Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has been the most valuable player in the NHL this season -- by a mile. Even if you give every benefit of the doubt to a skater, the difference between Price and the best skater in pure output for their teams is massive.
What is even more interesting: There is evidence that shows Price's 2014-15 regular season may be one of the greatest in the history of the league.
To place Price's current campaign in the proper historical context, we will use save percentage to determine overall goalie skill -- Price's sits at .937 as of Thursday. One may counter that save percentage does not account for shot quality. However, at least in the modern era, multiple studies have shown that team shot quality is not a significant, repeatable team skill.
We'll also refer to goals versus threshold -- abbreviated GVT, which is hockey's version of wins above replacement -- to gauge output across both positions and eras. For the most part, GVT uses save percentage to determine goalie output, but there is a small adjustment for team shot quality.
Price's season is currently north of 40 GVT, or about eight wins above replacement. He is the clear leader in the NHL, with the top skaters hovering around four wins above replacement.
Here's how all of that stacks up to the best individual season by any goalie in league history: