In many cases the winner of the NHL's Hart Trophy, awarded annually to its Most Valuable Player, earns the distinction as much as for his intangibles as for his statistics. However when it comes to determining the MVP of fantasy hockey, intangibles---such as leadership, carrying a team when others are injured, playing through injury himself---hold no sway. It's not about winning a Stanley Cup in fantasy hockey, it's about the best statistics, pure and simple.
To that end, determining this year's Most Valuable Player in the world of fantasy hockey is no easy task. But in the end this informal distinction should be awarded to Anaheim's Corey Perry.
There are a string of players---Daniel Sedin, his brother Henrik, Martin St. Louis and teammate Steven Stamkos, among them---that could stake a legit claim to this distinction, but it is Perry that stands out in too many important statistical categories that can't be overlooked, or overcome by the others.
Start with Perry's league-leading 50 goals. Always beneficial to have the league's top goal scorer on your fantasy roster since every fantasy hockey league counts goals as a category. And his 98 points---third most in the NHL? All fantasy leagues count points so his total---just six behind Daniel Sedin's league-high mark---is crucial.
Perry was among the league-leaders with 14 power play goals and led the league with 11 game-winners, two categories not included in every fantasy hockey league, but still found in a majority of leagues.
And Perry's four shorthanded goals may have been tied for fifth most in the NHL, but what makes him stand out with that number of shorties is that no one else in the league's top ten of scoring had even one shorthanded goal this season. Clearly that adds to his value for league's that count shorties.
To me, though, where Perry earns my vote in the end is his 104 penalty minutes. You take all of his great offensive statistics and THEN add in more than 100 PIM and you find yourself with a tremendous commodity.
You know how it is on draft day when choosing your fantasy hockey team, you have a group of the top scorers you will consider for your first and second round picks and you just know going in that none of them---even the likes of Eric Staal or Jarome Iginla---are not going to significantly contribute with penalty minutes. You accept that. But with Perry you have the old-fashioned star power forward who combines tremendous point production with an edge that can get you the extra benefit 100 penalty minutes brings.
And for those of you who crave intangibles, here's one to consider from a fantasy hockey perspective. Perry was a tremendous value in most fantasy hockey drafts this past year---probably a second or third round pick, lower in some leagues---meaning that if you had Perry you likely had another superstar scorer or two on your fantasy roster, as well, which in turns means your team very likely finished high atop the standings in your respective league.
It's an inexact science, but it says here Corey Perry is the fantasy hockey MVP this season.
Send Jim your fantasy hockey questions and comments: jimcerny@gmail.com.