Hey, nothing wrong with a homer pick when you can give a good reason for it. The Penguins would have struggled to even make the playoffs without Fleury.
If the Hart actually went to the player who was most valuable to getting their team to the playoffs, which is the entire goal of the regular season, then you’d see a lot more goalies and defensemen winning it. Frankly, Brodeur should have won it a few times during his prime, and I actually think Pronger was the most valuable player in the league last year.
I guess the reason you don’t see goalies, defensemen, and defensive forwards winning it is because voters reason that that’s what the Vezina, Norris, and Selke are for.
Then again, there’s a reason that since 1999 the Hart Trophy is also known as “Guy Who Won the Rocket Richard Trophy Trophy”. They had to create the Richard Trophy because the Hart Trophy was previously known as the “Guy Whose Name is Wayne Gretzky Trophy” and the only guy in the league named Wayne Gretzky retired.