With just three weeks remaining until the Olympic break, the time is ripe to take a look at who would win the Hart Trophy for league MVP if the season were to end today.Here are the candidates:
Sidney Crosby (PIT-C)
52 gp, 33-32-65, +11
- "Sid the Kid" has continued to mature into an elite two-way, well-rounded player, and has shown his ability to lead in the face of adversity this season in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin, who surprisingly has just 17 goals this season, has seen his points per game drop down from 1.38 a season ago to 1.11 this season, Sergei Gonchar has missed 16 games this season due to injury, and Marc-Andre Fleury's play hasn't been up to his usual standards - yet, Crosby has improved his goal-scoring from years past, and is currently on a 50 goal pace even without first-line (or even second-line) caliber linemates. For my money Crosby is the most well-rounded player in the game today - scoring, defense, faceoffs, shootout goals, and leadership - the Pittsburgh Captain brings it all.
Marian Gaborik (NYR-RW)
50 gp, 39-32-61, +9
- Where would the Rangers be without Marian Gaborik? The slick Slovakian winger has more goals than all but one Ranger (Vinny Prospal) has points. Gaborik has used his elite speed, size, and vision to play a hand in over 45% of all of New York's goals, and has scored over 21% of them himself. The duo of Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist is a big reason (the only reason?) why the Rangers currently find themselves on the right side of the 8-team cut-off line in the Eastern Conference.
Duncan Keith
52 gp, 11-35-46, +18
- The current favorite to take home the Norris Trophy as the league's top defender is having a season to remember. His offensive production catching up to his elite defensive play, Keith is now second amongst NHL defensemen in points, trailing only Washington's Mike Green. Keith is counted on by Hawks' Coach Joel Quenneville to shut down his opponents top players night in and night out, which he is able to achieve through his skating ability and smarts. Keith logs more minutes than every player in the league outside of Carolina's Joni Pitkanen, and has been, by and far, the MVP of a Chicago team that currently sits second in the NHL in points.
Ryan Miller (BUF-G)
43 gp, 27-10-5, 2.06 GAA, .934 SV%, 5 SO
- Buffalo's unexpected rise to the top of the Northeast Division can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Sabre's Ryan Miller. Miller's play has been consistent from day one, and has allowed the Sabres to accumulate 67 points despite their lack of a top-25 point scorer or a top-69 goal scorer. While Calder-favorite Tyler Myers has done a phenomenal job on the back-end for the Sabres and Tim Connolly has been able to stay healthy and produce, it's Miller who has been the main reason for Buffalo's success.
Alexander Ovechkin (WSH-LW)
43 gp, 33-37-70, +30
- The league leader in points per game, as well as goals per game, the "Great8" has continued to perform at a Hart level for Washington. While ultra-talented sidekicks Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin have performed excellently, it's Ovechkin who runs the show in Capital City. Now Team Captain, Ovechkin has scored goals, racked up points, and thrown the body around in a way that only Alexander Ovechkin can. There's not much that can be said about Ovechkin that hasn't already. The guy is, to quote Pierre McGuire, a "monster." Surprisingly, the Capitals are 6-1-1 in the 8 games Ovechkin has missed.
Henrik Sedin (VAN-C)
51 gp, 23-51-74, +23
- Who would've thought Henrik Sedin would lead the NHL in points come late January? This feat becomes even more impressive when one considers that his twin brother Daniel Sedin was side-lined for 18 games earlier in the year. Henrik's a very weighty player with the puck, and once he gets down low he is downright dominant. Along with linemates Daniel and Alexander Burrows, the Canucks first line is able to play a half-court game that has been near unstoppable. Henrik has improved his goal scoring ability - he's already set a career high this season with 23 - and has helped turn Burrows into a sure-fire bet to hit 30 goals this season. Henrik is living up to his newly inked contract...and then some.
Joe Thornton (SJS-C)
53 gp, 13-54-67, +17
- "Jumbo Joe" has enjoyed another widely successful regular season here in '09-'10. Currently on pace to record his third career 100-point season, Thornton has helped linemates Patrick Marleau (1st in NHL in goals) and Dany Heatley (tied 4th in NHL in goals) already eclipse the 30-goal plateau, and has seen his Sharks once again climb to the top of the league in points. Thornton's combination of size and deft passing skills is unrivaled. While Thornton will be largely judged on how his squad does come playoff time, there is no doubting his high level of play in the regular season.
And the Winner is...
As things currently stand now, the race for the Hart is unbelievably close. If I had to rank the top seven candidates, I would rank them as thus:
Winner: Sidney Crosby - In a very close call, I've got to give it to Crosby. Despite his poor linemates, Pittsburgh's anemic power play, and Penguin players' slumps and injuries, Crosby's two-way play, goal scoring, and leadership has kept the Penguins afloat all season long. Although his stats may be slightly below that of Sedin and Ovechkin, his all-around play and leadership give him the edge. Remember, while guys like Ovechkin and Thornton are surrounded by all-star talent offensively Crosby currently plays with Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis (gulp).
2. Ryan Miller
3. Henrik Sedin
4. Duncan Keith
5. Alexander Ovechkin
6. Marian Gaborik
7. Joe Thornton
BUT, if I were to give out the Lester Pearson Trophy for most outstanding (best, essentially) player in the NHL thus far this season, my top-five would look like this:
1. Sidney Crosby
2. Alexander Ovechkin
3. Henrik Sedin
4. Duncan Keith
5. Marian Gaborik
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