'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Edmonton Oilers season hasn't gone as planned, but Connor McDavid's has. McDavid scored the game-winning shootout goal for the Edmonton Oilers in a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders. McDavid has scored 31 points and recorded 50 assists so far this season.
The odds of him winning MVP won't be very high because the Oilers record is 29-34-4 with 62 points so far this season. The MVP award usually goes to a player whose team makes it to the playoffs, but could this be a rare instance this occurs?
Think about this for a minute, what does the term most valuable player mean? It means a player who is most valuable to their team for that season. They have gotten the Hart Trophy winner right the past two seasons. Patrick Kane deserved it in 2016 because he had over 100 points and without him, the Chicago Blackhawks may not have made it to the playoffs that season.
McDavid deserved the MVP last season because he was the best player in the regular season and he reached 100 points. McDavid should be considered a serious MVP candidate for a few reasons: 1.) what depth players does McDavid really have other than Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic? 2.) General Manager Peter Chiarelli is at fault for the Edmonton Oilers bad season. 3.) Nikita Kucherov (33 goals and 54 assists) is the favorite to win the MVP, but if he went out, Tampa Bay would still be a playoff team with Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and others. 4.) Evgeni Malkin (38 goals and 46 assists) is the second favorite to win the MVP but without him in Pittsburgh, they still have Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel.
A lot still has to be decided during the last few weeks during the regular season, but leaving out McDavid as one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy this season would be absurd.
