The NHL takes center stage in Las Vegas on Wednesday night with its annual awards show at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. While the most cherished hardware in the sport - the Stanley Cup - was presented to the Los Angeles Kings last week at the Staples Center, the Hart Trophy is a much sought after award in its own right. It will be presented on Wednesday night to the NHL's most valuable player, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Here's our take on who should and will win among Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Who Should Win: With all due respect to Stamkos and his 60 goals, which have already earned him the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer, the Lightning were a non-playoff team with him, and they'd be a non-playoff team without him, so for this season, it's hard to call him "Most Valuable." That leaves it between Malkin and Lundqvist, who both have compelling cases to be made. With Sidney Crosby limited to just 22 games this past season, Malkin was the unquestioned leader of the Penguins on the ice, and his 109 points had a huge role in keeping Pittsburgh in the hunt for the Presidents' Trophy until the final days of the regular season. Lundqvist, meanwhile, was the backbone of a Rangers team that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, despite offensive struggles that the team simply could not shake. The Swedish netminder benefitted from the presence of an emerging powerhouse defensive corps, but for the sixth season in a row, there's no doubt who the Blueshirts' MVP was. Given that this year saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference and advance to the Conference Finals before falling to the New Jersey Devils, there's a great argument for him as the MVP of the league, as well.
Who will win: Malkin. Goalies generally don't win this award, with just five with netminders claiming the trophy since it was first presented in 1924. Go with history here. Malkin has been an elite player in the league since his arrival, and after finishing his third 100-point season, it's about time he gets the honor.