There's been plenty of chatter lately about which player deserves the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player this season. With the regular season in its final full month, there's no shortage of viable candidates. As always, weighing Hart candidacies often largely depends on a person's definition of "most valuable." Is it the guy who puts up the most gaudy numbers, even if he's surrounded by plenty of talent? Or is it the one player whose singular contributions mean the most to his team?
Depending on where you fall on that debate, you're likely campaigning for one of a handful of players that have put themselves in the conversation with their performance this year. In terms of a pure production standpoint, Leon Draisaitl stands above the rest, but some hold it against him (or at least factor in) that he often shares the ice with arguably the most skilled player in the world in Connor McDavid. David Pastrnak's goal scoring and point production on a league-best Bruins team has also earned him consideration from many.
Artemi Panarin and Nathan MacKinnon are two guys who have arguably meant the most to their respective teams. Panarin's incredible season is the single-biggest reason that the Rangers are a surprise player in the Metropolitan division race, while MacKinnon has nearly doubled the point total of the next closest guy on his (presumably) playoff-bound team.
There are cases to be made for all of these guys, and I'm sure plenty of arguments will be made for and against over the coming weeks. But while the discussion is hot, let's use this week's edition of Power Rankings to highlight the most valuable player (or non-player) on all 31 teams at this point in the season.
Biggest Movers
8
Blues
6
Predators
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brad Marchand. David Pastrnak is probably the sexier choice here since he leads the team in points (92) and is closing in on 50 goals, but Marchand isn't far behind in the points chase (84) and he leads the Bruins in assists (56). Marchand also is better significantly better defensively and blowing nearly every other Bruins skater out of the water with his 42 penalties drawn this season. | -- | 17-4-3 |
| 2 |  | Alex Pietrangelo. David Perron was a tempting choice considering his offensive contributions in a lineup without Vladimir Tarasenko but Pietrangelo has been a rock for this team on the back end. He's averaging more than 24 minutes of TOI per game, is fifth on the team in points (49) and plays in all situations. He also owns a 53 percent shot attempt share (5v5), which ranks second among Blues skaters. | 8 | 13-10-1 |
| 3 |  | Sean Couturier. He's second on the team in points (58) but also remains an elite two-way player. He's tops among all Flyers skaters in 5v5 shot attempt share (56.4 percent) and leads all forwards with a 62.7 percent goal share. | 5 | 13-10-2 |
| 4 |  | Nathan MacKinnon. No surprise here. MacKinnon is once again putting himself in the Hart conversation with another great season. He leads the Avalanche in goals (34) and assists (54) and his 88 points are in a different area code than the next-highest scorer on the Avs' roster (Cale Makar, 47). He's been a major impact player in all situations and hasn't gotten a ton of help. | 1 | 16-7-2 |
| 5 |  | Mark Stone. In terms of production, Stone and Max Pacioretty have been Vegas' two best forwards this year, and Pacioretty holds a slight edge in several categories. But Stone is more valuable when you also consider his work defensively, especially on the penalty kill. | 1 | 16-5-5 |
| 6 |  | Nikita Kucherov. It's been another very strong offensive season for Kucherov, who has hit the 30-goal mark for the fifth straight season and will likely approach 100 points for the third straight campaign. His second half surge has helped the Lightning reclaim their status as one of the league's most dangerous teams. | 4 | 11-10-5 |
| 7 |  | John Carlson. Though his pace has slowed since a red hot first half, Carlson's production from the blue line has been incredible this year. He leads the Caps in points (73) and is averaging nearly 25 minutes of TOI a night. He's not a total shutdown D but he's been an excellent facilitator on a good Washington team. | -- | 12-8-2 |
