Prompt 2

When it comes to outstanding forwards that may be going under the radar, it’s hard to ignore what Jarrod Lakemore did in Buffalo. While he was outside the top 10 league scorers, his 91 points led Buffalo by a large margin, and he was top 10 in goals leaguewide as well. Buffalo was middle of the pack offensively, so the aging Lakemore carried a huge load leading the Stampede back to the playoffs. He should be in the mix, for sure.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention someone who should be a consensus finalist for the McBride, sophomore Evil Kyle Murray. He’s a huge—if not the biggest reason—that Baltimore reached the playoffs this season. The Platoon got absolutely cratered when backup Grant Berd was between the pipes, but their young starter was a force in net. He was top 10 in starts (53), wins (29, 7th), GAA (3.31, tied for 10th), shots against (4th), while making the second most saves in the entire league and finishing 3rd among primary starter goalies in save percentage (0.911, trailing on SFP’s Time and ATL’s Stun Gun). All of that alongside a new-look BAP offense that was weaker than previous iterations. Even if he’s likely a distant second for McBride, I think Murray has the strongest claim to being the most valuable player to his team among goaltenders.

As for how I think those players match up to Logan Webb, I think it’s disqualifying to call a player who was on a line with two other 90+ point scorers and a goalie having a truly banner season the most valuable player on their own team, much less in the entire league. People who argue in Webb’s favor are frankly unserious and I don’t value their opinion; I may even be willing to extend that to anyone pushing for anyone on SFP for this award. MVP and Most Outstanding Player are different things, and Webb just isn’t that.