The question posed in the headline is one that the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association may find themselves grappling with toward the end of the 2016-17 NHL season.
Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 36 points, seven more than the second-place man, Nikita Kucherov. The Oilers, meanwhile, hold just a four-point edge on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. A scenario where McDavid is the league's runaway scoring leader while the Oilers miss the playoffs is well within the realm of possibility.
There's no doubting McDavid's status as the front-runner for the award.
In terms of total points, nobody else in the NHL can even touch him. In terms of points per game, it's a two-man race between McDavid and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, with the key distinction being that Crosby's shooting percentage is nearly double his career average. That won't last, and when it falls off, the Penguins captain will have to pick up his points in other ways.
There's also no doubt that McDavid is uniquely valuable to the Oilers.
In Pittsburgh, Crosby has a ri ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jonathan Willis
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