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Candidates: Nikita Kucherov (F, Tampa Bay Lightning), Nathan MacKinnon (F, Colorado Avalanche), Connor McDavid (F, Edmonton Oilers)
McDavid is a three-time Hart Trophy winner while the award is the one significant accolade missing from MacKinnon’s resume. While there is no denying the impact those players had on their team and the league, Kucherov is this year’s MVP.
The 31-year-old right winger scored the most points of any player this season with 144, including an astonishing 100 assists. He is just the fifth player in the NHL’s long and illustrious history to tally that many passes.
He was the unquestioned force of the Lightning, scoring 54 more points than the team’s second-leading scorer, Brayden Point.
The centerpiece of a playoff team with Stanley Cup expectations, he was excellent and proved as valuable to his team throughout the regular season, if not more so, than the more celebrated players he shares his candidacy with.
Any one of the three could earn the award and the result would be accepted by fans and peers who respect the stars’ contributions.
Still, this feels like the time to reward what was a historically great season for the Lightning great.
