Typically, this comes up on the quarter-mark or midway by means of the season. However hey, it’s Christmas, so let’s hand out some Christmastime NHL awards simply to get into the spirit of the factor! Who’s main within the numerous classes that the league likes handy out some bizarre trying silverware for at a really awkward ceremony in June whereas everybody waits to get drunk (in the event that they’re not already)?
Hart Trophy (MVP): Nikita Kucherov
Honorable Point out: Artemi Panarin, Sidney Crosby
Yeah, yeah, any fool trying on the main scorers within the league might have give you this one. However the Lightning don’t actually belong within the playoff race. All their staff metrics are middling at finest, and with out Kucherov doing what he’s doing, main the scoring race by six factors over Nathan MacKinnon, the Bolts may be nearer to the Senators than they’d ever care to be. Kucherov inhabits a colossal space today within the quantity of probabilities he’s getting and in addition creating, the place solely the opposite two dwell.
Panarin has taken a leap this yr, with the Darkish Helmet idea of taking part in. “KEEP FIRING, A**HOLES!” Panarin is firing the puck each on internet and in any respect way over he ever has in his profession, and he’s poised to blow by his career-high of 32 targets. The Rangers have given up on the concept of utilizing him and linemates Vincent Trocheck and Alex Lafreniere wherever close to the defensive zone, and so they’re getting oil-baron-on-the-disco-dust form of manufacturing from it.
Crosby is holding the Penguins factor collectively, and although he doesn’t have the scoring totals of the opposite two, his likelihood creation is true there with them. If the Pens ever uncover the place the online is once more, he’ll be racing up the scoring chief charts.
Vezina Trophy (Greatest Goalie): Jeremy Swayman
Honorable Point out: Adin Hill, Thatcher Demko
Swayman must swim in opposition to the present of everybody screaming that he solely takes half the begins, splitting evenly with Linus Ullmark. However most high goalies don’t get greater than 55 begins anyway, and he’s been the very best. That is the way in which the sport goes now. Swayman is tied for the very best save-percentage within the league and is second in anticipated targets saved even together with his restricted workload. Which tempers the argument only a contact that he performs behind a defensive juggernaut in Boston when he has to bail them out this a lot in simply half the period of time.
Demko has lastly come good and his numbers line up with Swayman’s evenly whereas taking up extra begins. The Knights appear to have found a goalie accidentally in Hill, however he backstopped a Cup winner final spring and is now placing up numbers that will get him into the velvet-rope surrounded membership of elite goalies. There actually isn’t a improper selection among the many three.
Norris Trophy (Greatest Defenseman): Cale Makar
Honorable Point out: Quinn Hughes, Drew Doughty
Sure, I solely exist to ship Canucks followers into orbit and there’s a straightforward argument for Hughes, who leads all d-men in factors on the time of writing. However he’s additionally performed six extra video games than Makar due to the latter’s damage points.
As for Doughty, his position has modified a bit in LA and he’s beginning far more shifts in his personal finish than earlier in his profession. However he’s nonetheless pushing the play and getting the Kings into the offensive zone as a lot as he at all times has, even when he doesn’t have the factors to show it. He’s most likely the most important purpose the Kings are pretty much as good as they’re.
Selke Trophy (Greatest Defensive Ahead): Nicolas Roy
Honorable Point out: Sean Couturier, Dakota Joshua
Look, nobody is aware of what they’re voting for in terms of this award. Just about for its complete existence voters discovered a No. 1 heart who gained a variety of face-offs and scored loads and referred to as him a defensive ahead. Patrice Bergeron gained it yearly and he was a superb defensive heart, however nobody bothered to note in the previous couple of years of his profession that he was nearly completely deployed within the offensive zone, which helped increase his defensive numbers.
In order at all times, we’re going to discover a ahead that performs protection loads. And that’s Vegas’s Nicolas Roy, who solely begins a 3rd of his shifts within the offensive zone, and but has the fifth-lowest xGA/60 amongst forwards in the entire league, and he flips the play constantly. This type of mining work permits the Knights’ high two traces to solely fear about scoring, which they do. Roy is without doubt one of the most original weapons within the league.
Couturier fills the position of No. 1 heart who can play each ends of the ice, and Joshua is among the similar story as Roy, a middle truly deployed as a defensive stopper and doing it.
Calder Trophy (Rookie of the 12 months): Connor Bedard
Honorable Point out: Adam Fantilli, Marco Rossi
Observe Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @Felsgate.bsky.social
