In the midst of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL unveiled the finalists for the 2023-24 NHL Awards. The races for this year’s awards are neck and neck, with several big time performers hoping to bring home some hardware. Here are the top contenders for the Calder Trophy, Jack Adams Award, Vezina Trophy, Norris Trophy and Hart Trophy.
With all due respect to the other nominees, Bedard is the clear cut choice to win the Calder Trophy. He took no time adjusting to the NHL level and making a big impact for the Chicago Blackhawks. His 22 goals, 39 assists and 61 points were all the best amongst his rookie class and the entire Blackhawks team. These numbers are even more impressive given the fact that Bedard missed 14 games this season. It was a spectacular rookie season from a player who figures to be one of the faces of the league in the not-too-distant future.
Heading into this season, many had projected the Vancouver Canucks to have another lackluster performance. Instead, they became the league’s biggest surprise in their first full season under Tocchet. Not only did they make the postseason for the first time since 2020, but they did so in domineering fashion. Their 50-23-9 record made them the top team in the Pacific Division and the 6th best team in the entire league. Tocchet managed to get the most out of his roster and turn them into a bona fide contender. With the dramatic improvement in the team’s play between seasons, Tocchet should be the favorite to win the Jack Adams.
There are three very deserving goaltenders nominated for this award, but Hellebuyck is chief among them. He ranked second in the NHL in GAA (2.39) and shutouts (5) and first in save percentage (.921) and total goals against. While co-finalist Sergei Bobrovsky ranked slightly ahead of Hellebuyck in GAA and shutouts, there’s one category that significantly sets them apart. Hellebuyck had 33.1 goals saved above expected, the best in the NHL by a wide margin. That statistic alludes to a higher level of difficulty in saves made by Hellebuyck compared to any other goaltender. His performance was elite and crucial to a winning season for the Winnipeg Jets, making Hellebuyck a great choice to win his first career Vezina.
This is one of the most difficult award races to choose from. There’s validity to awarding any of Roman Josi, Quinn Hughes or Makar for their efforts this season. When it comes to trying to pick a winner, Makar seems to have the best case. While he didn’t lead any of the main offensive categories amongst defensemen, he was the only one of the three candidates to finish in the top two in every category. Despite not leading in any of those categories, Makar did lead in points per game by a defenseman as well as power play points. With Makar maintaining his role as one of the most consistent two-way defensemen, he has a good chance to win his second Norris Trophy.
Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Kucherov all had dominating offensive seasons. In yet another ultra competitive award race, history may prove to make a big difference to the voters. Kucherov and Connor McDavid are the first players to have at least 100 assists in a season since 1991. Where Kucherov gets the edge over McDavid is in the goal scoring department. His 44 goals put him in the books with both Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players to get 100 assists and 40+ goals in a season. Leading the league in total points and cementing himself with some of the greats is surely enough to award Kucherov his second Hart Trophy.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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