2013: The NHL season that almost wasn't

Easily the least impressive of the Staals. Saw all of them a bunch in junior and Jared never stood out like the other three. Didn't help that the old man - I believe - said he was the best of the bunch. Congrats to the kid on making it to the show.

 

Agreed on all counts, he is definitely in the Hart discussion.

 

Toews, Getzlaf, Ovechkin.

 

Replace Getzlaf with Tavaras. Also, Crosby, deserves it more than Getzlaf.

 

I just can't see giving the Hart to a minus player. There are several aspects to playing hockey, and defense is one of them.

Only one Hart winner has been a minus player: Mikita in '68 was a minus-3.

 

Take Tavaras out of that line-up and the Islanders are one of the worst teams in the NHL. Take Getzlaf out of the Ducks line-up and Anaheim are still playoff bound.

 

OK. It still has only happened once. 45 years ago.

Fine. Put him in the conversation. But he shouldn't win.

 

I still say Crosby followed by Toews and Ovechkin.

 

I also can't see giving it to a guy who missed a quarter of the season. Plus, how has Pittsburgh done with him out of the lineup?

 

I understand but I hate the mythical criteria of most valuable to the team. You may as well give it to the best player with the shittiest teammates. Crosby is head and shoulders the best player in the game and to me had the best season. I can understand not giving it to him because he missed a quarter of the year but Toews has some pretty damn good teammates as well. Most great teams do. If we were doing most valuable to team I think Tavares or Ovechkin win it.

 

Toews does have some good teammates. But he means everything to that team. He plays against other teams' top lines. He wins 60 percent of his faceoffs. He kills penalties. He plays on the power play. He's going to be a Selke finalist. He's this era's Yzerman. He may not score as much as Crosby, but I'll take a point per game, plus everything else he does.

 

Oh, he's also a plus-28, good for second in the league. And that's playing with a rookie and without Hossa for several games.