7 Main Awards. 7 Decisions to make. No one has the “right” opinion on these. There are always some people who disagree with what you say with awards, but again these are just my personal choices. I personally wish there were winners for each award in each division, just because they’re pretty well their own leagues this season. But right now, I’ll be choosing my 3 nominees and my overall winner for each of the 7 awards. So let’s head straight into it with the award that for what the person does off of the ice.
The Jack Adams Award
Nominee # 1: Rod Brind’Amour (CAR)
He’s a stand-out nominee for me. I've really liked what he has done in Carolina, as he has coached this team to a 36–12–8 record, which was good for 1st in the Central Division and 3rd in the NHL. This was while the Hurricanes were battling against the Lightning and Panthers the whole season. They had the 2nd overall PP and the 3rd overall PK. Pretty good, eh?
Nominee #2: Mike Sullivan (PIT)
Arguably the deserved winner of this award last year, Mike Sullivan is making another case this season. Malkin injured for almost half of the season? No problem. Running at AHL level defence at points? Easy fix. GM leaving 7 games into the season? Don’t worry about it. The completely new coaching staff? We’ll get used to it. He has shown his coaching prowess, and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves around the league. I mean they finished 1st in the toughest division in the NHL.
Nominee #3: Joel Quenneville
If this was a most redeemed coach award, it would be Quenneville's hands down. After 4 down seasons for Quenneville, it was now or ever to prove himself once again as a top head coach in the NHL. He did just that, as he has taken a Panthers team that lost Dadonov and Hoffman heading into the season, and practically didn’t replace them. He made the team better. Florida had 78 points in 69 games last season, and this season they had 79 points in 56 games and home ice on Tampa in round 1. Pretty solid.
My Winner: Mike Sullivan
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Nominee #1: Aleksander Barkov (FLA)
Barkov has led the Panthers to a very good 37–14–5 record. His defensive play has been better than ever. His overall play has been elite. I don’t want to hear anyone say that he is underrated anymore, because I think he has solidified himself as a top 5 or so Centre in the NHL. He’s the next Patrice Bergeron when it comes to the Selke, and I think this is his time to come into the playoffs and prove himself even more against Tampa. He’s just an absolute monster in his own end.
Nominee #2: Sidney Crosby (PIT)
You would think Sid would be in Selke conversations more often, right? Well, the highest he has ever finished was 3rd in 09–10. This year, I think he should at least match that. He has been fantastic defensively. He doesn’t get Penalty Killing time, so that may hurt his case, but I still think he has been that unbelievable 5-on-5 that he deserves a lot of consideration.
Nominee #3: Joe Pavelski (DAL)
Bet you didn’t see this coming, did you? I thought about Mark Stone, but I truly believe that Pavelski has been better in his own end this season. Every Stars game I’ve watched this season he is always backchecking. hard and doing a great job at stopping chances the other team creates. Pavelski has actually been the best defensive forward this season in some advanced stat models, and it isn’t very close.
My Winner: Sidney Crosby
Calder Memorial Trophy
Nominee #1: Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)
Kaprizov has come over from the KHL and delivered as expected. He has led the Minnesota Wild in scoring, and a playoff spot. His 51 points in 55 games led all rookies. A lot of people believe that Kaprizov doesn’t deserve to be considered a rookie because of his time in another pro league before the NHL, but I completely disagree. Minnesota, I think you finally got your guy.
Nominee #2: Jason Robertson (DAL)
I have to admit, I was sleeping on Jason Robertson to start the season. I thought it was just the early honeymoon phase for a rookie that we sometimes see, but I was wrong. Robertson is the real deal. His 45 points in 51 games are 2nd among rookies, and 2nd on his team. I’m really excited to see where his career goes because we don’t see as many players come out of nowhere from North America as he has.
Nominee #3: Josh Norris (OTT)
Despite being the 3rd highest scoring rookie this season, Norris’ claim to fame is his play in his own end. For a rookie, he has been very impressive defensively. His 35 points in 56 games are pretty solid as well. Especially when you consider that he is on a much worse team than Robertson and Kaprizov. conversation. Norris has shown that he deserves to be in this conversation as much as my other 2 nominees.
