30 Teams, 30 MVPs

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

The term “most valuable player” is perhaps the most misused in all of professional sports, as it’s all too often awarded to players on the basis of gaudy statistical accomplishments, rather than their indispensability.

With that in mind, and with the marathon-like regular season rapidly approaching its conclusion, here’s a look at each team’s most valuable player for the 2007–08 season. For the teams whose spot in the postseason is secured, it’s the player most responsible for them getting there. For the teams on the bubble, it’s the player who will need to be the difference-maker in the final half-dozen games. And for the teams with no playoff hopes, it’s the player most critical to their long-term future.

1. De troi t Red Wi ngs (LW: 1): There is no question here. Though Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are both fabulous, it’s Norris Trophy favorite Nicklas Lidstrom who is the Wings’ indisputable backbone.

G REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
77 51–20–6 108 239 166 18.84% 85.63%

2. San Jose Sharks (2): Joe Thornton has carried the Sharks’ offense this season, figuring in nearly half the team’s 198 goals, and his team-leading 89 points is nearly twice that of second-place Milan Michalek (51 points).
76 45–21–10 100 198 173 15.56% 87.80%

3. Montreal Canadiens (5): Andrei Markov has done just fine without departed point partner Sheldon Souray; under his direction, the Habs’ power play is again the league’s finest.
77 43–24–10 96 242 207 23.36% 83.81%

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (4): Evgeni Malkin carried the Pens’ offense in Sidney Crosby’s absence, but without backup goalie Ty Conklin’s nine-game winning streak, their season would likely look quite different.
77 44–26–7 95 229 204 17.87% 82.34%

5. Anaheim Ducks (6): This is a tricky one, because their fortunes turned around with the midseason return of Scott Niedermayer. But the Ducks’ MVP is Jean- Sebastién Giguere, their Rock of Gibraltar between the pipes.
77 43–26–8 94 187 173 14.53% 85.24%

6. New Jersey Devils (3): Without Martin Brodeur, the Devils — an improbable 15 games over .500 despite only a plus-eight goal-differential — would be looking forward to the draft lottery, not the postseason.
76 42–27–7 91 186 178 13.58% 84.75%

7. Ottawa Senators (8): The Sens’ top line is the engine that drives the team, but because of his exceptional leadership skills, captain Daniel Alfredsson gets the nod over linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.
77 42–28–7 91 246 228 17.32% 85.47%

8. Dallas Stars (7): Mike Ribeiro has been an absolute revelation for the Stars this season, providing the missing scoring punch they’ll sorely need if they’re to advance past the playoffs’ first round this spring.
76 42–29–5 89 216 189 15.94% 89.78%

9. New York Rangers (10): Sean Avery would be the chic choice here, but the Rangers go as Henrik Lundqvist goes. He’s raised the level of the team since his arrival, and they’ll go only as far in the playoffs as he can carry them.
76 39–26–11 89 191 179 14.37% 84.95%

10. Calgary Flames (12): A throwback power forward in the mold of Gordie Howe or Cam Neely, captain Jarome Iginla has the Flames in first place in the Northwest, despite a pedestrian season from Miikka Kiprusoff.
77 40–27–10 90 212 210 14.24% 83.79%

11. Minnesota Wild (9): Speedster Marian Gaborik provides the offensive spark, but it’s two-way rearguard Brent Burns who’s emerged as the Wild’s most consistently complete player.
77 40–28–9 89 204 203 14.83% 85.81%

12. Philadelphia Flyers (16): It was a fait accompli that Mike Richards would one day take on a leadership role with the Flyers; his team-leading offensive contributions (71 points, plus-11) have been a welcome surprise.
77 39–28–10 88 231 216 20.71% 87.05%

13. Carolina Hurricanes (15): The injury-riddled ‘Canes are surging to the finish line, largely because Eric Staal has reemerged as a star after a disappointing 2006–07 season.
77 41–30–6 88 232 233 15.40% 79.45%

14. Vancouver Canucks (11): Not much has changed in Vancouver, where the Canucks’ popgun offense provides team MVP Roberto Luongo with virtually no margin for error.
76 38–28–10 86 194 181 15.82% 85.63%

15. Boston Bruins (13): Captain Zdeno Chara has been a stalwart on the Bruins’ blue line this year, stepping up his play considerably after an ugly first season in Boston.
76 38–28–10 86 193 205 15.67% 81.01%

16. Colorado Avalanche (14): Paul Stastny has supplanted captain Joe Sakic as the Avs’ offensive leader, just as Sakic took the mantle from Paul’s father, Peter, nearly two decades ago.
77 40–31–6 86 205 201 12.46% 82.27%

17. Nashville Predators (19): Power center Jason Arnott has scored at a near point per-game pace while posting a team-leading plus-17 rating.
77 38–31–8 84 217 215 12.83% 86.77%

18. Washington Capitals (18): Statistical star Alexander Ovechkin (61 goals, 107 points) has spearheaded the Caps’ late surge into playoff contention.
77 38–31–8 84 220 221 16.83% 81.21%

19. Edmonton Oilers (20): The Oilers have many promising young players, but none more so than dynamic playmaker Ales Hemsky.
77 39–33–5 83 209 235 13.80% 86.74%

20. Buffalo Sabres (17): Netminder Ryan Miller is unquestionably the Sabres’ franchise player; they must ink him to a long-term contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July 2009.
76 35–30–11 81 236 219 15.54% 86.12%

21. Chicago Blackhawks (24): Rookies Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have both filled Blackhawks fans with hope; Toews gets the nod here for his superior two-way play.
76 36–32–8 80 216 213 13.61% 86.16%

22. Florida Panthers (22): Twenty-two-year-old power forward Nathan Horton continues to show glimpses of All- Star potential — look for him to break out next season.
77 36–32–9 81 201 206 18.84% 82.61%

23. Phoenix Coyotes (23): Netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, claimed off waivers earlier in the season, has provided the safety net the young ‘Yotes desperately needed.
77 37–34–6 80 200 210 15.29% 84.06%

24. Toronto Maple Leafs (25): All things considered, netminder Vesa Toskala has handled his first season in this hockey press maelstrom with aplomb.
77 35–32–10 80 216 236 15.69% 79.33%

25. Columbus Blue Jackets (21): Recently named captain Rick Nash is finally starting to put it all together and has emerged as the face of the franchise.
76 33–32–11 77 179 194 13.64% 86.25%

26. New York Islanders (27): The hard-working Isles are built around Rick DiPietro, but without some serious upgrades on the blue line, things are unlikely to improve much in 2008–09.
77 34–36–7 75 181 226 10.83% 84.33%

27.St. Louis Blues (26): Nineteen-year-old rookie defenseman Erik Johnson’s career has gotten off to a strong start: He is inarguably the most important player in the Blues’ future.
76 30–34–12 72 183 217 10.29% 84.91%

28. Atlanta Thrashers (28): Ilya Kovalchuk is the team’s most dynamic player, but their success depends far more heavily upon injury-prone goalie Kari Lehtonen, soon to be a restricted free agent.
77 31–38–8 70 195 253 14.58% 82.66%

29. Tampa Bay Lightning (29): The cash-strapped Lightning would like to build around 27-year-old center Vincent Lecavalier, but will they be able to back up the Brinks truck before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2009?
76 30–38–8 68 212 245 17.04% 83.80%

30. Los Angeles Kings (30): The Kings have many talented players on the roster and in the system, but should they get the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, that player will likely become their most important.
76 30–40–6 66 210 244 16.62% 81.98%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use