On Thursday evening (7 p.m. eastern, VERSUS), the NHL will hold its annual awards gala, as the game's top players gather in Las Vegas to look back and acknowledge the best of the best for the 2008-09 season. Coming off my recent clean sweep prediction of the Eastern Conference playoff series, I feel reasonably comfortable taking a crack at who I think will win the six major categories:
Hart Trophy (MVP)

Candidates: Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin

Three Russian-born and trained players vying for the league's MVP honor give this category an intriguing twist. Malkin was magnificent in leading the NHL in scoring. Ovechkin was dynamic in lighting the lamp 56 times -- the only 50-goal scorer in the league this year. The wonderfully gifted Datsyuk showed his commitment with and without the puck by placing fourth in the league in scoring while also having the best road plus/minus rating, finishing third overall.

Prediction: Ovechkin is the incumbent MVP and when it comes to defining a team and being most valuable to his club overall, he is essential for the Washington Capitals.

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