Does Diana Maxwell have a shot at MVP?

[scoop 3,255]

I just wrote a mid-season predictions article in which I named Joel Jarvi the MVP of the first half of the season. Jarvi isn't on a stacked team; quite the opposite, actually. While they do have a good goalie in Ilya Kopralkov, Jarvi doesn't have much to work with as far as skaters go. Yeah, AK47, Max von Hohenzollern, and Alexander Thrower are putting up pretty good stats (especially for the players that they are), but that's almost the entire Cologne roster right there. Jarvi leads in goals and points, and is second in assists and face-off percentage. You have to think that his offensive stats are benefited from the Cologne magic that we saw last season as well, but can we really take that away from him? The Express are actually ahead of the Titans in the standings right now, and have gone 4-0 against them this season. Maybe things will become more clear after the second half.

 

But if not Jarvi, then who? Would is be Diana Maxwell, even though she is playing on a line with two fantastic players in Unassisted and Tom Lincoln? Maxwell is tied with Jarvi at 34 goals and is second in points at 71 (though she does have more P/20 than Jarvi). Her 87 hits is not an inconsequential number, and she has a +57 rating, the second highest in the league. I think she has a good case for mid-season MVP, and will possibly have a good case by season's end. New York does have a pretty stacked group of forwards, and arguably none of them are irreplaceable. Maxwell has been named first star a league-leading 12 times, as well as second and third star five times each.

 

I just don't really think there's another standout candidate at the moment, but of course there's still plenty of time for players to shine. If you want to look at a defenseman, maybe Black Velvet or Jeff Hamilton. As far as goalies go, Apollo Skye is the best, but he is playing for a Quebec team that barely belong in the playoffs (though I suppose you could argue that they might be a trash-tier team without him).

 

for Maxwell

[Phil 5,017]

yes

[gregreg 930]

Jarvi won't win so you have a shot