The NHL regular season is in the books, and it was a historic one as far as individual performances go, featuring the fourth and fifth 100-assist marks ever and a quest for 70 goals that came up just short.
But those weren’t the only highlights. Every team from the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers to the tankathon-winning San Jose Sharks had performances worth remembering. So this week, before turning the page to the playoffs for some teams and the offseason for others, The Athletic asked its NHL staff for the player who provided the very best on a nightly basis on each team: our 2023-24 MVPs.
Here’s who our writers picked.
Frank Vatrano: One of the reasons Vatrano came to Anaheim as a free agent in 2022 was the opportunity to prove that he was more than a third-line winger. After a strong second half to the 2022-23 season, he was given consistent top-six minutes this season, and the 30-year-old made the most of them. He had two hat tricks within Anaheim’s first eight games and 14 goals by the end of November. He earned his first All-Star Game berth and reached 30 goals for the first time. Vatrano finishes as the Ducks’ goal-scoring leader (37) and also had personal bests in assists (23) and points (60). — Eric Stephens
GO DEEPER
Stephens: The Ducks’ time as trade-deadline sellers needs to end now
Clayton Keller: At times, there might have been a temptation to nominate defenseman Sean Durzi, who played the most minutes of any Coyote and led their rearguards in points, or goalie Connor Ingram, who wrested the No. 1 job away from Karel Vejmelka and tied for the league lead with six shutouts. But the reality is, the pick has to be Keller again. He is tops in goals (33), assists (42), points (75), power-play points (29) and shots on goal (225). Year after year, he faces the toughest defenders in the league and continues to average roughly a point a game. Arizona only makes the next step when Keller can get some consistent scoring help, to take some of the pressure and focus off him. — Eric Duhatschek
David Pastrnak: Pastrnak had to carry an offense that said goodbye to Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. Pastrnak scored 110 points, including a career-high 63 assists, to lead the Bruins. The right wing evolved to become more of a playmaker because he handled the puck more than ever. He did this while playing against top shutdown defensemen every game. — Fluto Shinzawa
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: From Jan. 1 on, Luukkonen was one of the best goalies in the NHL. He finished the season with a .910 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average with a career-high 54 games played. According to Evolving-Hockey, Luukkonen was sixth in the NHL in goals saved above expected through Wednesday. During a season in which many of the Sabres’ top players regressed, his emergence as a legitimate No. 1 goalie was one of the main reasons Buffalo’s season didn’t go entirely off the rails. — Matthew Fairburn
Nazem Kadri: This would’ve gone to Jacob Markstrom had his final month not been so abysmal. Kadri went the opposite way. A poor start turned into the second-most-productive season of his career. As the Flames incorporated young players onto their roster, slotting Kadri with youngsters Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil ended up being beneficial for all three. Kadri is usually found on the team’s top line and has been its most consistent player this season, making him worthy of team MVP. — Julian McKenzie
Sebastian Aho: Aho’s new $78 million contract doesn’t kick in until next season, but he’s already living up to having the most lucrative contract in Hurricanes history. The 26-year-old center set a new career high with 89 points and plays a prominent role on Carolina’s first-ranked penalty kill and second-ranked power play. If the Hurricanes are going to win their second Stanley Cup championship, Aho will be the player steering the ship. — Cory Lavalette
Petr Mrázek: The…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .