NHL awards watch: Hart Trophy leaders as season winds down

There is no clear-cut leader in the NHL race for this year’s league MVP.  Here are four very deserving candidates.

As a benchmark, it seems most favorable to award the league’s MVP award to players on teams that are at least competing for playoff spot.

These lists are never perfect, and there are many more deserving candidates out there. Perhaps a defensemanman should be on this list, such as the Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban or Roman Josi, or another goalie, such as the Preds’ Pekke Rinne.

But for now, let’s take a look at four of the leading contenders.

Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)

The Tampa Bay Lightning sit atop the entire NHL in points as of Wednesday. They are loaded from top to bottom. They are getting contributions from all lines, as any top team needs in order to compete. The bolts are cup contenders, and depth is key.

However, you just can’t ignore what Russian superstar Nikita Kucherov is doing as the league’s leading scorer with 33 goals and 53 assists, good for 86 points in just 65 games.  A 1.32 points-per-game clip in today’s NHL is very impressive. Anything over a point a game should be considered elite.

Kucherov has already surpassed his career high point total of 85, which he set in 77 games last year. If you stretch out his point-per-game average to a full 82-game season, it works out to 108 points.

It’s hard to imagine where the Lightning would be without this kind of production.

Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Arguably, there is no one as talented in the league as Evgeni Malkin. When Gino is on, he is a force. Injuries have hindered Malkin throughout his career, and we haven’t seen the best of him since he won his second league scoring title way back in the 2011-12 season.

This year, he is finally as close to injury-free as he has been for the better part of his career. In 63 games, he has amassed 37 goals and 45 helpers.

The torrid pace Malkin has been on recently will really help his case for league MVP. Since January 25, there have been seven games where he has recorded at least three points.

We need to remember how much the Pens were struggling early on this season. They have since shot up the standings, and Evgeni Malkin has absolutely been the key cog to their success.

Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils)/Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)

The final nod is split between two players.

Neither the New Jersey Devils nor the Colorado Avalanche were pegged to play for a playoff spot this year. The Avalanche still have an outside chance to make it, and New Jersey holds the first wild card spot in the East.

MacKinnon has 78 points, 32 goals and 46 assists. Hall, in 62 games, has 30 goals and 44 assists. He most notably is ripping it up as of late, with 26 straight games with a point (38 during the span).

Honorable Mention

Andrei Vasilevsky (Tampa Bay Lightning): 55 games, 39-12-3/2.44 gaa/.925 save%

Connor McDavis (Edmonton Oilers): 66 games, 30 goals, 50 assists, 80 points

Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals): 66 games, 40 goals, 32 assists, 72 points

Next: Best hockey player from each state

The 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy winner will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season following a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.