| 8 |  | Ben Bishop/Anton Khudobin. Dallas is very much a team that relies on being rock solid on the back end and their goaltending tandem has lived up to the task this season. They've given up the second-fewest goals in the league this season and their collective .920 save percentage is tied for tops among all teams. | 4 | 14-6-3 |
| 9 |  | Mike Sullivan. He may not lace 'em up but the biggest reason that Pittsburgh has remained so competitive this year despite a plethora of injuries (including significant absences from key players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) has been the coaching of Sullivan. He's been able to get the most out of a banged-up roster and should be the frontrunner for the Jack Adams this year. | 4 | 11-10-3 |
| 10 |  | Leon Draisaitl. His 108 points are tops in the league and he's been a monstrous force for an Edmonton team that has needed otherworldly performances from its top players to remain in the hunt. He has some deficiencies in his defensive game but his overwhelming production offensively mitigates that. He's factored into over half (50.9 percent) of his team's total offense this year. I said at the midway point that the Draisaitl and Connor McDavid should be in line to share the Hart, but Drai helped solidify his case for winning it himself when he continued to tear it up with McDavid out of the lineup. | 1 | 9-12-1 |
| 11 |  | Sebastian Aho. The choice would have been Dougie Hamilton if not for Dougie's broken leg, but Aho is a worthy choice. He continues to develop as a goal scorer and has set a career-high in that department for the third year in a row. He leads the charge for the Hurricanes up front and is tops on the team in goals (36) and points (62). | 2 | 14-9-1 |
| 12 |  | Auston Matthews. He continues to prove he's one of the best young offensive players in the game and is right in the thick of the Rocket Richard chase with a career-high 46 goals. In what's been a frustrating and tumultuous season for Toronto, Matthews continues to develop into an elite threat. | 5 | 12-6-4 |
| 13 |  | Elias Pettersson. Quinn Hughes was a tempting choice here considering what a godsend he's been to a team that has needed a playmaker on the blue line for some time, but Pettersson means so much to this team up front. He's tied for a team-high 26 goals and is second in points behind JT Miller, who also gets consideration here. Pettersson also leads all Vancouver skaters in shot attempt share (54.6 percent) and goal share (61.7 percent). | 1 | 16-9-1 |
| 14 |  | Brock Nelson. Nelson leads an anemic offensive team in goals (24) and is second in points, but a lot of his value comes in his two-way game. The Islanders rely on their defensive structure and Nelson continues to be one of their more important defensive forwards as well. | -- | 10-7-7 |
| 15 |  | Mark Giordano. The veteran defenseman leads CGY blue liners in points and is averaging nearly 24 minutes a night while playing in all situations. He's also tops among Flames defensemen in shot attempt share (53.2 percent) and goal share (54.9 percent). | 3 | 10-12-3 |
| 16 |  | Artemi Panarin. This one's not even close. Panarin has been incredible in his first season in New York and will set a career-high in goals, assists and points. His 90 points (32-58-90) become more impressive when you consider he hasn't had a ton of help. He's been the lifeblood of the team offensively and has factored into 41.4 of the team's total offense. According to Evolving Hockey's model, Panarin's 24.6 goals above replacement (GAR), 4.4 wins above replacement (WAR) and 8.4 standings points above replacement (SPAR) are tops in the league by a significant margin, making a case for him as the most impactful and valuable player in the entire league this season. | 1 | 18-5-1 |
| 17 |  | Darcy Kuemper/Antti Raanta. The Coyotes goaltending duo shares a tie for the top collective save percentage in the league and, considering the Coyotes rank in the bottom-third of the league in offense, that's one of the biggest reasons that this team is still in the playoff hunt. Kuemper was a clear Vezina candidate before injury sidelined him earlier this year but Raanta and Adin Hill have also done an admirable job providing stability on the back end. | 1 | 13-9-2 |
| 18 |  | Connor Hellebuyck. This one's not close. Hellebuyck has had a very strong season behind a bad defense and he's the single-biggest reason that Winnipeg has been able to stay in the hunt. His .920 save percentage, while good, doesn't necessarily jump off a page, but it's a lot more impressive when you consider the Jets give up the most high-danger chances in the league. | 1 | 14-8-2 |
