NHL Predictions: 3 candidates to win the Art Ross Trophy
As we inch closer to the start of the NHL season, theScore staff projects the contenders for the NHL Awards.
Let's be honest: there's really no reason to suggest that anyone but Sidney Crosby will take home the Art Ross Trophy next June.
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But for the sake of argument, here are three candidates (including the obvious) to finish the 2014-15 regular season as the NHL's leading scorer:
Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins
The reigning and two-time NHL scoring leader, Crosby was the only player to top the 100-point mark last season. With 36 goals and 68 assists, the Penguins superstar finished a clear 17 points ahead of second-place Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks.
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If that's not enough to convince you, consider the fact that Crosby led the league in points per game for each of the past four seasons, falling short of the scoring lead due to various injuries that plagued him during that time. At the rate that he was producing in that time, however, no other player comes close to the kind of numbers he can put up.
| Season | Games played | Goals | Assists | Points per Game | Points per 82 games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 41 | 32 | 34 | 1.61 | 132 |
| 2011-12 | 22 | 8 | 29 | 1.68 | 137.8 |
| 2013 | 36 | 15 | 41 | 1.55 | 127.1 |
| 2013-14 | 80 | 36 | 68 | 1.3 | 106.6 |
Health permitting, he's basically a lock to repeat.
Steven Stamkos, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
Only two players have ranked in the top five in terms of points per game over the past three seasons: Crosby (of course) and Steven Stamkos.
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Stamkos, limited to 37 games last season due to a broken leg, recorded 25 goals and 40 points, putting him pace for 55 goals (more than Richard Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin) and 88 points.
The Lightning superstar benefited greatly from the presence of Martin St. Louis in the past, finishing three points back of his former teammate and the 2013 Art Ross winner. This, after finishing second in total points in 2011-12 with 97 points, 12 back of Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.
With an average of 46.6 goals per every 82 games, there's every reason to believe Stamkos will challenge for the league-lead in goal scoring; if he's able to set up his young teammates and rack up a few more assists, he's as good a candidate as any to supplant Sid on top of the scoring leader board.
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John Tavares, F, New York Islanders
The Islanders captain was on his way to a career year prior to a season-ending injury suffered in Sochi. With 24 goals and 42 assists in 59 games, Tavares produced at an average of 1.12 points per game, putting him on pace for 92 points in a full 82 games, good for second in league scoring.
While some of that success can be attributed to success achieved with Tomas Vanek during his brief stint on Long Island, Tavares' primary playing partner - Kyle Okposo - remains at this his side.
The duo should benefit from the depth added by positive possession players like Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin over the offseason, forcing teams to spread out their defensive assignments a bit more evenly.
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A Hart Trophy finalist in 2013, the NHL's quietest superstar could make a whole bunch of noise prior to the team's move to Brooklyn.