With less than a week to go in the regular season, nominees for the NHL Awards will soon be announced.
The perennial contenders for the Norris, Vezina and Selke are pretty cut and dry, but the choice for the Calder Trophy could be the most competitive in recent memory.
Even though there are three finalists for each award, here are my five nominees that are deserving of recognition:
Calder Trophy – Rookie Of The Year
Connor McDavid, Shayne Gostisbehere, Artemi Panarin, Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin
Usually it is a stretch to go five deep on a list for a particular award, but 2015-16 has been a bumper crop for rookies. Max Domi, Colton Parayko and Sam Reinhart are having years that would be comparable to previous nominees, but they are likely not to end up in the top three.
The nearly three month absence of McDavid due to a broken clavicle was thought to be an obstacle against those who have played a full season, but the 2015 top pick is showing why he was the most sought after generational talent since Sidney Crosby. McDavid leading all rookies and tied for third in the NHL (with Crosby) in average points-per-game.
Panarin leads all rookies with 28 goals and 72 points (20 points more than Eichel), but faces some additional scrutiny for being on the line with NHL scoring leader Patrick Kane and for being 24 years old.
Gostisbehere is the main reason why the Flyers are in a position to make the playoffs. He has 16 goals since being called up in November and could be this year’s version of Mark Stone, who benefited from the Senators late playoff run to get a Calder nomination.
Eichel and Larkin have been impressive in their rookie campaigns, scoring 23 goals and playing major minutes in important roles for the Sabres and Red Wings. It is not impossible that their season-long performance and Edmonton finishing 29th or 30th (in spite of McDavid’s exploits) does not sway some to vote for Eichel or Larkin instead.
Bill Masterton Trophy – Awarded to the player who best exemplifies perseverance
Jaromir Jagr, Vincent Lecavalier, Mats Zuccarello, Pascal Dupuis, Max Domi
The Masterton Trophy is always given to someone who has overcome an injury or affliction to continue with their NHL career or awarded to a player with a long and storied contribution to the game.
Jagr and Lecavalier are well respected veterans in the twilight of their careers, although Jaromir is hoping to break Gordie Howe’s record and continue on into his 50’s. The 44-year-old has not only maintained a high-level of play, but has been a great influence on young players like Jakob Voracek and Claude Giroux in Philadelphia and Alexsander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau in Florida.
LeCavalier looked to be at the end of his career with the Flyers, barely cracking the lineup before a January trade to the LA Kings gave the Stanley Cup winner a second chance. The 35-year-old has been an effective depth player and specialist for the Kings and could help them win their third Stanley Cup in five years.
Zuccarello’s career was thought to be in peril after suffering a fractured skull during the 2015 Playoffs. The 28-year-old Norwegian has fully recovered and leads the Rangers in scoring with 58 points.
Dupuis has struggled through a series of injuries in recent years and after playing 18 games with Pittsburgh, the 36-year-old was forced to retire in December due to continuing problems with a blood clotting condition.
Domi’s great debut season in Arizona (18 goals, 33 assists) is made even more impressive that he is a Type 1 diabetic and been able to manage his condition to play in the NHL.
Hart Trophy – Player most valuable to his team
Patrick Kane, Braden Holtby, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Jamie Benn
The Hart Trophy seems to be an easy award to predict, as Patrick Kane is only the fourth player this decade to eclipse the 100-point plateau. The 27-year-old winger overcame off-season accusations of sexual assault and produced career highs in goals and points.
What may guarantee Kane the award is that the two strongest competitors are from the same team and could split the pro-Washington vote. Holtby (the likely Vezina winner) may eclipse Martin Brodeur’s record for most wins (48) in a season, while Ovechkin is five goals away from scoring 50 goals or more for the seventh time in his career.
Crosby is a perennial Hart candidate, but it is surprising that he is in the mix after a terrible start before Mike Sullivan took over behind the bench. On the day of Mike Johnston’s firing, the Cole Harbor, NS native was 115th in NHL scoring. Entering the final week of the season, Crosby is behind only Kane and Jamie Benn with 82 points.
Benn was the Art Ross Trophy winner last season and the Stars team captain is leading Dallas to the post-season with a career-high 41 goals and 88 points so far.
General Manager of the Year
Brian MacLellan, Stan Bowman, Dale Tallon, Ray Shero, Jim Rutherford
MacLellan is an obvious choice for General Manager of the Year, with the Washington Capitals winning the President’s Trophy with 116 points. The Caps traded with St. Louis for winger TJ Oshie and added Stanley Cup winner Justin Williams to provide experience and scoring depth.
Bowman has once again done a remarkable job remaking the Blackhawks after their third Stanley Cup victory. Chicago moved Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, lost Johnny Oduya and Brad Richards to free agency and restocked the shelves with Artem Anisimov, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise and Calder nominee Artemi Panarin.
Tallon should be acknowledged for drafting well and developing youngsters Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau, while providing a support structure with veterans Jaromir Jagr, Roberto Luongo and Jussi Jokinen. He also won the deal bringing Reilly Smith to Florida for Jimmy Hayes and for adding vets Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell at the trade deadline.
Shero did a remarkable job in his first season with the Devils, patching together a lineup that remained in the playoff race until March. New Jersey acquired leading scorer Kyle Palmieri from Anaheim for a 2nd and 3rd round picks and recouped a 2nd and 4th for training camp invite Lee Stempniak. They also swapped underachieving first rounder Stefan Matteau for Devante Smith-Pelly.
Rutherford took a big risk with the “win now” blockbuster deal for Phil Kessel last summer (who is finally starting to produce late in the season) and made mid-season trades for Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz and winger Carl Hagelin that added much-needed speed to the Penguins lineup.
Rink Rumblings: The 2016 NHL Awards Outlook -Part 1
Written by Michael Augello, who can be found on twitter @MikeInBuffalo