Ranking the Top Candidates for the Hart Trophy in the 2014-15 Season

With less than two weeks until the trade deadline, NHL teams area approaching the stretch run with the playoffs just around the corner.

The guys who are leading their teams toward the postseason are front-runners for the Hart Trophy, given to the player deemed most valuable to his team during the season.

There are plenty of candidates among the top goalies and leading scorers, difference-makers in a season full of parity in the standings and a wide-open scoring race.

Gone from this current look at the candidates are guys like Tyler Seguin, who unfortunately will be on the sidelines for three to six weeks with injury. Also eliminated are players from teams that have no realistic shot to make the playoffs, including Philadelphia Flyers stars Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. 

Click ahead to see who lands where on the list nearly two months after the last update.

All stats via NHL.com unless otherwise noted

Honorable Mentions

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Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators: Back from his knee injury, Rinne has picked up where he left off—leading the league in victories and sitting second (but only just) behind Carey Price in save percentage and goals-against average. Working against him in the voting is that Price has done more with less in front of him. The Predators defense is stellar and the team is in the top half of the special teams rankings, shots for and against, and top six in goals per game.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: The NHL's goal-scoring leader is also the most-improved player on the plus/minus scale after finishing with a third-worst minus-35 last year and jumping to plus-11 this season. The way he's trending, the only thing that could keep him from seeing some first-place votes might be the competition from teammate Nicklas Backstrom.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Although he sat out with illness and an undisclosed injury that kept him from playing in the All-Star Game, Crosby leads the league in points per game and has put together a couple of very dominant performances since. As long as he's vying for the scoring title and the Pens are in the playoffs, he'll get votes because of how well he plays with and without the puck.

7. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

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Previous ranking: Fifth

By the numbers: 57 games, 29 goals, 26 assists, 55 points, plus-26 rating, five game-winners, 199 shots

Bottom line: Vladimir Tarasenko has shown no signs of slowing down in his third season, on pace for 40 goals and 80 points for the St. Louis Blues. The team has come to depend on the 23-year-old for big plays, including a pair of game-deciding shootout goals to go with the previously mentioned game-winners in regulation or overtime. His plus/minus rating is the fifth-best in the league but eight better than anyone else on his team.

6. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks

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Previous ranking: Fourth

By the numbers: 55 games, 17 goals, 37 assists, 54 points, four game-winners

Bottom line: The one consistency for the Anaheim Ducks this season has been the play of top center Ryan Getzlaf, who has had to play with rotating wings, in front of multiple goaltenders and on a team with a slew of defensive injuries. Still, he's been able to play at nearly a point-per-game pace while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. As good as Corey Perry has been when healthy, without Getzlaf, the Ducks are likely not running away with the division title right now.

5. John Tavares, New York Islanders

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Previous ranking: Honorable mention

By the numbers: 58 games, 28 goals, 30 assists, 58 points, five game-winning goals, 193 shots, 20:18 average ice time per game

Bottom line: John Tavares is averaging the fifth-most minutes of any forward in the league and playing at a point-per-game pace. The New York Islanders captain is on pace for his first 40-goal season and, more importantly, has the Isles leading the Metropolitan Division standings after the team missed out on the playoffs a year ago. Despite losing wingman Kyle Okposo to injury, Tavares has continued to thrive, scoring nine goals and putting up 19 points in 15 games without him.

4. Rick Nash, New York Rangers

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Previous ranking: Third

By the numbers: 55 games, 35 goals, 20 assists, 55 points, plus-23 rating, six game-winners, 211 shots

Bottom line: Rick Nash is on pace for his first 50-goal season, currently sits second in the league in goals and is ninth in points. To put his importance to the Rangers in perspective, Nash has 20 more goals than his next-closest teammate, Martin St. Louis. He's a big part of the penalty-killing unit as well and is tied for  the NHL lead (with the Los Angeles Kings' Tyler Toffoli) with four short-handed goals.

3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

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Previous ranking: Unranked

By the numbers: 58 games, 27 goals, 36 assists, 63 points, plus-10 rating, five game-winning goals

Bottom line: Since the last time I looked at the candidates, Patrick Kane has shot to the top of the NHL's scoring lead with eight multi-point evenings in his last 18 games, including four three-point contests. Kane is one of those players who could see his votes split somewhat because of the presence of perennial Selke Trophy candidate Jonathan Toews, but the flashier of the two has a decided edge in team scoring and has the second-most even-strength points in the NHL.

2. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames

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Previous ranking: First

By the numbers: 57 games, 11 goals, 36 assists, 47 points, plus-15 rating, two game-winning goals, 25:08 minutes per game

Bottom line: Aside from perhaps the Nashville Predators, there may be no bigger surprise in the NHL standings than the Calgary Flames—at least on the positive side of things. A big reason the young, unheralded rebuilding squad is still in the playoff picture is the play and leadership qualities of captain Mark Giordano. He leads all NHL defensemen in points, and his assist total is the ninth best in the league regardless of position.

In the Flames' latest third-period comeback—a league-best 10th of the year—Giordano contributed three helpers in a 4-3 overtime win over the Boston Bruins. Giordano is tied for first on the team in points during those comeback victories, via Canadian Press contributor Darren Haynes. The undrafted 31-year-old is playing the best hockey of his life and taking a team to unexpected heights.

1. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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Previous ranking: Seventh

By the numbers: 32-11-2 record, .935 save percentage. 1.93 goals-against average, five shutouts

Bottom line: Carey Price's backup, Dustin Tokarski, is 5-5-2 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.70 GAA. It's a stark contrast that shows how incredible Price has been playing on a Montreal Canadiens team that is in the bottom third of the league in goals per game, power-play percentage and both shots for and shots against per game. Thanks to the play of Price, the Habs are at the top of the heap in the Eastern Conference. Price leads the league in GAA and save percentage and is second in wins.