Is Kucherov getting slighted for awards?

[dirtydanglez]

mack was better but kuch also dug his own grave with his all star performance.

 

[The Panther]

I don't pay any attention to the All Star farce. What did Kucherov do, exactly?

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

What's a lot? The 7 more he had? Kucherov had 11 more assists. They both had amazing seasons. There's no way the vote count shouldn't have been closer though except the popularity angle or finally being someone's 'turn' instead of just based on the season.

I mean Kucherov became only the 3rd player in NHL history to score 40+ goals and 100 assists in a season, besides Gretkzy and Lemieux - that's pretty awesome and he didn’t just stumble onto that feat. And he did it in the lesser 'winger' position where the other two were centers, as is Mackinnon.

So yeah, it should have been close between the two, just think the edge should have gone to Kucherov seeing as what he had to overcome to get there this season with the point totals.

And the +/- thing really has nothing to do with performance (comparing Kucherov to Mackinnon) when there was the disastrous new defensive structure employed by Tampa this past season that everyone on the team struggled with - Stamkos ended up -21 for the season and Point -16, which neither one of them are terrible defensively usually- just highlights the struggles with the new system.

If anything it is easy for a winger to rack up points. A center has a much bigger mandate on the ice. I play center, n if I ever have to play wing for a game or couple shifts its like a day on the beach

 

[J T Money]

The bigger issue is that 2 voters left Kucherov off their ballot completely…then you factor in the 5th place votes for both Kucherov and MacKinnon and you’ll realize writers are biased.

I’d love to hear any argument that supports both of them getting 5th place votes and left off ballots completely.

Who was winning was aways a coin flip because both are worthy.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Mackinnon was the best player in the NHL this season in my opinion. Played on a team that really only had one other quality top 6 forward for a lot of the season and average to weak goaltending and not only did he have a monster season, the Avs had a really strong season also. Kucherov had a great season as well but I think Mackinnon was the best and deserved to win. Obviously the voters and players felt that way also. I personally don't care about player nationality and don't watch or care about International hockey either.

 

[bobholly39]

Yes he is

I think he should have won the following awards:

Hart in 2018
Smythe in 2020
Smythe in 2021
Hart in 2024 (maybe Lindsay too)

So he definitely is.

I do believe in the notion of voter fatigue - so if he had won the first smythe he didn't have to also win the 2nd one, etc. But looking at each independently he was my first choice for all those awards.

I do think MacKinnon was absolutely tremendous this year - so at least he's a worthy winner, but still.

 

[Faceboner]

Kucherov should have won either the Hart or Lindsey but mack had a phenomenal season so hard to argue against him winning it

 

[Minnesota Knudsens]

I don't pay any attention to the All Star farce. What did Kucherov do, exactly?

Apparently he came out and performed terribly in the skills competition, looking as if he was hungover.

 

[Drake1588]

It's been mentioned, but he really stood out at the All-Star Game this year. Not in a good way. Should that matter?

If he doesn't care about this stuff, should anyone else feel motivated to care about him? Outside of his market, he has a reputation as kind of an asshole, and these are popularity contests at the end of the day. The same factors will be there when it comes time to make his case for the HOF. He's going to need to accumulate an exceptionally strong body of work to overcome the fact that most of the league doesn't like him. Kucherov isn't going to win any close ones.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Mackinnon was the best player in the NHL this season in my opinion. Played on a team that really only had one other quality top 6 forward for a lot of the season...

You are overestimating the threshold for what a quality top 6 forward is.

 

[JackSlater]

I think he should have gotten the Hart by its actual definition but that MacKinnon was a better player this year. It was close either way though and the media make up reasons to give it to one guy or another, like MacKinnon not having a Hart while Kucherov does.

I do think that he should have gotten the 2020 Conn Smythe though.

 

[Midnight Judges]

It's been mentioned, but he really stood out at the All-Star Game this year. Not in a good way. Should that matter?

There is an objective correct answer here: No. It isn't part of the award criteria.

