Penton: McDavid the worthiest Hart Trophy finalist
By Bruce Penton
What criteria should be used to determine the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the National Hockey League?
The winner will be crowned on June 28, and the league has announced that Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay, Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado and Connor McDavid of Edmonton have been selected as the three finalists. Toronto Maple Leaf fans were more than slightly annoyed to learn their team’s star, Auston Matthews, was not included among the final three after his spectacular 69-goal season, 12 more than runner-up Sam Reinhart in that category.
Are we talking about the league’s best player? If so, then it’s probably McDavid, hands down. No one can do the things he does with the puck, offering up far more ‘wow’ moments than anyone else in the league. But how can one say Kucherov and his league-leading 144 points don’t represent the most value to his team, considering that the runner-up in scoring on the Lightning was Brayden Point, 54 points in arrears. Kucherov, however, was only able to pull his team to fourth place in the Atlantic Division. McDavid, on the other hand, racked up 132 points, but had team-mate Leon Draisaitl relatively close behind at 106. The Oilers’ pair would run away with the Most Valuable Duo award, but it’s a different story when talking solo play. And after a horrid start to the season, McDavid led the Oilers to a solid second-place finish in the Pacific Division.
Where would the Avalanche be without MacKinnon? He finished second in the scoring race with 140 points, sandwiched between Kucherov and McDavid, but he, too, had great support from team-mate Mikko Rantanen, who had 104 points, and high-scoring defenceman Cale Makar.
Try to envision the season results of the Lightning without Kucherov, the Oilers without McDavid and the Avalanche without MacKinnon. Which player would be missed the most? In my mind, the Oilers without McDavid would feel the most pain. His departure from the Oilers would render his team a middle-of-the-road club. Draisaitl would still be a star, but would Zach Hyman be a 54-goal scorer, 20 of them on the power play, without the playmaking ability of McDavid? How far could Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane carry the McDavid-less Oilers?
Perhaps the closest definition of MVP in the NHL is Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild, who finished 11th in league scoring with 96 points (46 goals, 50 assists). The Wild had only one other player with more than 65 points (Matt Boldy with 69). Remove Kaprizov from the Minnesota lineup and there wouldn’t enough offence to scare any team in the NHL
McDavid has three Hart Trophies on his resume and if voters aren’t swayed solely by goals and assists, he should be presented with his fourth on June 28. Most points? No. Best player? Yes. Most valuable to his team? Definitely yes.
Kendall Baker of Yahoo.com: “Astros’ pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected after umpires found a foreign substance in his glove. He now faces a 10-game suspension. The Astros cheating? They would never!”
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “SI reports that on May 24 Joe Buck is set to call his first MLB Game in three years, with Chip Caray. ‘I've really missed hearing Joe Buck calling a baseball game,’ said nobody.”
At a recent World Cup of soccer, the English team visited an orphanage: ““It was heart-breaking to see their sad little faces with no hope,” said João, age 6.”
Comedy writer Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “The NHL announced it will hold the 2024 Draft Lottery Tuesday, May 7. I believe that's a civic holiday in Chicago.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Jacksonville Jaguars will once again play back-to-back games in London this season. I’m not saying the Jags are spending too much time in England, but I'm hearing the they no longer take water breaks during practice and instead have opted for afternoon tea.”
Headline at the Canadian satirical site, The Beaverton: “Kris Knoblauch flips big switch in office from ‘split up McDavid and Draisaitl’ to ‘play McDavid and Draisaitl together.’
Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.): "The Lakers have had six head coaches in the past 13 years. To be fair to LeBron James, he didn’t fire them all.”
Comedy guy Steve Burgess of Vancouver, writing sarcastically about NHL officiating: “Nice to see the league bringing the legal two-handed slash back into the game.”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Not that long ago, Toronto columnist Steve Simmons said the Maple Leafs are ‘closer to a Stanley Cup than many think.’ Right. And I’m closer to dating Gal Gadot than many think.”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, expressing dissatisfaction with Blue Jays’ GM Ross Atkins: “The next thing I want to hear Atkins say: ‘Anybody know a good real estate agent?’”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca