Is it time we change the definition of the Hart Trophy?

The Hart Trophy is current awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the NHL but there's increased debate around the criteria used. The most outstanding player is not always the most valuable relative to his team so should the MVP become the MOP?

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I get it. He's the dude for the Hart Trophy. He is that dude for the Hart Trophy right now. Maybe it was Igor Shesterkin at one point. He's kind of fallen off a little bit. Maybe Roman Josi should be making a case for it. But right now, at this moment, you could say the strongest case for the Hart Trophy is Auston Matthews.

But-- but-- I am all for the definition of the Most Valuable Player Award to be changed to most outstanding. I can't believe the Canadian Football League is the only league in North America that has this right, most outstanding player. Like, whoever is deemed to be most valuable to a team, that should really differ. Jonathan Huberdeau, we're talking about his case to be MVP-- you can make the argument that Sasha Barkov has a much better case for value. And in Edmonton between McDavid and [INAUDIBLE], doesn't their value cancel each other out? That's also being said.

Just make it simple. Make it most outstanding. And I understand that the Ted Lindsay Award exists, and it already kind of covers that, but the player is vote for it. Auston Matthews-- you can make the argument he's been most valuable and he's been the most outstanding player this year. You can make that argument. So why don't we just get to the definition of the Hart Trophy, switch valuable to outstanding, and just go from there? And let the players vote for the Ted Lindsay, and let the journalists, maybe Justin sometimes, vote for the MOP in the NHL.

I mean, we would still say MVP anyway because that's what we're adjusted to. But change the definition to most outstanding player. That is the soapbox that I am on, and I will step off said soapbox because I have said what I needed to say about that. Am I talking crazy? Am I talking wild? Look, I don't care what you all say because I think it should be MOP and not MVP going forward.

OMAR: I mean, based off the definition, most valuable player to your team-- like, wouldn't every starting goaltender be in that category? I mean, if you have bad goaltending, you're not going anywhere. Doesn't matter who you have as a skater. So even like if you look at Edmonton, a lot of people can argue about McDavid would win the Hart every single year. So it's just like-- yeah, I think changing the definition is definitely long overdue.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I mean, I think luckily, things haven't been taken literally since maybe Taylor Hall won it. I feel like they have been just taking the best player since then. And maybe Taylor Hall did deserve to win that year. I think that was definitely Connor McDavid's year myself. But I feel like everyone's wising up to this. We're not looking at just the definition. We're making the right decision, or we're trying to make the right decision.

And the valuable thing-- yeah, it doesn't really make sense because it could be the goaltender, or you're looking at games that doesn't involve the player. That means something more than anything else? No, it really is the most outstanding player. And they frame it as MVP because that's what everyone seems to understand through all these decades and decades of history in covering MVPs.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, seriously.

SAM CHANG: I've given up on trying to understand what NHL awards stand for after Lou Lamoriello won back-to-back GM of the Year Awards. I give up.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: And Lou won one of them with fewer first-place votes than Marc Bergevin, which that could be a whole other discussion in itself. But still--

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I'm hearing Lou Lamoriello propaganda again with them, like, 9 points out, and he didn't trade anyone at the deadline. They're like, oh, look at him. He knew. He knew they were going to make the playoffs. He knew they were going to catch Washington. It's just ridiculous.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh, my God. But also, let's be careful again with the New York Islanders because we don't want to upset anybody. We don't want to get-- we all know what happened last year.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: [INAUDIBLE]

[LAUGHTER]

SAM CHANG: Yeah, he definitely won the Davon Davis trade.

OMAR: See, that's--

SAM CHANG: He won that one.

OMAR: Did he not win GM of the year and then make that trade, or was it in between?

SAM CHANG: I can't. I don't even remember.

OMAR: Oh, my God.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: We need the Omar "Kyle Dubas should win GM of the year" speech, I think, at some point.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, I mean, I--

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: The coming episode of [INAUDIBLE].

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

They don't like Kyle Dubas around the GM water cooler, apparently. So I don't think he'll ever win.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah. Kyle David-- remember the whole Kyle-on-Kyle beef? Like--

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I want to get Davidson's vote.