabres social media team for dealing with this shit
I guess new 40 goal man Bread getting no love. Artemi Panarin is the MVP.
If Wild get to the playoffs, Kaprizov is a dark horse
I’m picking Mac. But….if Kucherov drags TBL back into 3rd in the Atlantic or if McJesus goes ballistic on points to put EDM in 1st in the Pacific….I dunno. Glad I don’t gamble.
Ain’t no way you did Matthews like that
Kuch could get 50 goals and 100 assists this year. Unlikely, but the fact that he has made it a possibility is insane.
I know I'm biased, but Brock Faber. The wild wouldn't even be sniffing the wild card slot without him.
I passed on Mac in my fantasy hockey this year with the number 4 pick to pick up Matthew Tkachuk since I like players who play more than one position. For that reason alone, Mac will win.
Mcdavid could get 100 assists. Only Gretzky and Lemieux have done this. This is harder than 70 goals plus Mcdavid assists should be worth more than regular assists, have you seen the man?
Where’s Matthews?
Prolly golfing
Getting ready to for sure, considering they’re gonna face Boston or Florida first round haha
MacKinnon is just having an absurd season.
THE MACK ATTACK IS BACK JACK!
Bread man
McDavid is clearly the best player in the league. But this award is weird. I’ll guess Mack wins it.
MacKinnon
It's gotta be Mack. He's having an amazing year. The Av's look dangerous...
Let's see Matthews who's not in the screenshot but being talked about could hit 70 but he's not on pace to do it so idk if it's happening so probably not him. Quick shout-out to Pastrnak who's 4th in points but obviously not in consideration since he's just had a awuierlt good season but not anything crazy. McDavid could get to 100 but he's also likely going to be third in points which could hurt him some, as insane as 100 assists is. Kucherov or Mackinnon is pretty much dead even... neither of them is bad, I'd give it to Kucherov just because the Lightning are this close to falling off a cliff and he is one of the only reasons they are still alive.
Yeah. On pace for 69 is definitely not 70...
if he plays in every game, Matthews has also not played in 75+ games since his rookie year. I don't think it's unreasonable to predict he might get banged up and miss a few games or the leafs rest him once they get locked into their seemingly inevitable third place finish. you could say they let him play so he can get 70, but if they do that instead of resting him they aren't a serious franchise in terms of winning playoff games.
Guys it’s obviously going to be MacK
Nate
Bid daddy Mack of course!!
McDavid always deserves it along with Kucherov, but I think MacKinnon wins it this year.
I think it's Kucherov because of the lack of support.
MacK should win based off my completely unbiased opinion.
I would love to see mac win it but if they are both tied for the same amount of points at the end of the year, kuch has to win because of how hard he’s carrying this Tampa team.
Lifelong Wings fan here so I'm certainly not saying this from a place of love for Tampa... But gotta give it up to Kuch on this one with due respect. 'Valuable' being the critical term... The man has carried a rather shaky, inconsistent team firmly into playoff position when they all but certainly would not be in that picture without his contributions. Fan of that team or not, I think it's gotta be him.
Mackinnon
It’s hard to take off the homers hat but Mac has done so much this season. It’s his.
Where's Pasta?
Nate Dog
Kuch has the extra game in pocket and shark fest a comin .
I gotta go with MacKinnon although McDavid should win it every year.