Buffalo Sabres Player In The Running for NHL MVP?

The Sabres haven't made the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons, but this player has them pushing to end that drought.

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The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League's most valuable player every season. It's been around for 99 years and has been won the most by "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky a staggering 9 times. A player wins it by being voted upon by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

For the Buffalo Sabres, who have had legendary players over their history, only 1 person has ever won the Hart Trophy. That is the greatest goaltender of all time, Dominik Hasek. He won the award twice as a member of the Sabres, in back-to-back seasons from 1996 to 1998.

The 90s were very memorable for Buffalo, as that is the last time they appeared in a Stanley Cup. They had a very good run in the early 2000s as well but never made it to the finals. Since then, however, it's been rough. The team has missed the playoffs for 11 straight seasons, which is an NHL record sadly.

The good news is the team is finally showing signs of life. They are very competitive this year, are one of the top goal-scoring teams in the NHL, and are a few points out of a playoff spot. After an 8 game losing streak early in the season, they have rallied hard. It's a much different feel than the past several years when the team was out of it by this time of the year.

Leading the way are Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens, and last but far from least Tage Thompson.

Thompson has exploded this season already scoring 30 goals, ranking only behind superstar Connor McDavid, who has 33 goals, for the league lead. He is also third in total points. He has been a force on the ice for the Sabres and that has gotten him a lot of attention, including for the Hart Trophy.

Thompson ranks 8th on this list but keeps climbing. He certainly has his supporters to be higher as well.

Do you think Thompson is worthy of being the league MVP?