Is Johnny Gaudreau A Dark Horse for MVP?

Johnny Gaudreau has had quite a season in his contract year. The pending UFA has scored 107 points so far this season, 3rd best in the NHL.

He plays a pretty complete game, and he is arguably the single most valuable player in the NHL to his team.

Now, before we all get ahead of ourselves, it is important to consider what the Flames do well & poorly alike.

The Flames are pretty great in all areas except for one: finishing.

Now, without finishing it is extremely difficult to win in the NHL. And without Gaudreau, the Flames would hardly finish at all & would likely be much lower in the NHL standings. Furthermore, while a huge portion of offense is attributed to power play production, Gaudreau hardly relies on it at all.

In fact, Gaudreau leads the NHL in 5v5 scoring with 70 even strength points. Other considerable players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, & Jonathan Huberdeau all rely heavily on power play; McDavid & Huberdeau aren't even in the Top 10 in 5v5 scoring!

Matthews is the next best case to be made, but all know how good their team offense is. Calgary on the other hand, is a defense first team, with one highly effective scoring line. The rest of their team employs a highly structured Neutral Zone & Defensive Zone system with a heavy emphasis on forechecking & physical play. Oh, and exceptional goaltending courtesy of Jacob Markstrom. Deadly come playoff time, no doubt.

In essence, Gaudreau is more important to his team than almost any other individual. Matthews, McDavid, & ~maybe~ Igor Shesterkin round out the qualified candidates for the Hart Trophy.

But Gaudreau absolutely deserves his flowers.

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