Ranking the Top Early Candidates for the 2014-15 Hart Trophy

With a month in the books, it's time to take a look at some of the top early candidates for the 2014-15 Hart Trophy, given to the player judged most valuable to his team.

Well, at least that's the official definition. But if that were truly the way people voted, more players from less successful teams or with slightly lower point totals than the ultimate winners would have fared much better over the years.

Defensemen not named Chris Pronger or Bobby Orr never win. Six of the past nine winners were simply the leading point-getter in the league that year. The other three went to the leading goal scorer that season.

So, yeah, points matter. Being on a winning team helps, too. Every one of those winners were on a team that made the postseason.

We kept all those thoughts in mind when compiling these rankings, but there are other worthy mentions you can add and debate in the comments section.

Click ahead to see some honorable mentions and the top seven candidates.

Honorable Mentions

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Ryan Miller, Vancouver Canucks: With an 8-1-0 record, Miller leads the league in victories. His .918 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average combined with the fact that three of his wins have come against Edmonton and another against the Carolina Hurricanes harms the case for him being the primary reason for the wins.

Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers: Voracek is second in league scoring with three goals, 13 assists and 16 points in 11 games. And his shooting percentage is a dismal 7.7 percent, so there's even room for improvement in the goal category. Averaging nearly 19 minutes per game, he's definitely the Flyers' MVP so far. But with the team falling behind in the wild-card race already, he isn't making a big enough impact for Hart votes yet.

Rick Nash, New York Rangers: Nash is looking great with nine goals in 10 games. The Rangers aren't looking quite as hot collectively, and his lack of assists—just two on the year—could turn some voters in other directions while looking for more balanced scoring.

Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings: Carter has the third-best plus/minus rating of any of the top 35 scorers and is part of one of the league's best trios with Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. They've combined for 18 of the Kings' 26 goals on the season, and no other player has more than two tallies on the team. Toffoli has a couple more points, but Carter has the experience and plays more minutes with a primary role on special teams.

Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues: The third-year player is heating up as the season moves forward. He has joined the top 10 in points per game in the league and propelled the Blues into the hunt for the Central Division title with performances like his highlight-reel regulation goal and shootout-winner Monday night against the New York Rangers.

7. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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By the numbers: 7-2-1 record, .913 save percentage, 2.74 goals-against average

What they mean: Carey Price's record is one of the best of any starting netminder in the league, but the supporting numbers are inflated—in a negative way—by the losses. He gave up a dozen goals in the three defeats but won five straight in between, with the opposition scoring just nine times in those Montreal Canadiens victories.

Projection for 2014-15: Price and the Canadiens look primed to do some damage in the regular season, building on their playoff run last spring. If a goaltender is going to snatch the Hart Trophy away from a forward this year, it might be Price—it was the Habs' Jose Theodore who last earned the nod as a netminder back in 2002.

6. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

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By the numbers: 11 games, three goals, 11 assists, 14 points, 36 shots, plus-five rating, 19:53 ice time per game

What they mean: It looks like so far, so good for Henrik Zetterberg's back, which needed surgery to repair a slightly herniated disc in February. With the Detroit Red Wings buoyed by his performance through the first month, he gets the nod ahead of some slightly more prolific early scorers on teams not doing as well.

Projection for 2014-15: At just 8.3 percent right now, his shooting percentage is lower than his 10.5 career average and far below his top year of 16.3. His numbers should remain high as long as he stays healthy. It looks like he's back on track (no pun intended) and a lock as a point-per-game player. If the Red Wings can climb near the top of the Eastern Conference, he might garner consideration for the Hart come April.

5. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

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By the numbers: 7-2-1 record, .931 save percentage, 1.88 goals-against average, one shutout

What they mean: The healthy Pekka Rinne's numbers are spectacular, and the Nashville Predators are among the best teams in the tough Western Conference thanks to his efforts. His save percentage is seventh among those with at least five starts, and his goals-against average is good for sixth. He gets the nod over some of the other goalies for having the second-most wins and his importance to a team without much star power.

Projection for 2014-15: Rinne will get plenty of work in the Predators net and have a shot at one of the highest win totals among goaltenders. If the Preds get into the playoffs and Rinne's save percentage stays among the best in the league, he will be a Vezina finalist and dark horse for the Hart.

4. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

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By the numbers: 12 games, eight goals, five assists, 13 points, 51 shots, 21:11 minutes per game, 4:05 power-play minutes per game, six power-play points

What they mean: With respect to sophomore Tyler Johnson, who has one more point than the captain, Steven Stamkos is a more critical piece for the Tampa Bay Lightning because of his goal-scoring prowess and ability to make something out of nothing.

Projection for 2014-15: If not for the broken leg, Stamkos was on pace for a 50-goal, 89-point season in 2013-14. He will get somewhere near that distribution once again and be in consideration for the league MVP honors with the Lightning, one of the best teams in the East.

3. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

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By the numbers: 11 games, seven goals, eight assists, 15 points, two game-winners, 38 shots, 19:51 minutes per game, five power-play points, 50.8 faceoff percentage.

What they mean: Last year was not a fluke in the marriage between Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars, and the honeymoon is still on. The second overall selection in the 2010 NHL draft has given captain Jamie Benn a Batman to his Robin—or the other way around—and one of the most dynamic top lines in hockey. His efforts have helped him earn third-star honors from the NHL for October.

He's also really, really good at trick shots (via Dude Perfect).

Projection for 2014-15: Seguin will finish among the top four or five scorers in the league once again, in the 90-100-point range, but the presence of Benn and now Jason Spezza will likely detract from his own on-ice leadership and keep him off the Hart Trophy ballots—especially if the Stars fail to make the playoffs.

2. Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

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By the numbers: 13 games, 11 goals, four assists, 15 points, plus-11 rating, 42 shots, 18:35 minutes per game, four power-play goals

What they mean: Corey Perry is leading the league in goals through the first month and on pace for nearly 70. OK, it's early and that number will even out—his shooting percentage is well above his best ever at 25.2 percent right now—but Perry is shooting the puck a ton and is already a quarter of the way to surpassing his total from last season only a sixth of the way through this year's schedule.

He gets the nod over goalie Frederik Andersen by a narrow margin as the Ducks' representative here by virtue of his league-leading goal pace and the fact backup John Gibson could arguably do as good a job the rest of the way.

Projection for 2014-15: The Ducks are going to be the class of the Western Conference in the regular season and although one or both of the goalies will deserve a great deal of credit, it will be Perry leading the way with his goal-scoring ways and trademark aggression.

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

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By the numbers: 10 games, seven goals, 11 assists, 18 points, 35 shots, plus-four rating, 19 minutes per game, 4:15 power-play minutes per game, 10 power-play points

What they mean: Sidney Crosby is playing at a pace of nearly two points per game through the first month of the season. He's getting three-and-a-half shots through to the goaltender in every contest and racking up points on the power play. In short, he's being his typical healthy self and dominating the opposition. When he's on top of his game, no one can come close to his pace.

Projection for 2014-15: Another 100-point season. Probably another Hart Trophy. The only question is whether the Penguins can make some noise in the playoffs again and capitalize on Sidney in his prime.