Hart Trophy winner debated by NHL.com

The Hart Trophy race is wide open with three of the biggest stars in the NHL making it to the final three.

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs became the first player in the League to score 60 goals since Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning did it in 2011-12 and scored goals at a per-game rate (0.82) not seen since Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored 35 goals in 43 games (.81) in 2000-01.
Connor McDavid is the reigning Hart Trophy winner after also winning this award in 2016-17. He's won the Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players) three times in his first six seasons and the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer) four times, including this season. In what was the Edmonton Oilers center's most productive season to date, he had career bests in goals (44), assists (79), points (123), power-play points (44), overtime goals (four) and shots (314).
Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers dominated almost every time he started. The 26-year-old Russia-born goalie, in his third NHL season, set career highs across the board and posted a .935 save percentage. It ranks third all-time in the NHL's regular season, among goalies who played 50 or more games, behind Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins in 2010-11 (.938) and Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres in 1998-99 (.937).
But who was voted the most valuable player in the NHL in 2021-22 by the Professional Hockey Writers Association? We'll find out when the winner is announced during the 2022 NHL Awards in Tampa on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS), but in the interim, NHL.com asked three writers to each make a compelling argument for why one of the finalists should win.

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

It would be easy to make a case for any of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy this season. McDavid was his usual self, which is to say, nearly unbelievable, and Shesterkin almost single-handedly pushed the New York Rangers at least a year ahead of their expected timeline. But Matthews? He scored 60 goals, which is not only a bright, shining feat that hasn't been achieved in the NHL in a decade but is the most scored by a United States-born player in League history. Matthews finished the season with 106 points in 73 games, adding 46 assists to his Rocket Richard Trophy-winning 60 goals. He led the NHL in even-strength goals with 44, eight more than Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, and tied six players for third in power-play goals with 16, behind only the Rangers forward Chris Kreider (26) and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (24). As Matthews has become a more elite offensive player, the Maple Leafs center has improved his 200-foot game, and finished first among forwards with 92 takeaways, one fewer than Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Ultimately, though, it comes down to that big number: 60. And for that, Matthews deserves the Hart Trophy. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Matthews' season was definitely impressive, but there's an award for that 60 number, it's called the Rocket Richard Trophy. The Hart Trophy is for the player most valuable to his team, not just the top scorer, and the Oilers don't move the needle in many categories without McDavid. The statistics have become almost secondary for him, though it's hard not to look at his chart that includes winning the Art Ross Trophy a fourth time with a career-high in points (123). His will to be a better all-around player continues to increase, and his shot-attempts percentage was at a career-best 56.9 this season, a number that has been climbing consistently. McDavid's ability to make those around him better is also rising, as evident by Draisaitl (55) and Zach Hyman (27) scoring career highs in goals, and Evander Kane's career-best pace of 22 goals in 43 games. There used to be a debate that the world's best player was not necessarily the League's most valuable player to his team; however, in my eyes, that's no longer the case. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer

Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

My colleagues have made my argument for me. As Tim pointed out, the Hart goes to the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team, not the most outstanding player or the top scorer. As Amalie pointed out, Shesterkin almost single-handedly pushed the Rangers at least a year ahead of their expected timeline. There you go. But I'll add this: The NHL just had the highest-scoring regular season in 26 years, averaging 6.3 goals per game. In that environment, the Rangers allowed 2.49 goals per game, second-best in the League, and the biggest reason by far was Shesterkin, who almost certainly will win the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender. He went 36-13-4 with a 2.07 goals-against average, that .935 save percentage and six shutouts. Among goalies who played at least seven games, he led the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average and was third in shutouts. Who else made a bigger difference for his team?-- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist