It looks like David Pastrnak is putting the Boston Bruins’ rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs aside … for now.
The Bruins winger on Thursday gave his prediction for the 2019-20 Hart Trophy winner, and the particular player he picked may surprise you.
Pastrnak thinks Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who he calls an “unbelievable player,” will take home the award as the league’s MVP,
#Bruins Pastrnak picks #leafs Auston Matthews to win Hart Trophy in 2019-20.
"The biggest thing is for him to be healthy … Last season he was better in the playoffs than the yr before in the playoffs. That shows (he's) moving forward. He's an unbelievable player."
— Mike Zeisberger (@zeisberger) August 15, 2019
Matthews tallied 73 points (37 goals, 36 assists) in 68 games played last season, surpassing his 2017-18 total by 10 points. Realistically, the only way he’ll win the Hart Trophy next season is if he can stay healthy and play a full 82-game schedule. The award is given to the player who is judged to be most valuable to his team, so a player stymied by injury would be less likely to take home the trophy.
Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning won the award last season after putting up 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games played.
