Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Stamkos: Tampa Bay’s New MVP
One year ago, Steven Stamkos' former coach, Barry Melrose, lashed out at the entire Tampa Bay organization and, in particular, said that Stamkos was not ready for the NHL due to its size and physicality. However, in the second half of his rookie year, Stamkos put up roughly a point per game and turned into a key cog for the rebuilding Tampa Bay Lightning. He starred at the World Championships and has been the best player in the entire state of Florida so far this season.
Not ready for the NHL? There's a reason why Melrose hasn't been offered another coaching gig after his disastrous stint in Tampa Bay. Not only is Stamkos ready for the NHL, he's been one of the league's best players this season and is making it difficult for Team Canada's Olympic decision makers to ignore him. Oh, and against the Anaheim Ducks, he put in what many are already calling the goal of the year — a sliding-on-his-butt mid-air knock in of the puck past Jonas Hiller.
He's more than ready. In fact, could Stamkos be an early candidate for the Hart Trophy in just his second year? Let's look at his numbers. While he isn't matching the early-season output of surprising Anze Kopitar, Stamkos is still clicking at better than a point per game. He's playing all situations, averaging just about as much special teams time per game Vincent Lecavalier. In fact, through 20 games, Stamkos averaged a few seconds more of total ice time per game than Lecavalier.
Is it fair to include shootout stats? Probably not, since the individual trick-shots take away from the team element of the game. Still, you can pencil in Stamkos, along with Lecavalier, as one of only two guys to put the puck in the net in the over-overtime session.
Stamkos is producing in all situations, as well, with a half-dozen power play goals along with the Lightning's lone shorthanded tally at the quarter pole of the season. While he's not eating up the same shorthanded ice time as, say, Jeff Halpern or Ryan Malone, those guys also occupy a different defensive role on the team. The fact that he's able to contribute well to the shorthanded squad in his sophomore campaign still indicates quite a bit about the development of his game and his on-ice maturity.
The 20-year-old star is even doing well at face-offs, winning 50.6% of them while taking a significant portion of draws. Face-offs are typically the last thing to come around for a star player; look at the face-off percentages over the careers of guys like Sidney Crosby, Mike Modano, or Joe Thornton and you'll see that it took a few years for them to get up there. At 20 games into the season, that's enough of a sample size to say that Stamkos is pretty reliable (though not one of the best) at face-offs, and that's absolutely key to having an all-around game.
If this pace keeps up, there's no doubt that Stamkos will be Tampa's team MVP at the end of the season. Is that enough to warrant Hart Trophy consideration? That may all depend on how the Lightning fair this season. Tampa's quietly put together a pretty strong run, playing at a few games over .500 and well into the thick of the playoff race. Lecavalier's been struggling off and on all season while St. Louis has shuffled around the lines, partially to try and kick-start Lecavalier. Why does coach Rick Tocchet feel he can do that? Simple — because Stamkos is playing at a level where he can create offense through his speed, passing, or shot all by himself, and while it helps to have a go-go-go linemate like St. Louis, Stamkos can carry the load himself.
In other words, Stamkos has been the steady force that has consistently powered the Lightning through thick and thin. Should he keep this up, he'll probably wind up somewhere in the league's top 10 in scoring while playing in all situations and leading a team revival into the playoffs.
Isn't that what you usually want in a Hart Trophy candidate? The answer is generally yes, though the Professional Hockey Writers Association usually take a season or two to catch on to a rising star, especially in a smaller media market. Because of that, there's no doubt that Stamkos will eventually be in the running for a Hart Trophy — but it'll most likely be next season. For now, a return to the playoffs will more than suffice for Tampa fans.