Ferrablog

Marty St. Louis has been considered the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy this year, given to the NHL's Most Valuable Player. But just how much of a frontrunner was open to question. However, Damon Cristodero writes in today's St. Pete Times that St. Louis is a virtual lock:

The Times spoke to 24 of the 105 voters, in person or by e-mail. Twenty-three said they chose St. Louis. Only one bucked the trend and picked him fourth behind Florida's Roberto Luongo, New Jersey's Patrik Elias and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk.

I wonder, however, how many Canadian writers Cristodero spoke to. There has been a profound skepticism in the Canadian media about the Lightning and their success this season, with the meme being the Lightning have benefited from extra games against the weak Southeast Division. This is easily debunked, however, as the Lightning have a better record against the Atlantic and Northeast divisions than the Southeast. For example, they were beaten twice by the non-playoff Panthers, while sweeping the Devils and Flyers. In any event, Marty is still looking good for MVP. The real suspense will be whether he wins the Selke, given to the best defensive forward. His league-leading eight shorthanded goals are a testament to his defensive prowess, as well as his league-leading plus-minus numbers. Working against is the perception that because of his size, he's really not a "shut down" type of player.