NHL Four-Check: Four Predictions for the Remainder of the Season

With the All-Star break behind us, the home stretch of the 2011-12 regular season is underway. The race for the playoffs will bring out the best in many teams and will lead to major gambles for teams that believe they can form a Cup-contending squad with just a few acquisitions. This week, the Four-Check looks into the future, from the trade deadline to the Stanley Cup presentation, predicting the major happenings of the remainder of the season. Whether considering Nashville’s tough trade decision or the player most likely to hoist the Hart Trophy at this season’s award ceremony, the Four-Check turns the unpredictable into…well, let’s call them educated guesses. Sidney Crosby Wins Evgeni Malkin His First Hart Trophy Fifty games into the regular season, there is no obvious choice for league MVP. No player is running away from the pack in the points category, no single goaltender is dominating the league right now, and few players whose point production is turning heads are ...