Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin scored nine game winners this season. He will hit, scrum in corners, be dirty with the stick and his hands and snipe with the best of them. The most impressive is this was done with other major players out of the picture.
Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy all missed significant time. When considering an MVP, you need to look at if the team would have been where they were without the player.
Looking at the roster the Pens have had most of the season, there is no better choice. Malkin was the glue that held Pittsburgh together in the regular season.
He far and away deserves the nod for the Hart in the 2011-2012 season.