The hot topic right now for the Tampa Bay Lightning might be Steven Stamkos, thanks to the hot hand that has him on pace for a 51-goal sophomore season.

The impact of Steve Downie as a well-rounded force, offensively, physically and otherwise, might be the surprise story of their season.

And a reinvigorated Vincent Lecavalier down the stretch, sparked by the under-the-radar arrival of Teddy Purcell, the long-awaited resolution of ownership issues or, well, whatever the catalyst may be, could be the turnaround tale that puts the Bolts over the hump, in terms of playoff contention when all is said and done for 2009-2010.

But past the emerging star, the cult hero and the embattled captain is where the chronicle of this team begins and ends.

Martin St. Louis is the heart and soul of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And, for the second time in his career, that heart should merit Hart Trophy consideration.

You can start the argument with statistics, with St. Louis’ 78 points good for fifth in the league and a 100-point pace, and that’s the first place most people will look at the end of the season.

But Marty St. Louis is about so much more than individual stats.

What he brings to this team and what rubs off on others on a game-by-game, practice-by-practice basis is immeasurable, just by Marty simply being Marty.

He’s taken things far beyond the lead-by-example realm as well.

The chemistry between he and Stamkos late last season and into the summer’s World Championships for Team Canada was the initial sparkplug for #91’s arrival as a bona fide NHL superstar at just 20 years of age and Downie has gone out of his way repeatedly this year to single out St. Louis for improvements in his game, stemming from individual time spent together both on the ice after practice and in conversation in the room.

Lecavalier’s intermittent struggles the past few seasons have often been met with an on-ice reunion with St. Louis (as have the woes of many others, honestly), in an effort to kickstart the Lightning captain. “Game lagging? Skate with Marty for a bit. He’ll get you going,” seems to be the frequent idea. Whether or not the move works for the intended targets, St. Louis never seems to miss a beat.

His own struggles aside, Lecavalier is often the first to credit his longtime teammate as being such an integral piece of the Tampa Bay puzzle. He knows exactly what St. Louis means to this team.

Seems everyone does, actually.

Last season, with the Bolts struggling mightily on and off the ice and the rumor mill running more wildly than ever before, St. Louis’ name even popped up in some unfounded scuttlebutt, some place or other.

“We would never trade Marty,” was the response to a follow-up on those murmurs.

“Never.”

Pretty telling, really, when you consider how forced it sounded for general manager Brian Lawton to use the very same word regarding Lecavalier earlier that year (though then-Canadiens GM Bob Gainey did put him on the ropes, at the time, with his canary act on their trade discussions).

But just what would the Lightning be without St. Louis?

With all due respect to the club’s other leaders, a rudderless ship would be a good guess, which is exactly why the hit from Atlanta’s Clarke MacArthur that forced Marty’s early exit from Saturday night’s game had the entire organization and its fans holding their collective breath. Losing their driving force for the stretch run would no doubt spell the end of Tampa Bay’s playoff aspirations.

While he did not return to that contest, true to his ironman form, it looks as though St. Louis’ streak of 372 consecutive games played will not be in jeopardy tonight in Montreal.

And the playoff push can officially resume.

Seeing that goal through and qualifying for the postseason would probably be a requirement for serious Hart consideration for St. Louis. If the Lightning do manage to extend their season, he has as valid an argument as anyone.

Alex Ovechkin is Alex Ovechkin, yes. But Washington goes five-deep with 20+ goal-scorers to back him up right now (and will probably boast seven with 20 or more before we’re through).

Sidney Crosby will put up a serious fight, though Evgeni Malkin has carried the Penguins in his stead in the past and could probably do so again, should the need arise.

Ryan Miller should garner some MVP attention out of Buffalo but a goaltender hasn’t taken home the Hart in almost a decade and there are those who are opposed to voting that way, though they may not admit as much.

What of Marty’s chances, then?

By definition, the player “adjudged most valuable to his team” takes home the Hart Memorial Trophy each year.

By definition, Martin St. Louis is, at the very least, in the conversation already.

With a postseason berth, his value to and impact on the Tampa Bay Lightning deserves serious commendation. His worth extends far beyond just the points column and the influence on his linemates to literally every facet of the team game.

With a postseason berth, the heart of the Lightning is Hart-worthy.

JJ

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