| 19 |  | Roman Josi. The veteran defenseman is putting together a Norris-caliber season in Nashville. He's fifth on the team in goals (16), first in points (62) and is averaging nearly 26 minutes a night while holding it down on the back end. He ranks second among the team's defensemen in shot attempt share (53.6 percent) and first in goal share (61.5 percent). | 6 | 13-12-0 |
| 20 |  | Kevin Fiala. Maybe Ryan Suter is the more sensible choice given the expanded role he plays, but Fiala's bounceback season has been a major point of value for the Wild. He's having a career year as he leads the team in points (51) and is back to being a 20-goal scorer. For a Wild team that needs offensive weapons, Fiala resurgence as a talented young player on the wing has been vital. | 3 | 9-10-4 |
| 21 |  | Zach Werenski. Seth Jones may have been the pick here had he not gone down with an ankle injury in February, but Werenski has been great on the blue line this year as well. He leads the league in goals by a defenseman (20) and leads CBJ defensemen in goal share (56.3 percent). He also averages nearly 24 minutes a night playing in all situations. | 1 | 8-14-5 |
| 22 |  | Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers have been impressive offensively this season and Huberdeau is leading the charge in that regard. He's third on the team in goals (22) and first in assists (55) and points (77) and remains one of the most underrated forwards in the league. | 1 | 14-8-2 |
| 23 |  | Phillip Danault. Tomas Tatar has the sexier offensive numbers but Danault is second in points (47) while remaining one of the best defensive forwards in the game. His work in all three zones and in all situations gives him the edge over Tatar. | 1 | 11-11-3 |
| 24 |  | Patrick Kane. Despite Chicago's steep fall from grace as one of the NHL's elite, Kane remains one of the best forwards in the game. He's got a healthy lead on all other Blackhawks skaters with 80 points and he's about to hit the 30-goal mark for the fifth time in his career. It's a shame he doesn't have a better supporting cast but Kane is still great. | 2 | 7-16-1 |
| 25 |  | Jack Eichel. Speaking of needing a better supporting cast, it's hard not to feel bad for Eichel at this point. He's putting together the best season of his career and establishing himself as an elite playmaker, but it seems destined to be another wasted season on a bad Buffalo team. He leads the Sabres in goals (35), assists (42) and points (77). He's scored 18.6 percent of his team's total goals this season and has factored into 40.9 percent of the total offense. | 3 | 10-14-2 |
| 26 |  | Kyle Palmieri. It's been a disastrous season in New Jersey but Palmieri has remained solid on the wing. He's registered his fifth straight season with at least 20 goals and leads the team in goals (23) and points (43). | 1 | 12-10-1 |
| 27 |  | Doug Wilson. Sure this season has gone totally bust and a lot of that is Wilson's fault but, in a lost year, it's important to remember that he got a first-round pick for Barclay Goodrow and a third-round pick for Patrick Marleau at the deadline. That's something. | 1 | 7-17-2 |
| 28 |  | Anze Kopitar. Despite the fact that it's been another rough year for the Kings as they continue to be one of the league's worst offensive teams, Kopitar has quietly put together a really solid season with very little help. He leads the Kings in goals (20), assists (39) points (59) and goal share (53.3 percent). | 1 | 15-4-3 |
| 29 |  | Jakob Silfverberg. He's fourth on the Ducks in points and second in goals. His numbers may not look great (18-17-35) but this Ducks team is brutal offensively and Silfverberg is still a vital two-way piece who is one of their most important players on both ends of the ice in all situations. | 2 | 10-15-0 |
| 30 |  | Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He may not be on the team anymore but he was their most productive offensive player (as well as a two-way contributor) before landing them two high draft picks at the trade deadline. You won't find someone who's done more for them this season. | -- | 10-10-0 |
| 31 |  | The tank. Nothing else matters at this point. | -- | 14-7-3 |
