With the NHL Awards set for June 22 in Las Vegas, the three finalists for the Hart Trophy — presented annually “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” in the NHL, as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association — were announced Friday.
This year’s finalists for the Hart Trophy are Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn, Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby, and Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane.
Who is most deserving of the award? We break down each finalist.
JAMIE BENN
The power forward put up 41 goals and 48 assists while playing in all 82 games to lead the Stars atop the Western Conference for the first time in 13 years. It was also the first time they won their division since 2005-06.
Benn proved last season’s Art Ross Trophy was no fluke, finishing third in the league in goals, and first in power-play goals (17) and points (30).
He is Dallas’ first-ever Hart finalist and is also a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player.
SIDNEY CROSBY
Crosby shook off a slow start (by his standards), to finish third in league scoring with 85 points (36 goals, 49 points) in 80 games. His 21 goals and 31 assists in 44 games in the new year was more than anyone as the Penguins rallied to finish second in the Eastern Conference, despite missing Evgeni Malkin for a significant amount of time.
Sid the Kid was the only player this year to put up multiple point streaks of 10-plus games and his seven-game goal streak was a career high that was tied for the longest of any player this year.
This is Crosby’s fifth time as a Hart Trophy finalist, and the 28-year-old took home the award in 2007 and 2014.
PATRICK KANE
Kane exploded out of the gate this year, leading the league in scoring basically from start to finish en route to being the first American to ever win the Art Ross Trophy.
The shifty winger scored a career high 46 goals and 60 assists as the Blackhawks made the playoffs for the eighth straight season. There were only 18 games this season where he was held without a point.
From Oct. 17 to Dec. 13, the 27-year-old put together a 26-game point streak – the longest ever by an U.S. born player, the longest since the 1992-93 season (Mats Sundin: 30), and a franchise record.
Like Benn, Kane is also a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award.
This is Kane’s first time being a Hart finalist, and Chicago’s first since Ed Belfour in 1991. The last Blackhawk to win the award was Stan Mikita in 1968.