My Winner: Kirill Kaprizov
Ted Lindsay Award
Nominee #1: Auston Matthews (TOR)
His league-leading 41 goals shocked the league and were 8 more than any other player. Matthews led the Maple Leafs to 1st in the Scotia North Division. His 0.78 GPG is the highest the NHL has seen since Ovechkin in 08–09. Pretty impressive, eh? I understand that it’s a shortened season, but you can still call it great. He deserves a lot of credit, and hopefully, the Leafs accomplish something in the playoffs this season because of him.
Nominee #2: Nathan MacKinnon (COL)
I feel like somehow Nathan MacKinnon is having an underrated season. He finished the year 8th in points with 65. The Avs probably would’ve won the President's Trophy if not for their team's small COVID outbreak that included 3 important players. He has been just as good, I mean the Avs have played better as a whole and he has actually had a higher PPG than last season.
Nominee #3: Connor McDavid (EDM)
You didn’t think I forgot about McDavid, did you? He has been unreal. 105 points in 56 games? Really? That’s just silly. I know the Scotia North Division is much weaker defensively than other divisions, but you can’t tell me he’d do much worse against the entire league. This guy is a monster, and I don’t know why people are arguing that he isn’t.
Winner: Connor McDavid
Vezina Trophy
Nominee #1: Philipp Grubauer (COL)
There are so many good goalies this year. But there are 3 that stand out to me, and Grubauer is one of them. His 30–9–1 record was one of the best in the league, and his 0.922% Save% 1.95 GAA is right up there with the best of them. He was out for a while due to COVID, and what did he do in his first game back? He got a shutout. No big deal. He’s very, very good, and I think that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Nominee #2: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)
Would you believe me if I told you that Marc-Andre Fleury has never even been nominated for a Vezina? The highest he has finished is 4th. This season, that should change. His 0.928% Save% and 26–10–0 record might make this the best season of his career. He has been unreal. Fleury is 36 and is now the sole netminder at 3rd in wins in NHL history. Congrats Flower.
Nominee #3: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL)
Vasilevskiy has had plenty of seasons where his stats have looked good, but the elite defence from Tampa Bay was the main contributor. This season, his stats look even better, and it’s all him. This is honestly one of the best seasons we have seen from a goalie in a long time. An 0.925% Save% and a 2.21 GAA. speaks for itself. Vasilevskiys record is 31–10–1, and without him, they’re 5–7–2. I don’t think anyone can argue this one. I might be spoiling something later on, but I almost had in Hart Conversation.
Winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Nominee #1: Adam Fox (NYR)
I did not see this coming. I knew Adam Fox was going to be good since he was a prospect in Calgary, but I didn’t expect him to force his way through two teams just to go to the Rangers and become one of the best blueliners in the NHL in his 2nd season. He has been outstanding. He came 2nd among defensemen in points with 47. Not only that, Fox has been fantastic in his own end. 5-on-5? On the Powerplay? Shorthanded? You bet that he is one of the best on all 3.
Dougie Hamilton (CAR)
Hamilton has spent the last few years proving that he is one of the best defencemen in the NHL, and he has furthered that this season. His play has been outstanding to watch. If Hamilton’s 42 points in 55 games aren’t impressive enough, he is also really good in his own zone. I have to say, I wasn’t a believer of him in his years in Calgary, but these past 2 seasons as a Hurricane he has been one of the best defenders in the NHL.
Nominee #3: Charlie McAvoy (BOS)
For this being a big-time guy in Boston, you would think that he would be more heavily advertised. His 30 in 51 may not look too impressive compared to others, but if you watch him play you can see the impact he has on this team's offensive zone play. His defensive ability is also fantastic, as watching him so much this season has shown. He makes things look easy, and he deserves a lot more recognition from around the NHL.
My Winner: Adam Fox
Hart Memorial Trophy
Nominee #1: Connor McDavid (EDM)
“The Hart Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” — NHL.com
That is Connor McDavid. I’m only having 1 Nominee because there is no debate. Nobody else comes close. If I were to, it would probably be Matthews and Crosby, but I’m not even going to talk about them. I’ve already brought up his insane numbers, and I think you get the gist of it by now.
Winner: Connor McDavid
