The postseason awards in the NHL are given for performance in the regular season. There is a separate award given for the playoff MVP, the Conn Smythe, to ensure that the second (and arguably more important) season’s best player is acknowledged.

Since we’re only a quarter into the season we can obviously only look at the players who have excelled so far into the 22-25 games that have been played. There have been some outstanding performances so far, with some familiar names that have to be considered as favorites to take home the individual hardware.

It would be unfair to omit the season that Steven Stamkos was having before he suffered a broken leg two weeks ago. Through the first 17 games for Tampa Bay, Stamkos tallied 14 goals and 9 assists while his Lightning had the top overall record in the Eastern Conference. Before the injury, Stamkos had to be considered as a favorite for both the Art Ross (scoring) and the Hart Trophies.

At this point in the season, most of the pretenders have fallen off the pace. The Thomas Hertl’s or Mikhail Grabovski’s have come back to earth as second to third line players after other-worldly starts. Here are the top five Hart Trophy candidates so far.

Josh Harding, G, Minnesota Wild

Not unlike the Cy Young Award in baseball, goaltenders are often overlooked as the most valuable player because of the Vezina Award given specifically to goaltenders. What Josh Harding has done in Minnesota cannot be overlooked. With starter Nicklas Backstrom going down to injury Minnesota knew that Harding could step in as a capable stopper until their starter returned. However, the Wild backup has owned the position since he had to step in posting a 13-3-2 record with a 1.48 goals against average and a .939 save percentage.  Those numbers make Harding a favorite for the Vezina, but warrant Hart consideration as well.

Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguin’s captain will always be in the Hart discussion because he is arguably the most talented player in the NHL. While Crosby has helped the Pens to a first place record in the mediocre Metropolitan Division, the star center hasn’t quite put his foot on the gas yet.

Usually at this point in the season we see a larger statistical gap between Crosby and everyone else. He’s having a solid season by everyone else’s standards, but we’ll need to see more from number 87 before we can consider him a favorite for the award.

Henrik Zetterberg, C/LW, Detroit Red Wings

One positive from the Detroit Red Wings’ up and down season so far has been the play of their captain. With 10 goals and 18 assists, Henrik Zetterberg has figured in almost 45% of Detroit’s goal production this season. With a team struggling for some consistency during their first year in the Eastern Conference, the steady Swede has been a driving force every night. It might not be realistic to expect Zetterberg to continue at his 1.12 points per game pace, but if the rest of the team continues to underperform, Detroit might need him to do just that.

Alexander Steen, LW/C, St. Louis Blues

One of the great surprises of the year has been the golden stick of Alex Steen. The Blues’ style of play isn’t necessarily conducive for individual accolades, but Steen has had the magic touch with 19 goals in his first 23 games. Only five goals shy of his career high, Steen might have a sample cup thrust in front of him if he played in any other major sport. The eight-year veteran has never had a season quite like this, and his fast start has helped his club to an equally impressive first quarter. All indications point to both Steen and St. Louis continuing that trend.

Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

Last year’s Hart Trophy winner hit the ice in mid-season form this year, and would be the favorite to take home the prize at this point in the season. By the letter of the award, the Hart is given to the player who is most valuable to their team.

There is no better example of this than Ovechkin and the Capitals. No player has played a larger role in his team’s success than the Caps’ Russian winger. Ovechkin has scored 28% of Washington’s goals this year (20 of 72) accounting for more direct offense than any other player in the league.