A Little Guy With A Big Hart

The NHL announced the nominees for the Hart Trophy today, with Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin and Martin St-Louis being the finalists for league MVP. The general consensus is the award will go to either Perry or Sedin while few have mentioned St-Louis.

While Steven Stamkos had another great year in Tampa Bay, save for the final 28 games in which he had five goals, that was due in large part to St-Louis. The winger assisted on 25 of Stamkos' 45 goals, a whopping 55.6%. And other than Stamkos, coach Guy Boucher had few others he could put on the ice to produce any offense. Vincent Lecavalier had a decent season with 25 goals and 54 points in 65 games, but the majority of his totals came at the very end of the season when he totaled 17 goals and 33 points in the final 32 games. Other than that spurt, he was largely invisible this season with eight goals and 31 points in the other 33 games while missing 17 due to injury including 15 in a row from Nov. 12 to Dec. 11 with a hand injury.

The Bolts have other guys to help out, but they were big this season in name only. Simon Gagne had 17 goals in five more games than it took him last year and he looked nothing like the 30-goal scorer he used to be. Ryan Malone had 14, down from 21 and Steve Downie's 10 was less than half his production from last season.

Sedin had a lot more to work with, including his brother Henrik who won the Hart Trophy last season. Ryan Kesler tied Sedin for the team lead with 41 goals and since they don't play on the same line it means there was even more offense because they weren't getting all their points together. Alex Burrows had 26 goals and while Mikael Samuelsson's 18 goals were down from the 30 he scored last year, that total represents an anomaly as he has only reached the 20-goal mark one other time and he averages 17.6 goals every 82 games.

Perry has the benefit of playing on the best line in hockey with Ryan Getzlaf (76 points in 67 games) and Bobby Ryan (34 goals, 71 points). He also has the legendary Teemu Selanne (80 points in 73 games) and Lubomir Visnovsky (68 points, leading all defensemen) to provide support.

St-Louis's offense was also way more important to his team as Tampa's goaltending situation was much shakier than that of Anaheim and Vancouver. The Lightning had four goalies combine for a 2.73 goals-against average and .903 save percentage, while the Canucks' Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider combined for a 2.14 GAA and .928 sv % and the Ducks had five goalies combine for a 2.72 GAA and .915 sve % and those stats would have been better had Hiller not missed 33 of the final 34 games, including the playoffs with vertigo.

Both St-Louis and Sedin were consistent all season while Perry had half of his points in the final 30 games (25 goals, 47 points). While those totals are impressive, I would like to see the MVP be consistent all season, not just have one good stretch. Had Perry played better in the beginning of the season, they wouldn't have been in such a fight to make the playoffs in the first place.

Sedin had the best team around him and it shows in points percentages when these players didn't score. When St-Louis was held without a point, the Lightning went 7-11-3, taking 17 of 42 possible points for a .405 points percentage and Perry had a very similar number as the Ducks went 10-15-1 taking 21 of 52 points for a .405 points percentage. Sedin's Canucks had a much better record when he didn't score, going 8-10-0, taking 16 of 36 points for a .444 points percentage.

The most valuable player is the one the team simply can't afford to loose. Each of these players played an important role, but Sedin had others around him who could get the job done when he didn't and Perry was really only good for a portion of the season. Those two can make some cases, but St-Louis is the only one who consistently shows unmitigated value to his team. Last year it should have been Ryan Miller or Sidney Crosby. This year it should be St-Louis.

Mid-Season Awards

We're halfway through the year.Here's my take on what the potential award nominees would be if the season ended today.

Hart Trophy: League MVP
Sidney Crosby, Pit: All you really need to look at to understand why Crosby should, and most likely will, be up for this trophy is the last three games by the Penguins. They have earned one of six possible points, have scored three goals, and allowed the Bruins to score four goals in the final four minutes in a 4-2 loss. As I stated in a recent post about Crosby, he is everything to the Penguins and with Evgeni Malkin still playing to a sub-par standard, the Penguins better hope Crosby's concussion is not serious.

Brad Richards, Dal: Richards has been a consistent offensive force for the surprising Stars. He is on pace to set career highs is goals and points and has helped the Stars to the top of their division, six points ahead of the Coyotes. He's the main reason Loui Eriksson has developed into a dangerous two-way sniper. Joe Nieuwendyk has a tough decision to make before the February 28 trade deadline; keep Richards for the playoff run and risk losing him for nothing to free agency, or trade him if they can't come to terms with a new deal and lose a highly experienced playoff performer (he won the Conn Smythe when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004).

Eric Staal, Car: After Ray Whitney left via free agency, Staal was the only bona-fide and proven scorer left on the team. After 42 games, he has the Hurricanes 2 points behind the Thrashers, with three games in hand, for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He is also on pace for 41 goals, an important mark because the only two times his team has made the playoffs have come after his only two 40 goal seasons. He gets the nod over Steven Stamkos who gets the benefit of playing with Martin St. Louis.

My pick: Sidney Crosby. If Malkin were playing like he did two years ago this may be a different story, but he is struggling and the Penguins simply do not win with out Crosby in the lineup.

