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Paul Bissonnette critiques Sidney Crosby's chances of being a contender for NHL MVP
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been instrumental in their recent surge. Crosby's performance has directly improved the Pens' playoff hopes this season.
This is his 19th point-per-game season, and if you look at history, only Wayne Gretzky has matched this feat. Truthfully, Crosby's contributions to Pittsburgh's wildcard spot pursuit are undeniable. He has so far scored 40 goals and 46 assists for a total of 86 points and counting.
As the NHL season nears its end, discussions about potential MVP candidates have taken center stage. One such conversation on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast involved host Paul Bissonnette criticizing Sidney Crosby's chances of being a contender for NHL MVP honors. He said:
"What a push by the Penguins, and going back to your MVP conversation with if you were to squeak him - and all Tampa fans are going to kill me. The reason I say that is, I want to say he's only like plus-five and he has done so much damage on the power play compared to the rest of the guys that, to me, would be maybe a reason to pull him off."
Bissonnette argued that players like Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon, who have showcased exceptional performances, should also be considered for MVP recognition.
Bissonnette said,
"I suppose you could say, McDavid, but he has to be on the ballot, right? He's going to be the fourth player all-time to hit a hundred assists in a season. And people might say Kucherov has been doing it all year and McDavid, we're slowly coming out of the gate to a point where they had to fire their fu*ing coach."
Connor McDavid has contributed seven power-play goals and 37 power-play assists in the man advantage for the Edmonton Oilers.
Kucherov, in particular, has been leading the NHL standings with 43 goals, 93 assists and 136 points. The same goes for his power play stats, with 13 goals and 38 assists.
Paul Bissonnette hails Nathan MacKinnon as MVP and a tough competition for Sidney Crosby
Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon boasts 10 power-play goals and 36 power-play assists, showcasing his impact on Colorado's special teams.
Bissonnette said,
"But I don't think that you can keep McDavid off the ballot, and you ain't taking MacKinnon off the ballot, because I think MacKinnon's the f**king MVP. "
Bissonnette believes Sidney Crosby's competition will be Kucherov,
"So if you want to slide Crosby on, you have to take Kucherov off."
He emphasized that the impressive power play stats of Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid reflect their value to their respective teams. However, he noted that if there was a "powerplay merchant" label to be given, it would undoubtedly belong to Nikita Kucherov.
Despite Sidney Crosby's impressive stats and impact on the Penguins, Bissonnette's analysis suggests that the MVP conversation is highly competitive.
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