The Hart is for "the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” Allstar activities are utterly irrelevant.

 

[Voight]

I do think it's odd that a guy won the scoring race and collected 100 apples yet didn't come with either one of the Hart or Lindsay.

 

[AppreciateHockey]

I think voters are most susceptible to the story around a player. This was simply about MacKinnon being due a Hart. It also helps for MacKinnon that he is one of the most likable players in the NHL right now.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Hate it when voters consider defense and don’t just sort their ballots by points, very rigged.

 

[Suntouchable13]

It's been mentioned, but he really stood out at the All-Star Game this year. Not in a good way. Should that matter?

If he doesn't care about this stuff, should anyone else feel motivated to care about him? Outside of his market, he has a reputation as kind of an asshole, and these are popularity contests at the end of the day. The same factors will be there when it comes time to make his case for the HOF. He's going to need to accumulate an exceptionally strong body of work to overcome the fact that most of the league doesn't like him. Kucherov isn't going to win any close ones.

That’s ridiculous. NHL can shove its All-Star game up their you know what. And Kuch is getting in the very first year he is eligible for the HOF.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Nate's the better player than Kucherov... But he also plays on the better team.

Anyway, the Stanley Cup is the only award that really matters. The rest are irrelevant.

 

[Craig Ludwig]

Apparently he came out and performed terribly in the skills competition, looking as if he was hungover.

He didn't even try, it was embarassing.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

He didn't even try, it was embarassing.

And yet that's all people talked about after it so in a way it was a good thing.

 

[Craig Ludwig]

It's been mentioned, but he really stood out at the All-Star Game this year. Not in a good way. Should that matter?

If he doesn't care about this stuff, should anyone else feel motivated to care about him? Outside of his market, he has a reputation as kind of an asshole, and these are popularity contests at the end of the day. The same factors will be there when it comes time to make his case for the HOF. He's going to need to accumulate an exceptionally strong body of work to overcome the fact that most of the league doesn't like him. Kucherov isn't going to win any close ones.

That is bang on, and add to that Kucherov is the opposite of a two way player, seeing him live he barely even came back into his own zone. His teammates have to support him defensively.

 

[tucker3434]

The Hart, Lindsay and Art Ross are different trophies. In a year where a guy cruises to the Art Ross, he'll take the Hart and Lindsay too (last year), but that didn't happen this year. A guy that wins the Art Ross by 4 isn't in position to say he should automatically lock out the others. So some voters will place more value on the 100 assists, others on the 50 goals. Is it really that crazy people went with the goals? That the players and media agree tells me there's no great conspiracy here.

To read some of the comments, you'd think they gave it to a ~100 point guy. MacKinnon was very worthy.

 

[Cup or Bust]

You are overestimating the threshold for what a quality top 6 forward is.

When Drouin ends up being one of your best top 6 forwards and Nishushkin misses almost 30 games it was a pretty weak looking top 6 they had for stretches this season.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

His peers voted for MacKinnon. I put more value in that than awards voted by the media, which the media voted the same for the Art Russ. Tough luck for Kucherov but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Players are biased and don't watch games. Its basically the most popular player award. What an overrated trophy, that only seems to hold merit on these boards as sort of an edgy thing to say.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

The Hart, Lindsay and Art Ross are different trophies. In a year where a guy cruises to the Art Ross, he'll take the Hart and Lindsay too (last year), but that didn't happen this year. A guy that wins the Art Ross by 4 isn't in position to say he should automatically lock out the others. So some voters will place more value on the 100 assists, others on the 50 goals. Is it really that crazy people went with the goals? That the players and media agree tells me there's no great conspiracy here.

To read some of the comments, you'd think they gave it to a ~100 point guy. MacKinnon was very worthy.

Well, 100 assists hasn't happened by more than 3 players, 13 times. We had a nearly 70 goal scorer that was nominated for the Selke. So its hard to sell us on the fact that the voters were 'impressed' by 50 goals.

 

[thefutures]

Not a good Canadian boy