It likely cost him votes that he wasn’t enough of a solo act.And poor McDavid? The NHL includes both empty-net goals against and power play goals against in this total. Center -- shoots L Born Jan 13 1997 -- Richmond Hill, ONT [23 yrs. And it’s not like a great deal separates the very best players from one another many years.Now he was the guy dragging an iffy squad into the playoffs, a narrative that voters evidently can’t resist, as seen by Taylor Hall’s MVP win in 2017-18.So it’s only fair that McDavid jested that the media members who vote on this award each year can’t be trusted.No longer could he only score when he was on McDavid’s line.Of course, the voting has already been done for the MVP award this year. THE CATALYST GEAR. If you eliminate those non-even strength goals from from his “even strength” goals plus-minus total, Draisaitl actually ends up at +3.It was only after Connor McDavid got injured and the Oilers continued to hold their own in the six games he was absent, with Draisaitl playing outstanding hockey, that Draisaitl jumped to the front of the discussion.There’s also a good argument that McDavid should have been one of the three finalists for the MVP award this year, 2019-20, as well.But by then the MVP votes for the regular season had been cast.McDavid is bang on that the media members can’t be trusted to get the vote right, but can any group vote or system of selection be trusted? Please try againAt Sportsbettindime, they listed the top nine candidates. He had no narrative going for him in 2017-18.
He led the League with 100 points (30 goals, and 70 assists), won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006.If it's possible for a teenage phenom to exceed the hype, then that's what McDavid did in his rookie NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers.The smaller sample size knocked him down to third in the voting for the Calder Trophy given to the top rookie in the NHL, but he still tantalized, which was no surprise, since the 6-foot-1, 193-pound center left major junior hockey as the most decorated player in Ontario Hockey League history.McDavid signed an eight-year, $100 million extension with the Oilers on July 5, 2017 and repeated as NHL scoring champion in 2017-18, finishing with 108 points (41 goals, 67 assists) in 82 games, and winning the Ted Lindsay Award for the second straight season. Draisaitl was on the ice for 10 opposition short-handed goals against and 12 empty net goals against. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.Some years there’s a dominant player who stands out as an the easy pick for the Hart Trophy. There’s no one way to get this vote right or wrong, but many ways to do so.For example, this year was Leon Draisaitl decidedly better than McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak or Artemi Panarin? Explosive speed and sensational playmaking skills make McDavid a true Catalyst. Connor McDavid Bio. In fact, they didn’t see him as any kind of candidate at all.In 2019-2020, Draisaitl is in first, followed by David Pastrnak, then McDavid in third.A welcome email is on its way. Such is the fickle nature of NHL MVP voting.In an on-line media interview on Tuesday, McDavid suggested that his teammate Leon Draisaitl should win both the NHL’s Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player, voted on by NHL writers, and also the NHLPA’s Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player, voted on by the players.No longer was he just McDavid’s sidekick.It’s something McDavid lacked in 2017-18 when he was almost certainly the NHL’s best player, and was named by the NHLPA as such, but failed to be named one of the NHL’s three Hart Trophy finalists.The next issue of Edmonton Journal Headline News will soon be in your inbox.That said, instead of focusing on narrative, I’ve now made a back-of-the-envelope survey of individual and team accomplishments for both the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons in order to pick MVP finalists.I was critical of the writers at the time but in retrospect I accept that there’s no one correct way to pick the league’s most valuable or more outstanding player.
But it’s evident that to win the award many years, a player doesn’t just need to be one of the best in the NHL, it also helps to have a dramatic narrative around him.All three helped their formerly mediocre teams to scratch, battle and finally squeak in.