The 2018-2019 NHL regular season officially came to a close on the weekend and the opening round playoff matches have been set. With the post-season less than 4 days away, it’s only right we take a look at who may be walking the stage later in June at the NHL awards.
Here are my predictions for each player award.
Hart Trophy (MVP)– It’s only right that the NHL’s MVP would also come from the best team in the league. Nikita Kucherov led the Lightning to a record of 62-16-4 while tallying a career-high 128 points. The guy was absolutely brilliant, especially in the second half of the season.
Ted Lindsay Award (voted best player by NHLPA)– Unlike the Hart, the player to win the Ted Lindsay Award doesn’t always make the playoffs. And for that reason alone, Connor McDavid will win this award every single year he plays in the NHL. He dominates the ice every shift and makes the players around him so much better. Want evidence? Look no further than Leon Draisaitl scoring fifty this season.
Norris Trophy (best defensemen)– Mark Giordano had a season to remember for the Calgary Flames. The Toronto native exceeded his career high in points by 18 and was second among defenders in points. The Flames captain is a key reason his squad finished the regular season first in the Western Conference.
Vezina Trophy (best goalie)– If this award could be split between two goalies, I would do it. And not even two goalies on different teams. It would be Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss. The tandem led the New York Islanders to a 48-27-7 record in a highly competitive Metropolitan division. So flip a coin on this one, but I’ll give the edge to Lehner since has a better save percentage at .930%.
Calder Trophy (best rookie)– This award was essentially handed out in December. Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson was playing so well early in the campaign, he was receiving Hart considerations from many. Although he did seem to die down a bit near the end of the season, the rookie is still far ahead of any others.
Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)– This is one award that can sometimes come as a surprise on awards night. For that reason alone, I’ve decided to go a little off the board with my prediction. A player that has won 12 awards throughout his NHL career, but never the Selke. Sidney Crosby is quietly having the best 200-foot season off his career. A player that essentially plays top minutes against the other teams best players and still manages to put up huge point totals every year. Crosby won 55% of his faceoffs and finished the season with 54 takeaways.
Lady Byng Trophy(most gentlemanly player)– Usually an award given to a player that had a remarkable season, but didn’t merit consideration for any of the other awards. For that reason, Alexander Barkov is my winner. The Panthers forward played all 82 games of the season and finished with a career-high 96 points. Fun fact, he was also the only player in the top 50 scoring with single-digit penalty minutes. Classy guy.
Masterton Trophy (dedication to hockey)– Robin Lehner will win the Masterton Trophy this year. He has too. The Swedish goaltender told the inspiring story of his battle with addiction and bipolar disorder ahead of the season and ended up turning in the best season of his career. With six shutouts to go with 25 wins, the most of his career, Lehner is a frontrunner for the trophy.
Although some awards like the Hart and Calder are essentially locked up, look for awards like the Selke and Vezina to turn heads on awards night. As we all know, at least one award will come with some controversy.