Vezina Trophy: Top Goaltender
Tim Thomas, Bos: Thomas started off on fire and hasn't slowed down yet. He has rebounded from an off year, but has taken the starting role back from Tuuka Rask and it doesn't look like he will be handing it back any time soon. He is head and shoulders above every other goalie ion the league with a .946 save percentage and 1.77 goals against average and has the Bruins sitting on top of the Northeast Division.

Jonas Hiller, Ana: He has faced more shots than any other goalie in the league (1,245), and is still third with a .929  save percentage to go along with a 2.39 GAA. They are getting great seasons from Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne, but Hiller is keeping them in playoff position and giving them reliable performances each night while costing the Ducks less than former goalie J.S. Giguere. With a record of 21-14-3, he is one of four goalies with 20 wins on the season.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit: He has been giving the Penguins reliable goaltending and has been having the best season of his career. He is 18-11-2 with a .919 save percentage and 2.31 GAA; taking away his poor start, those numbers improve to 17-5-2, a .934 save percentage, and a 1.96 GAA. With his play, the Penguins currently have the second most points in the Eastern Conference.

My pick: Tim Thomas. A lot of the time stats don't tell the story, but his are too good to ignore.

Calder Trophy: Best Rookie
Jeff Skinner, Car: This 18 year old is currently second on the Hurricanes in goals (14) and third in points (33); among rookies he is second in goals and first in assists (19) and points. He has given the 'Canes surprising offensive depth after Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. He beats out Logan Couture because, despite his 19 goals and +9 rating, he has been streaky. Take away his two three-game goal scoring streaks in which he scored four goals both times, he has 11 goals in the remaining 38 games.

Corey Crawford, Chi: The Marty Turco experiment has failed, but Crawford has given stability to the Blackhawks goaltending situation. Of the three rookie goalies who have started at least 20 games, he has the best stat line with a .917 save percentage and 2.23 GAA. Expect Crawford to get the majority of the remaining starts if the Blackhawks wish avoid becoming just the third team since 1995 to win the Stanley Cup and miss the playoffs the next season.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Phi: In the year of the rookie goalie, Bobrovsky has been one of the most important freshman in the league. An undrafted 22 year old from Russia, Bob has given Flyers fans long-term hope in goal for the first time since partner Brian Boucher was a rookie 11 years ago. Its too early to say for sure he is the answer in Philly (anyone remember Roman Cechmanek?), but his 16-6-3 record, .917 save percentage, and 2.55 GAA show plenty of promise.

My pick: Corey Crawford. After last year's roster purge, the Blackhawks no longer have the deep lineup that won them the Cup, making Crawford's play all the more important.

Jack Adams Award: Best Coach
Guy Boucher, TB: The rookie coach has been instrumental in turning the Lightning around. Tampa Bay currently sits on top of a surprisingly strong Southeast Division despite injuries and sub-par performances to Vincent Lecavalier, Steve Downie, and Simon Gagne and inconsistent goaltending. They are 25-13-5 this year after going 34-36-12 and finishing 12th in the East last year.

Barry Trotz, Nsh: Only the Canadiens have scored fewer goals than the Predators among teams in playoff position and only the Bruins have given up fewer goals overall. They boast a record of 23-13-6 and yet they do not have one player on pace for 50 points.

Joe Sacco, Col: Neither Craig Anderson nor Peter Budaj has a GAA under 3.0, but Colorado is still 22-15-6. They are getting solid contributions across the lineup and do not lack a scoring punch, even with the absence of Chris Stewart who had 11 goals and 25 points in 23 games before breaking his hand.

My pick: Barry Trotz. It's just about time he won this, no coach does more with less.

James Norris Trophy: Best Defenseman
Kris Letang, Pit: The Penguins chose not to resign veteran Sergei Gonchar, banking on further development by Letang. He has rewarded them by already setting career highs in assists and points while tying Crosby and Alex Goligoski for the team lead at +20. He also leads the team in ice time, averaging 23:39 per game.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Det: Someone needs to tell Lidstrom that a player's skills are supposed to decline as they get into their 40s. He is tied for first among defensemen with 30 assists with Tobias Enstrom (14 years his junior) and Letang (17 years) and is tied with Dustin Byfuglien (15 years) for most points with 41. He continues to play more than any other Red Wing at 23:44 per game.

Dustin Byfuglien, Atl: Byfuglien may be the surprise player of the year, leading the Thrashers is goals and points. Not leading the defensemen, leading the entire team. He is also tied for the league lead with six game winning goals and is a plus player for just the second time in his career. His physical play and playoff experience has been one of the main reasons for the Thrashers' play this season.

My pick: Kris Letang. Only partner Alex Goligoski has as good a plus/minus rating among the top 20 scoring defensemen.

It's been a while. Let's get started shall we...

