Hall that one year with the Devils was better than anything Lecavalier ever did in a season
However, Lecavalier had the better career.
Have to disagree there. I recognize that Hall won a Hart, and I’ve long argued that it was deserving, but Lecavalier was simply better in 2006-2007.
Sure, he didn’t win the Hart, but he did lead the league in goals, he was third in points, and was fourth in PPG. True, he finished 4th in Hart voting, but he was second among forwards to only Crosby’s terrific sophomore campaign and two truly insane seasons by Luongo and Brodeur. It’s not like he didn’t have his own electric second half to lead the Lightning into the playoffs. He scored 31 goals and 55 points in 41 second half games while the Lightning went 25-13-3 after starting 19-20-2.
Meanwhile, Hall finished sixth in goals, seventh in points, and seventh in PPG. Other than his own terrific play down the stretch, his case was also helped tremendously by external factors going in his favor, like McDavid and the Oilers missing the playoffs, people not catching up to Kucherov just yet, no goalies showing up in the top 10 in voting, MacKinnon shooting himself in the foot, and no one really having an ironclad case overall. Transplant the equivalent of his season into 2006-2007 and he’s a mere footnote.
Lecavalier does carry a slight stench of being a disappointment for a #1 pick, but I was younger and let hype rule me. He still had a pretty good career, as you said, better than Hall’s. He also peaked at a level higher than Hall for an individual season, and grouping of seasons.
