Brad Marchand Making Case for Hart Trophy
Throughout his career in the NHL, Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been labeled as a pest. He’s always been the guy to get under the skin of opposing players in an attempt to draw penalties. Over the past few years, however, Marchand has consistently been at the top of the league in scoring earning him a couple of new labels: superstar and Hart Trophy candidate.
After scoring his fifth goal in four games in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, the 32-year-old Marchand sits at 55 points on the season. If he continued to play at this rate over the course of an 82-game season, Marchand would finish the year with 107 points, the most of his career.
Marchand has undoubtedly been the Bruins MVP up to this point in the season. He leads the team in almost every offensive statistical category including goals, assists, power play points and shorthanded points. In addition, among the entire NHL this season he’s tied for fourth in points, third in goals (24), first in shorthanded points (6) and first in shooting percentage (22.6).
That being said, it isn’t just his scoring that has cemented Marchand as the best all-around left wing in the league. It’s his ability to make plays and win puck battles that lead to scoring chances. Just take a look at this play from Sunday’s victory over the Washington Capitals:
By simply having good stick positioning on the defensive blue line, Marchand forces a Capitals turnover and immediately gets to work on the forecheck which results in a shorthanded goal for Patrice Bergeron. Marchand makes these types of plays every single game.
Another great example of a winning play came in a game earlier this season against the New Jersey Devils. Prior to the trade deadline, the Bruins often looked lifeless so the onus would fall on guys like Marchand to inject some energy. He wouldn’t hesitate:
Oh, and he also tallied a goal and an assist in that same game.
And let’s not act like this year is the first time that Marchand is scoring at an elite rate.
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Marchand ranks fourth in points (412), second in plus/minus (+105), first in shorthanded points (25), first in overtime goals (10), second in game-winning goals (34) and second in shooting percentage (17.3).
And yet there are still people out there who have so much hatred for things that Marchand has done in the past that they refuse to acknowledge him as one of the league’s top-tier players.
Now, is Marchand the best player in the NHL? Probably not. Most would give that title to Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby or Nathan MacKinnon. But the Hart Trophy shouldn’t be awarded to the best player. It’s supposed to be given to the skater who is judged to be most valuable to their team. Without Brad Marchand, the Bruins would almost certainly be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
