Way-Too-Early Ranking of the Top Candidates for the 2016-17 Hart Trophy

We're not even 20 games into the 2016-17 NHL campaign, but it's never too early to think about who might be named the league's most valuable player at the end of the regular season.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association rank their top five candidates each year, then the three finalists are invited to Las Vegas, where the Hart Trophy is handed out at the annual award ceremony in June.

As a rule, offensive stars get plenty of consideration. According to Hockey Reference, six of the last 10 Hart winners also won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer, while three of the remaining four won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer. The other was a goalie.

The goaltenders, defensemen and bringers-of-intangibles traditionally have the odds stacked against them in the voting. With that very much in mind, here are the 10 top early-season candidates for Hart consideration this season.

10. Connor McDavid: Edmonton Oilers

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 18 GP, 5-14-19, plus-1, 1.06 points per game, 21:22 ice time per game.

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: None. Placed third in Calder Trophy voting in 2015-16.

Offseason Ranking: Eighth

Making His Case

The transfer of power to the NHL's next generation may have to wait just a little bit longer.

That's not to say that Connor McDavid hasn't been impressive in the early going this season. The NHL's youngest captain leads the Edmonton Oilers in scoring and is second only to defenseman Oscar Klefbom in ice time.

But Edmonton's bullish 9-3-1 start to the season has now been followed up by a five-game losing streak. For McDavid to earn Hart consideration, his team will need to reverse that trend, demonstrating that it has truly left its losing ways behind and making a serious charge heading into the playoffs.

Connor's a special player. He has earned plenty of accolades from the league's greats, especially considering he's not even 100 games into his pro career and is still nearly two months away from leaving his teenage years behind.

Give him time—he'll make his case as one of the best in the game.

9. Nick Foligno: Columbus Blue Jackets

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 15 GP, 6-10-16, plus-5

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: None. Foligno has only received votes for the Lady Byng and Frank J. Selke Trophies during the 2014-15 season.

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

Nick Foligno may seem like an off-the-wall choice for a Hart Trophy candidate, but there's more to what the Columbus Blue Jackets have done this season than just their high-profile blowout 10-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

The Jackets, who finished 27th in the league last season, currently sit 11th in the overall NHL standings—and in an Eastern Conference wild-card spot—with a 9-4-2 record, despite having played fewer games than any other team. Sergei Bobrovsky has been great in net with a .932 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average, but Columbus is getting things done offensively—they're second in the league behind the New York Rangers, scoring an average of 3.40 goals per game.

Not only is Foligno the team's leading scorer, he's also its captain. His leadership is a key part of his team's turnaround this season.

In addition to the 10-0 win over the best team in the league, the Blue Jackets have also beaten the Rangers, the Washington Capitals, the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks already this season. They're matching up well against the NHL's toughest competition.

If Columbus keeps coming, the bouquets will start being thrown Foligno's way sometime around the All-Star break. He's a conscientious player and a great interview with an NHL pedigree; He could easily become a favorite among the Hart Trophy voters.

8. Mark Scheifele: Winnipeg Jets

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 19 GP, 10-12-22, plus-8, 20:49 average ice time per game

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: None. Scheifele has never received a single vote for an NHL award.

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

Chosen seventh overall in 2011, Mark Scheifele has followed a slow, steady path to NHL domination.

Since becoming a full-time big leaguer in 2013-14, Scheifele's point totals have improved every year, with his ice time and responsibilities also growing accordingly. The 23-year-old was also one of the top players when Team Canada won the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Russia last May and was a key part part of the dynamic Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.

Once the regular season began, Scheifele jumped out to an unexpected early lead in the league scoring race. he's currently tied with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning with 22 points.

Scheifele has also become the Winnipeg Jets' busiest forward, averaging 20:49 of ice time per game—primarily on the power play and at even strength. He's the old man and defensive conscience on the Jets' fiery top line, skating between talented young wingers Nikolaj Ehlers (20) and Patrik Laine (18).

By combining old-school attributes like size and grit with excellent skating and a nice offensive touch, Scheifele's impressive production this season could earn him a spot in the Hart conversation, seemingly out of nowhere.

Keep an eye on him going forward, especially if the high-flying Jets can challenge for a playoff spot over the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars in the competitive Central Division.

7. Kevin Hayes: New York Rangers

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 18 GP, 8-8-16, plus-15

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: None. Hayes placed seventh in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie season, 2014-15.

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

If the New York Rangers continue their charge and finish the season as one of the challengers for the Presidents' Trophy, they'll have a good case to field a Hart Trophy candidate.

In the early going, it doesn't look like that'll be goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The King still has the looks of a Greek God but has put up a relatively mortal 9-5-0 record this season, with a .916 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. 

The Rangers' calling card this season has been their prodigious offense. Many players are scoring with apparent impunity, but Kevin Hayes seems like he's punching especially high above his weight class. Hayes is on pace for 36 goals and 73 points, which would obliterate the 17 goals and 45 points he posted in his rookie season.

Hayes is now 24 and seems to have found great chemistry on a line with his fellow collegian from Boston, Jimmy Vesey, along with Jesper Fast. With a cap hit of just $2.6 million for the next two seasons, Hayes is one of many bargain players who have dramatically eclipsed expectations during the Rangers' fast start this year.

6. Shea Weber: Montreal Canadiens

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 18 GP, 7-6-13, plus-15, six power-play goals, three game-winning goals

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: Weber received Hart votes five times during his 11 seasons with the Nashville Predators. His best placing was 13th in 2011-12.

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

Despite fans' offseason outrage over the Montreal Canadiens' decision to trade P.K. Subban, Shea Weber has proven to be a solid replacement and has been warmly embraced at the Bell Centre this season.

Since donning the bleu, blanc et rouge, Weber has taken the NHL lead in power-play goals, scored three game-winners and logged a plus-15—best in the league among defensemen. Weber has been an integral part of the Canadiens' charge to reassert themselves as one of the dominant teams in the league.

Even if Weber keeps up his impressive play for the rest of the reason, a Hart win will be tough to achieve.

The last defenseman to win the NHL's most valuable player award was Chris Pronger. That came in 1999-2000, in the heart of the Dead Puck Era. Nobody was scoring much—and Pronger didn't need to compete for votes against his own goaltender.

Weber probably won't end up as a Hart finalist, but his first season in Montreal is proving what the faithful in Nashville knew for years—he's a game-changer.

5. Tuukka Rask: Boston Bruins

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 12 GP, 10-2-0, 1.49 goals-against average, .947 save percentage, 3 shutouts

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: Tuukka Rask finished 17th in Hart Trophy voting in 2009-10. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2013-14, beating out Semyon Varlamov and Ben Bishop.

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

Another goalie is drawing all the early Hart Trophy attention, but Tuukka Rask is also making a good case for himself.

Rask's personal stats are among the best in the league, and he has been virtually unstoppable when he has been in net for the Boston Bruins. Even more telling, in the five games that Rask hasn't played for Boston this season, his Bruins have been 0-5-0 and given up 21 goals—an average of 4.20 goals per game.

Offensively, Boston is averaging just 2.35 goals per game, eighth-worst in the league. Like their neighbours to the north in Montreal, the Bruins' playoff hopes will be largely dependent on continued strong play by their goaltender. Rask deserves Hart Trophy consideration if he gets his team to the postseason.

4. Nikita Kucherov: Tampa Bay Lightning

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 17 GP, 9-13-22, plus-10, 1.29 points per game, three game-winning goals

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: None

Offseason Ranking: None

Making His Case

During the offseason, I ranked Nikita Kucherov's captain Steven Stamkos fifth on my list of Hart Trophy candidates.

Stamkos is now expected to miss about four months after surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his knee, according to the Lightning's website.

The injury is yet another blow for Stamkos, who has suffered more than his fair share of misfortune during his career. But the Lightning have been through this before and have other players who can fill the void—among them, Kucherov.

