from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

So, gang, who's your Hart Trophy pick as NHL MVP at the Christmas break?

A year ago, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price became the front-runner around this time and never looked back, and I wonder if that won't be the case again this season with Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. The NHL's leading scorer is making offense look easy at a time when scoring is back down to pre-2005 lockout levels. He's certainly my pick at this point. But I bring you a couple of other candidates:

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson and St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. The latter is self-explanatory, with the Blues' scoring ace continuing to blossom as a superstar and helping to carry the Blues.

But what about Karlsson? Since the days of the great Bobby Orr, only Chris Pronger has won the Hart Trophy as a defenseman. Why are blueliners always overlooked? I mean, where would Ottawa be without their leading scorer, Karlsson, who also is among the overall scoring leaders regardless of position.

The funny thing is, I could see myself wanting to vote Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty for the Norris Trophy at this point, with Karlsson on my Hart ballot behind Kane. Odd, I know, but I think Doughty, as a complete defenseman, is having a Norris-worthy year so far.

Also funny is how the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals don't really figure into this conversation. The Stars' Jamie Benn has been all-world, but so has linemate Tyler Seguin. How do you pick one over the other? Ditto in Washington, where Braden Holtby would seem to be the MVP, but where a balanced team effort makes it hard to pick out a single guy for Hart consideration.

Thoughts?

more of the hockey insiders at ESPN with their views...