So does the winner of the Ross also win the Hart? I think for McDavid and kucherov atleast it could be argued that they are easily the most valuable players to their team. We saw how horrible Edmonton was without McDavid and Kucherov is willing Tampa to the playoffs this year.
In my opinion - if either Kucherov or MacKinnon win the Art Ross, they should 100% also win the hart. It would be kind of crappy for either/or if they pull off the scoring race win, only to subjectively be told "sorry, we're voting the other guy for hart". The point race is what's in their control, they are neck and neck and have been all year, and I'd love to see the Ross winner also be the Hart winner between those 2. Because I honestly can't argue one above the other for Hart as of today since they're so close - so if they're this close, you may as well let the most points decide the winner.
McDavid is....more complicated. Few reasons:
- Higher bar for McDavid. This is due to voter fatigue, and being held to a higher standard. So - I think McDavid needs not only win the Ross, but win by a good amount to also win the hart (maybe ~5+ points)
- Goals vs Assist. We all know McDavid might get 100+ assists which is a historic number....but a higher goal to assist ratio is usually prefered when similar points. Both Kuch and Mack will do ~50 goals, McDavid only ~30 goals. With similar point output, and even ignoring any voter fatigue - Kuch/Mack should be preferred.