• I was watching the Bruins-Canadiens game last night when Jeff Halpern had a goal waved off because he kicked the puck into the net. According to NHL rules,  a goal can be allowed off of a skate as long as there is no distinct kicking motion. Is it just me, or does that allow for too much grey area? For those who didn't see the disallowed goal, Halpern was going hard to the net, took a pass off his skate, and the puck bounced into the net before he could get his stick on it. This is where the grey area comes in. When watching the replay, it can easily be argued that Halpern was simply trying to stop in front of the net, rather than run over Tuukka Rask. The key to situations such as these, is the leg must be going in a pendulum motion for the goal to be disallowed, something rather hard to see in a game where players' legs churn as quickly as in hockey. It is just too hard to judge just what it is the player in question was intending to do. Here is what I would recommend: allow a goal that is kicked in as long as the puck is not in the crease at the time. It is a simple, black and white rule that can be easily judged by the refs calling the game. At least if this were the rule, one inconsistency in the game (and there are plenty of others) will be taken away.
• With the exception of Steven Stamkos, if the season ended today there would be a chance that all three finalists for the Hart Trophy would be goaltenders. As of November 12, five goaltenders have a GAA under 2.0: Mathieu Garon (1.28), Tim Thomas (1.39), Jonathan Quick (1.58), Jaroslav Halak (1.79) and Antero Niittymaki (1.80). Sure, its early in the season, but these goaltenders are playing out of this world. Each of them has their team in a position well ahead of what was expected of them; the only exception is Niittymaki's Sharks who currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference, though that is largely do to the play of last year's Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi who cannot seem to find his groove in San Jose with his 3.91 GAA and .870 save percentage. Garon is definitely the most surprising name among those. The career backup has been exceptional, keeping former rookie of the year Steve Mason on the bench while he is leading the Blue Jackets into playoff position for just the second time. One of the feel good stories of the year so far, Thomas has regained his Vezina Trophy winning form from two seasons ago. This is a player who has had to fight and scrap for years in order to get into the NHL and even then many though he would be out of the league n a few years. He remains undefeated and went six games this season before giving up more than one goal in a game. The Bruins have full confidence in Thomas and it is east to tell the team is more relaxed when he is in goal as compared to Tuukka Rask. Quick and Halak are both leading their teams to surprising starts. Quick's Kings are at the top of the Western Conference and the Blues are tied with the Red Wings for the top spot in the Central Division. Both teams were expected, by me at least, to have good seasons this year, but stingy goaltending has transformed them into two of the most dominate teams in the league. Of course, it would be ridiculous to expect these goalies to keep up this pace for an entire season, but few players are more instrumental in their teams' success than these players. There hasn't been a Hart Trophy winning goalie since Jose Theodore in 2001-02; how Miller didn't win it last year I can't figure out. Goaltending may be the most important position in sports, these guys deserve more respect and credit for their teams' success.
• This year's All-Star Game will feature a new format for selecting teams, and in tern, eliminating the East vs. West format altogether. Two captains will choose the teams, with the fans voting in the starting line-up. The list of players eligible to be picked can be found here. It will be interesting to see who are picked to be the captains. I know to East-West format is officially gone, but I think a fair way to do this every year, if this format becomes the norm, would be to have the captains of the previous year's Stanley Cup Final do the picking. Other than a fan vote, which would probably produce Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as captains every year, this seems the fairest way to pick the captains. If that is the case, it will be fun to watch Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews square up against each other again. In terns of who is on the ballot, it seems every year the players eligible to be selected are picked before the season even begins. It will be just as interesting to see who is picked last as the All-Star game is becoming gym class all over again. Every year there are snubs and players on the ballot that do not deserve to be there. I understand the NHL wants a representative from each team, but does anyone on the Devils really deserve to be there? Zach Parise is injured and Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur are in the middle of the worst season in each of their careers. Among other players on the ballot who aren't having All-Star caliber seasons are Boston's Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci (2 goals in 13 and 11 games respectively), Calgary's Jarome Iginla (2 goals and 8 points in 15 games), Montreal captain Brian Gionta (3 goals and 6 points in 16 games), New York Rangers' Marina Gaborik (2 assists in 4 games), San Jose's Antti Niemi (.872 save %, 3.91 GAA), and Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf (4 assists and a -6 in 11 games), just to name a few. All have been great players in the past, but are simply not getting it done this year. They may be the big names that could possibly draw in audiences (I think I get the point now, actually) but are in the place of more deserving players like Colorado's Chris Stewart (10 goals, 18 points in 15 games), Chicago's Patrick Sharp (10 goals, 17 points in 17 games), New York Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky (10 goals, 15 points in 16 games), Philadelphia's Sergei Bobrovsky (9-2-1 record, .931 save %, 2.09 GAA), and Washington's Alex Semin (12 goals, 21 points in 16 games), as well as plenty of others. One other thing they did was take away the Young Stars game. It was an interesting idea, highlighted by Kovalchuk's 6 goals in 2002, but players there give even less effort than the All-Star Game. Instead, 12 rookies will be invited to take place in the skills competition, though they won't make an appearance in the game itself. It seems its like this every year though, and I guess for an every where even the players don't put much effort into anyway, it won't make much of a difference.