The Florida Panthers are atop of the NHL standing and WHATTTTTT?!?!
Really?! There probably wasn’t a single soul who saw this coming at the midpoint of the NHL season but here we are, and their success is largely thanks to their captain, Aleksander Barkov. The 25-year-old has been on a mission all season, leading the team with 34 points in 28 games with his latest three points with a goal and two assists in Florida’s 6-3 win over Chicago on Monday night. Barkov is making a case for the Hart Trophy and according to his goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, he is in fact the best player in the world right now.
Hockey fans, you may or may not agree with this one…
Whoa. Maybe he was just being a good teammate or perhaps he was just being honest, but this one is pretty bold, simply because there’s a player over in the Western division who’s been destroying the league since game one of the season. To give you a bit of perspective, Connor McDavid has 53 points in 31 games. His teammate, Leon Draisaitl, is just seven points behind with 46 of his own. Not to mention Auston Matthews is doing his thing over in Toronto.
So yeah, there’s some stiff competition for our guy Aleks.
If the Panthers can win the Presidents Trophy then there’s definitely a case for the Hart, but it will be hard for anyone to claim top spot in the world as long as #97 is doing his thing in Edmonton. Barkov sure is looking like the right choice with the second overall pick from the 2013 NHL draft.
Where do you think he ranks in the world?
(H/T FOX Sports Panthers)
