LAS VEGAS — I know all about the Thanksgiving deadline for NHL teams and their chances of making the playoffs. My question, though, is there a date we start discussing Hart Trophy candidates, where we look at their league-wide statistical standings and how valuable they’ve become to their respective teams?
Because in my estimation, it’s about time we start mentioning Jack Eichel in every Hart Trophy conversation.
End of story, no debate.
I know Edmonton‘s Connor McDavid is considered to be the best skater on the planet. I know how ridiculously good Nathan MacKinnon is for Colorado. And, I mean, Kirill Kaprizov has been a phenomenon since arriving in Minnesota.
And while those three might hold the shortest odds to win the Hart Trophy out of the league’s Thanksgiving off-day, let’s be real, with all due respect to his slick skating, crafty puck-handling skills, precision passing, and ability to ignite the Vegas Golden Knights with aptly timed goals – Eichel undoubtedly deserves to have his name uttered among those considered as the league’s most valuable player.
“Jack continues to do more and more to demonstrate he is one of the best players in the NHL,” Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon told The Hockey News. “He’s a Stanley Cup Champion, he has become a tremendous two-way player, he’s at or near the top of the scoring race, sound defensively, he plays the right way every night.
“He’s all about winning.”
As of Friday, at DraftKings, Kaprizov (+285) is the favorite, followed by McDavid (+300), MacKinnon (+500), Nikita Kucherov (+750), Martin Necas (+1800) and then Eichel (+2000).
Look, we’ve seen plenty of faces come and go in the 7 1/2 years since the Knights officially embedded themselves into the fabric of Southern Nevada sports. But when it’s said and done, I have to wonder if we’ve seen a better hockey player than Eichel – the current face of the franchise.
Eichel, who finished eighth in Hart Trophy voting in 2019-20 with two fourth-place votes and eight fifth-place votes, ranks fourth in the league with 34 points entering Friday’s games. His 26 assists rank second only to MacKinnon.
Let’s go back further, though.
Since Eichel stepped on the ice for Vegas on Feb. 16, 2022, following his well-publicized neck surgery, he’s played 80 regular-season games for the Knights and ranks 26th in the NHL with 1.03 points per game.
If you include the playoffs, he inches up to 21st with 1.05 points per contest.
Heading into Friday’s game against league-leading…