Jack Eichel is having an incredible year for the Vegas Golden Knights. He's on pace to score 87 assists and 111 points in 2024-25. Both stats would shatter franchise records, putting Eichel squarely as the face of the franchise. Currently? He has nine goals and 33 assists (2nd-most in the NHL). Surely, those stats would warrant his name being discussed as a Hart Trophy candidate, right?
Sdly, there hasn't been much discourse on the MVP front for Eichel. There are your usual suspects such as Connor McDavid (14 goals, 41 points), Nathan MacKinnon (13 goals, 50 points), and Leon Draisaitl (22 goals, 45 points). Then there are newer faces such as Kirill Kaprizov (22 goals, 47 points), who've taken the NHL by storm.
But this isn't the Jack Eichel on the Buffalo Sabres we're talking about. We're talking about Eichel making his teammates better on the Golden Knights. Ivan Barbashev (15 goals, 30 points) was trending toward career highs before sustaining an upper-body injury on Sunday. Mark Stone (18 assists) is also trending in that direction, with a projected 48 assists on the season (which would be the highest in his career).
Sadly, seeing your linemates trend toward career highs with you isn't good enough. It's like that scene in King of Comedy where Jerry Langford offers Rupert Pupkin his word that he wouldn't press charges for kidnapping him. Despite being genuine, Pupkin and his accomplice went through the kidnapping ordeal, tying Langford up while Pupkin got his seven minutes of comedic fame.
But there's more to the Jack Eichel-for-Hart story than offensive stats
When it comes to voting for the Hart Trophy winner, the player with the best stats will always be at the forefront of the conversation. It doesn't matter if it's Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. If that player can produce at a high clip on a Stanley Cup playoff team, they'll win the NHL's MVP-equivalent award.
This season has names like Kaprizov, McDavid, and MacKinnon at the forefront. Even Sam Reinhart (19 goals, 39 points) has gotten heavy consideration. But Jack Eichel should be in front of Reinhart based on total points and power play value (Reinhart has 12 points while Eichel has 13). But it goes beyond offensive stats, as Jesse Granger of The Athletic points out.
Jack Eichel for Hart?
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) December 16, 2024
He’s 7th in the NHL with 42 points and 2nd in assists (33).
What separates Eichel is how he’s being relied upon defensively. Look at his D-zone start & penalty kill ice time numbers compared to other Hart candidates.
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The stats that jump out for the 28-year-old is defensive zone start%, where Eichel puts in plenty of work. He's atop the leaderboard (comparing Eichel to Kaprizov, MacKinnon, McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Martin Necas based on current odds) at 16.7%, nearly doubling up Kaprizov (9.1%). The four-time All-Star also has a 48.5% share of penalty kill ice time, tops in that same group.
The point made by Granger is defensive play shouldn't be discounted, whether it's on even strength or the penalty kill. Yes, they're not the sexiest numbers out there, for they'll leave the average person flaccid. But Eichel spends plenty of time killing penalties for the Golden Knights and disrupting the play. Bruce Cassidy has relied on his superstar more often in tight situations, where he's improved his skating and defensive style, You can't say the same for McDavid, MacKinnon, or Kucherov.
Jack Eichel isn't just beating the competition as a 200-ft. player, though
Seeing Jack Eichel take on a bigger role defensively stems beyond killing penalties. It also comes from his ability to create turnovers. Let's use those same players in a look at takeaways during the 2024-25 season from MoneyPuck (minimum of 50 minutes in ice time).
Player | Takeaways |
|---|---|
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights | 15 |
Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes | 13 |
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers | 13 |
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche | 10 |
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning | 8 |
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild | 7 |
The 28-year-old has done better at creating turnovers and taking the puck away than his Hart Trophy candidate peers. He's also not doing too shabby in the shot-blocking department, either.
Player | Shots blocked |
|---|---|
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche | 25 |
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights | 22 |
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild | 14 |
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning | 11 |
Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes | 10 |
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers | 3 |
The former second-overall draft pick has shown comfort and stability in Bruce Cassidy's defensive system. Blocking 22 shots proves this, for he can carry a larger workload while putting his body on the line. The same can't be said for offensive-minded superstars like McDavid or Necas.
When evaluating a player as the "most valuable," being an offensive juggernaut isn't enough. Defensive capabilities must also be factored in, specifically when it helps the team. For Eichel, he makes his living doing a little bit of everything, acting as the engine for the Golden Knights. That's all a team can ask for, especially when competing for another Stanley Cup.