When Auston Matthews was announced as one of the three Hart Trophy finalists on Tuesday morning, it came as a huge surprise. Granted, this isn’t the ideal moment to be promoting individual awards on behalf of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to put it politely, but Matthews’ exclusion is startling, particularly in light of the fact that he led the team to its highest goal total in 31 years.
Maybe nobody wishes to hear it. I was not given an official ballot for honors as a second-year Professional Hockey Writers’ Association member (maybe next year, folks!). Even in the midst of what is anticipated to be the closest Hart Trophy race in recent memory, Matthews appeared to be a lock for one of the three berths. The 2023–24 finalists are Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov. We might need to decide what qualifies as the most valuable player.
The best players in the league are entitled to this occupational hazard, so high-end offensive players will inevitably rank among the league leaders in giveaways. The Lightning, for instance, are probably okay with Kucherov taking chances because they know he’s a transcendent playmaker. Even with this disclaimer, Kucherov, McDavid, and MacKinnon placed second, sixth, and eighth in terms of giveaways across all scenarios, respectively. With the best takeaway-giveaway ratio, Matthews comes in at number 54.
