Year-end awards have always been fascinating to me and I feel that getting it right is an important part of hockey history – it’s how legacies are shaped. Midseason is always a perfect time to reflect on what’s transpired and this edition of 16 Stats will start off focusing on the NHL’s best.



This is my first year in the PHWA, so I’m not sure if I’ll even have the privilege of voting, but here’s how I see things right now (and as you can imagine, my picks are mostly analytics-inclined based on my own model, GSVA, which attempts to measure value using a single number) starting with the most prestigious award: the Hart Trophy.



Nathan MacKinnon, COL: 3.2 wins (1st)



Brad Marchand, BOS: 3.1 wins (2nd)



Connor McDavid, EDM: 2.7 wins (9th)



Evgeni Malkin, PIT: 2.7 wins (8th)



Auston Matthews, TOR: 3.0 wins (3rd)



My philosophy: most valuable means most value provided – not best...