The NHL has named the three finalists for the Hart Trophy. The names shouldn’t come to a surprise to anyone, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
All three players had remarkable seasons in their own right. Matthews led the league in goals with 60 on the season, the first time an American-born player has done so. McDavid quietly put up his best season with 123 points in 80 games. At the same time, Shesterkin led all goalies in basically every category.
According to the NHL:
"The Hart Memorial Trophy is an annual award given “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”"
That doesn’t necessarily mean most goals or points; it indicates who is most valuable to his team. The most valuable player might not have put up the most points or something like that. Instead, it reveals who single-handedly made a difference on their team’s roster.
The last time a goalie won the trophy was in 2015 with Carey Price in Montreal. That season Price put up 44 wins in 66 games played and had a .933 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 1.96. That season he had nine shutouts and was the most remarkable player.
So this season, we know our three candidates. We will have a lot of time to break down why each player is worthy of being named the Hart Trophy winner, but in the meantime, I want to talk about who I think should win.
Igor Shesterkin has a better save percentage than Cary Price did in 2015. His goals-against average is the best around, averaging just 2.07. He helped lead a Rangers team that arguably should not have been in the playoffs just yet to the postseason, and he is just playing in his third season in the league.
Shesterkin has been the most valuable player on his team; if they take him out, they probably do not win as many games this year. While I know, some might say that Matthews scoring 60 goals is more impressive or McDavid putting up over 120 points is a better year, but when you want to talk about who the most valuable player is on a roster, it is hard to look past a goalie performance of this caliber.
The Leafs and Oilers were supposed to be good this season and make it to the playoffs. That is not the case for the Rangers, especially a Rangers team that at times looked like one of the best around in the league.
In my mind, there is only one clear pick for the Hart Memorial Trophy. Matthes and McDavid will probably be swapping this trophy back and forth for the next ten years, but that shouldn’t start this summer. Right now, it belongs to the next King in New York.