A Carolina Hurricane has never won the Hart Trophy. Only Eric Staal has ever come "close", finishing fourth in 2006 after his 100-point campaign and a Stanley Cup victory. Even then, he finished a distant fourth, earning less than ten percent of the available points from the voters. I'm not saying that it's impossible for the day to ever come, but I wouldn't hold my breath that it will.
The Canes have often relied on being a deep team, rather than a top-heavy one. This season has proven to be no exception. The contributions have come from far and wide, with everyone getting their moment in the sun. As we bring October to a close, I wanted to make my case for three players to be put into the Hart Trophy conversation, even if their chances of winning are slim to none.
Honorable Mentions
Andrei Svechnikov: If he'd continued his pace from the start of the season, Svechnikov would've probably cracked the Top 3. Through eight games, Svechnikov had six goals and 11 points, but things slowed considerably during the road trip. He has just two assists over his last seven games. He is playing fine, but the team could stand to get a little more from him.
Logan Stankoven: The team's leader in goals at the end of the month with nine, Stankoven has picked up right where he left off in the playoffs. He made a point to terrorize the Vancouver Canucks twice, scoring five goals, including his first hat trick, and adding an assist in their two meetings. Improvement in the dot is still needed for him to be a legit contender.
3. Jackson Blake
If last season constituted a breakout year for Jackson Blake, this has been a "Welcome to Stardom" start for the third-year pro. Blake has been flying around the ice, with Tripp Tracy referring to him as a "waterbug" on multiple occasions this season. "Bulldog" might be a little more appropriate, especially when he's playing next to Stankoven. Their chemistry from last season is carrying into the new year.
Blake leads the Canes in assists (12) and is second in points (15) through 15 games, putting him on pace to shatter his totals from last season. The goals haven't been as frequent, though he has two in his last four games. He has only been kept off the scoresheet three times, putting together streaks of seven and five games, the latter of which is ongoing.
If he were scoring more goals, Blake would be higher on this list. Still, it's hard to look at everything he's doing and not be in awe of the player he has become. His contract is already looking like one of the best in the league, and it feels like he's only scratching the surface. While I don't think he'll keep up his point-per-game pace all season, Blake is showing us all why the team was right to commit to him.
2. Pyotr Kochetkov
It's impossible to be better than perfect. By the very definition alone, perfection can't be topped. In October, Pyotr Kochetkov was perfect. Sure, he allowed some goals, but no one beat him. Kochetkov made nine starts. He won all nine of them, setting a new franchise record in the process. Only two goalies in NHL history have ever won more games to begin a season, and that record is within reach.
With his win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Kochetkov also matched the longest win streak in franchise history. His numbers back him up, too. The Canes' netminder sits third in the league in GAA (1.66) and fifth in save percentage (.919). Only Ottawa's Linus Ullmark and Montreal's Jacob Fowler are also in the Top 5 in both respects, sitting in first and second, respectively.
The biggest argument against him will be his workload. Kochetkov ranks 30th in saves and shots against. He's only seeing around 20 shots per game. However, he's stopping what he can. There haven't been many leaky goals or missteps this season. Kochetkov has controlled the controllables, and he's been perfect because of it.
1. Sebastian Aho
When you're asking for the definition of the "most valuable player" to the Carolina Hurricanes' success this season, Sebastian Aho has been it. No player has been more important to begin the season than him. It's not just his production, which has been outstanding through 15 games. He seems to be in the middle of everything for the Canes.
Aho has six multi-point games already, including a pair of three-point contests against Philadelphia and Montreal. He is second to Stankoven with eight goals and second to Blake with 11 assists. His 19 points are the most on the team and tied for tenth in the league, as of Friday. Aho also has the best face-off win percentage on the team (55.8 percent), stepping up with Jordan Staal on the shelf.
As long as there are players like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov around, the Aho's of the world won't get the proper shine. By all accounts, Aho is the best player on the league's best team, and that needs to mean something. If he isn't putting up 200 points, no one will pay him much mind. Then again, we in North Carolina are perfectly fine with that.
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