Leon Draisaitl gets disrespect from NHL with new projections to lose MVP Award
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl's incredible season this year has placed him in the conversation for MVP, but new projections from the NHL have him in last place among the candidates.
Draisaitl was still the favourite to win the NHL's Hart Trophy until he sustained an injury against the Utah Hockey Club on March 18th, and was only able to play 3 more games the rest of the year.
Leon Draisaitl will lose out on NHL's Hart Trophy after injury dampens his case
The NHL has released new projections from their own staff of writers who vote on the Hart Trophy, and currently, that portion of the field ranks Draisaitl below Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor Hellebuyck.
There's still more writers and media who vote on the league's MVP trophy, but based on these numbers, MacKinnon is the far and away front runner now.
Leon Draisaitl still finished this season with 52 goals and 106 points. Had he not gotten injured, he would've had a chance to score 60 goals for the first time in his career - and a much better chance at the Hart. For his scoring, at least Leon won the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Analysts argue Leon Draisaitl could still win Hart Trophy
Even though he missed 11 games, there's still a solid argument to be made that Draisaitl had the most cumulative impact of any player in the NHL this season.
MacKinnon scored 10 more points than him, but advanced metrics suggest Draisaitl was still the league's best player.
The NHL will have an interesting decision to make with this year's MVP trophy. Hopefully, the Oilers superstar can win his second MVP, and prove that he's just as good as McDavid.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 18 | 966 ANSWERS Leon Draisaitl gets disrespect from NHL with new projections to lose MVP Award Do you think Leon Draisaitl should win the MVP trophy? | ||
| Yes | 815 | 84.4 % |
| No | 151 | 15.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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