We're nearing the end of the season and we all know what that means! Arbitrary awards speculation! So I'm hopping on the bandwagon early and getting my picks in. These picks will inevitably be incorrect as there are still 20ish games left and three random hat-tricks can essentially skew everything.
In this installment I will be looking at the Hart Trophy and whom I think are the top candidates for the award and more importantly why they deserve it.
Anze Kopitar
A few years ago a lot of people would have argued that Anze Kopitar's mix of scoring and defensive prowess made him a top-3 forward in the NHL. All of that came crashing down last season as his massive contract kicked in and he had his worst offensive season in his entire career. This season however, Kopitar is back with a vengeance. He has 27 goals and 70 points in 64 games played. He has helped do what nobody could have predicted in saving Dustin Brown's career. Brown who is Kopitar's most played with linemate is having his best season since 2011/12. A lot of that resurgence is due to Kopitar's dominant play. More important than just the number of points Kopitar has is the fact that he is scoring so much more than the rest of his team. He has a whopping 26 points more than linemate Brown and an even nuttier 33 points ahead of Tyler Toffoli. His other linemate is rookie Alex Iafallo who has a rather alarming 21 points in total. Not exactly what you'd expect when playing with a centreman with 70. All of this while lacking Jeff Carter and the ability to create hard match ups. He is having a dominant season and potentially his best ever. Which is great...because without him the Kings would be in a world of hurt.
The fact that Kopitar leads his team in scoring by so much while also being an extremely strong defensive player makes Kopitar a lock in my mind for a Hart nomination.
At the moment, the Kings are in a playoff spot and fighting desperately to remain there. Jeff Carter has returned and Dion Phaneuf looks like he has been a good addition. Odds are they can probably maintain their position. Especially with Calgary looking lost without Mike Smith. Should Kopitar maintain his play, continue to be in the top-10 in scoring and the Kings make the playoffs...he should definitely be a Hart Trophy nomination.
Nathan MacKinnon
Much like Kopitar and every Hart nominee, the nomination always seems predicated on making the playoffs. If the Avalanche were to make the playoffs, it's mostly due to MacKinnon.
To say MacKinnon is having a breakout year is putting it mildly. After years of teasing with his blistering speed and skill, it looks like MacKinnon has finally put it all together. His 71 points are already 8 more points than his previous career high, as well as scoring 5 more goals than that year. Eerily starting almost immediately with the departure of Matt Duchene. Despite playing 9 games less than most of the other scoring leaders; MacKinnon is 8th in scoring league wide. His 1.29PPG puts him second in the entire league behind Nikita Kucherov. His 9 Game Winning Goals ties him for second in the league. His scoring prowess and some timely hot streaks by Varlamov and Bernier have helped Colorado go from the leagues biggest joke to a potential playoff contender. The "Man Moose" similarly to Kopitar leads his team in goals and points and is running away with it. He has 12 points more than Mikko Rantanen and 25 more than Landeskog. All while playing only 55 games. Nathan MacKinnon has been one of the best players in the league this season and should be in consideration regardless of the Avalanches final place in the standings.
Nikita Kucherov
Kucherov is most likely to win this award as the voters tend to equate the Hart with the Art Ross. I don't think he would be a poor choice anyways. Kucherov has been the most dynamic offensive player in the league all year. He's a huge part of the Lightning being in first place in the standings. Kucherov and Steven Stamkos have easily been the leagues top duo this year. His 82 points are tops in the NHL. His 1.30PPG is tops in the NHL. His 33 goals put him tied for 4th in the league. Simply put, he has been an absolute monster this season. His advanced stats are through the roof as an elite puck possession winger.
Winner? Anze Kopitar. Why? Simply because he has been his teams most valuable player. He has run the Kings offensive output in a way that no other player in the NHL has this year. His defensive game and ability to dominate in all facets of the game simply makes him the Hart winner in my mind. The reason I give him the edge over Kucherov and MacKinnon is the fact that they are scoring at ridiculous rates while being used as primary offensive weapons. Kopitar is scoring at a ridiculous rate while starting the majority of his time in the defensive zone and playing primary penalty killing. I also feel that Kucherov-Stamkos being the best tandem in the NHL, while also having a Vezina level performing goalie and a Norris level performing defender hurt his chances of being his teams "Most Valuable Player."
Honourable Mentions : Taylor Hall, Brent Burns and Alex Ovechkin.
Thanks for reading.