from Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press,

Nashville Predators netminder Pekka Rinne has been all-world, especially of late, in leading his squad to the top of the NHL standings.

Ditto for Carey Price and his monumental impact for the Montreal Canadiens.

Chicago's Patrick Kane is often mentioned as is Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim and Alex Ovechkin of Washington. Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Rick Nash, Tyler Seguin, Jake Voracek, Shea Weber... all worthy of consideration.

So while we're playing this little game, let's make the case for another possible candidate as part of the discussion:

Dustin Byfuglien of the Winnipeg Jets.

Look, the criteria for the Hart Trophy is very clear. It is awarded annually to the "player judged most valuable to his team."

To that end, what unfolded Wednesday at the MTS Iceplex in the aftermath of the news Mathieu Perreault would likely be lost for the rest of the regular season underscores again how important the big man is to the Jets and their push to a playoff spot.

Byfuglien was back at forward during practice and may be patrolling the wing when the Jets line up against the Capitals tonight in D.C. As always, he'll play the point on the power play and be back there in four-on-four situations.

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