Award voters know that Kucherov is good, but he hasn't yet become a player who earns much acclaim. In 2014-15, his plus-38 ranking earned him a bit of consideration for the Frank J. Selke Trophy; last year, his mere 30 penalty minutes got him some votes for the Lady Byng.

Where Kucherov has really shown his value, though, is in the offensive zone—especially in the playoffs. He was Tampa Bay's leading playoff scorer for the past two seasons and has carried that over into 2016-17, showing that he deserves to be known as more than simply one of "The Triplets."

Kucherov is currently tied with Mark Scheifele for the lead in the NHL scoring race and is doing it, as usual, with solid two-way play. He's also tops on Tampa Bay with an impressive plus-10.

Offseason contract negotiation drew a little extra attention to the fact that Kucherov is quickly becoming one of the most game-breaking players in the NHL.

His new cap hit of $4.77 million per season, per Cap Friendly, is looking like a bargain based on his first 17 games this year. It'll look even better if Kucherov stays among the league's top scorers and pushes for Hart consideration at season's end.

3. Patrick Kane: Chicago Blackhawks

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 18 GP, 6-13-19, plus-5, 1.06 points per game, 22:15 ice time per game.

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: Won Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Trophy in 2015-16. Finished in top seven in Hart voting on two other occasions. Also won Calder Trophy in 2007-08 and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012-13.

Offseason Ranking: Sixth

Making His Case

Patrick Kane isn't tearing up the scoring race like he did last season, but he's close enough to the top players that he shouldn't be ruled out of contention for a second straight Art Ross Trophy this season.

The Chicago Blackhawks are also an impressive 9-1-1 in their last 11 games and are making a strong case that after a good rest during a longer-than-usual offseason, they'll be pushing to reclaim their spot as the top team in the Western Conference.

The Blackhawks have enjoyed terrific starts from Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Marian Hossa, as well as goaltender Corey Crawford, but Kane is still the straw that stirs the drink. If he repeats for a second straight Hart Trophy, he'll be the first player to win back-to-back titles since Alex Ovechkin did it in 2008 and 2009.

2. Sidney Crosby: Pittsburgh Penguins

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 11 GP, 11-4-15, plus-3, 27.5 shooting percentage

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: Crosby finished second in Hart Trophy voting in 2015-16 with 800 points, but he got just 11 first-place votes compared to 121 votes for Kane. Crosby's a two-time Hart winner (2006-07, 2013-14) and has been a finalist on two other occasions.

Offseason Ranking: First

Making His Case

He missed the Pittsburgh Penguins' first six games of the season with a concussion, but Sidney Crosby has quickly climbed up among the NHL's top goal scorers, and the Penguins are making a solid case to defend their Stanley Cup.

The Pens' hallmarks during their playoff run were balanced scoring and timely goaltending—trends that have continued this season. Crosby's 1.36 points per game—and one goal a game—lead the team. Those numbers are coming, in large part, from the fact that he's scoring on an astonishing 27.5 percent of the shots he's directing at the net—his career average is 14.6 percent.

Crosby has already gone through more ups and downs in his hockey career than most players will experience in a lifetime. With his latest concussion behind him, he's picking up where he left off in the playoffs and at the World Cup of Hockey, as the best forward in the game.

1. Carey Price: Montreal Canadiens

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2016-17 Stats to Date: 11 GP, 10-0-1, 1.63 goals-against average, .948 save percentage, 2 shutouts

Hart Pedigree from Hockey Reference: Carey Price won the 2014-15 Hart Trophy by a landslide. He received votes in three other seasons but didn't finish higher than seventh in any of those years.

Offseason Ranking: Second

Making His Case

His 2015-16 season was derailed by injuries, but Carey Price is back and better than ever with the Montreal Canadiens this season.

When Price won his first league MVP trophy, he posted a 1.95 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. In the early going this year, he's making those numbers look pedestrian. 

All signs indicate that the best is still to come from Montreal's 29-year-old stopper. If Price stays healthy and the Habs keep winning, he'll have the inside track to join Dominik Hasek as the only two-time Hart Trophy-winning goaltenders in NHL history.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.