2013-14 NHL Picks and Predictions: Hart Memorial Trophy Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers

2013-14 NHL Picks and Predictions: Hart Memorial Trophy Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers: The Hart Memorial Trophy is the NHL’s equivalent of the Most Valuable Player Award. The award was first given out in 1924, and 54 different players have received the honor. The “Great One” Wayne Gretzky is the standard-bearer when it comes to the Hart Trophy, winning the award a record nine times, including eight straight at one point. In recent years, the award has been wide open with 12 different players taking home the honor. The lone exception is Alexander Ovechkin, who has won the Hart Trophy three times during the stretch, including last season. Predictability, Ovechkin is again on the short list of contenders, but there are plenty of former winners and newcomers waiting to challenge him. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the top candidates for the Hart Memorial Trophy heading into the 2013-14 NHL season.

The Favorites

He was steamrolling toward the Hart Memorial Trophy last year when an injury cost him the final weeks of the season, but Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby still managed to finish second in the league with 41 assists and third with 56 points. Plain and simple, there is no player as talented or productive offensively as Crosby when he is healthy. In the four years he has avoided injury, he has topped 100 points, including a 109-point effort in 2009-10 when he scored more than 50 goals and dished out more than 50 assists. With the concussion issues looking like a thing of the past, Crosby becomes an obvious frontrunner to win the Hart Trophy this year.

It seems like he just keeps getting better with age, and Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis is coming off a season when he led the NHL with 43 assists and 60 total points. The steady veteran rolls out of bed to the tune of 30 goals and 50 assists per year, and while playing for a bad Lightning team has curbed his Hart Trophy buzz in recent years, that could change in 2013-14. Tampa Bay may finally have solved its goalie issues, and if St. Louis puts up his typically impressive offensive stats for a winning team, he could win his second Hart Trophy a decade after his first.

The Dark Horses

Thanks to an incredible late surge, Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin ended up leading the NHL in with 32 goals last year and walked away with the Hart Memorial Trophy for the third time in the last six years. After underperforming for a couple of seasons, his performance was a reminder of how dynamic of a scorer he can be. Ovechkin may never go back to being the player that could score 50-plus goal in his sleep, but last season was proof that he can still be one of the best in the league. Don’t rule out another run at the Hart Trophy.

Injuries limited him to just 31 games last year, but Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin still managed 33 points. More importantly, he scored 50 goals and dished out 59 assists the year prior and won the Hart Memorial Trophy. At full strength, Malkin can be penciled in for 100-plus points, and he is one of the top all-around offensive talents in the game. Playing in the Penguins’ high-powered offense won’t hurt his numbers either, and the biggest obstacle between Malkin and another Hart Trophy is his own health.

Despite playing for a mediocre New York Islanders team, John Tavares has still established himself as one of the bright young stars in the NHL. A year after scoring 31 goals and dishing out 51 assists, Tavares scored 47 points in 48 games last year and ranked third in the league with 28 goals. Tavares just turned 23 and will be entering his fifth season in the NHL so there is a good chance his best is yet to come. A 100-plus point year isn’t out of the question, and neither is the Hart Memorial Trophy.

The Sleeper

The last defenseman to win the Hart Memorial Trophy was Chris Pronger in 1999-00 so Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson will have his work cut out for him. However, he is also the best two-way player at his position, and two years ago he logged 78 points in 81 games, including 59 assists. A slashed Achilles tendon cost him a large chunk of last season, but he still managed 14 points in 17 games. Karlsson is basically a lock to average around a point per game, and he is equally adept at protecting the net and running point on the power play. It will take a special season, especially on the offensive end of the ice, but Karlsson has the skills to earn himself the Hart Trophy in 2013-14.

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