NHL Awards at the Half: Trophy candidates at the midway point of the 2016-17 season
It’s the halfway point of the 2016-17 NHL regular season, so here’s a look at the leading candidates for the major awards.
HART TROPHY
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Coming off a Stanley Cup championship in June and a World Cup of Hockey title in September, the Penguins’ superstar captain missed the first six games of the NHL season due to a concussion — but then returned to action with a vengeance. He leads the NHL with 26 goals in 33 games, and his 1.33 points-per-game average is the best in league, ahead of leading scorer Connor McDavid’s 1.14 mark. McDavid might one day knock Crosby off his “best player in the NHL” perch, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Honourable mentions: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers; Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild; Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets; Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens.
VEZINA TROPHY
Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild: Carey Price had a blazing start with the Habs and Sergei Bobrovsky backed the Blue Jackets to a 16-game winning streak, but Dubnyk has been lights-out for the Wild all season, with a ridiculously good stat line to support his claim for the Vezina. Dubnyk leads all NHL starting goalies with a 1.80 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, and he’s tied with Boston’s Tuukka Rask and Washington’s Braden Holtby for most shutouts with five.
Honourable mentions: Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets; Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins; Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals.
NORRIS TROPHY
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks: The Bearded One is scoring too many goals and putting up too many points to be ignored. With 15 goals through 40 games, he has a shot to be the NHL’s first 30-goal defenceman since Mike Green put up 31 for Washington in 2008-09. And when his booming shot isn’t beating goaltenders, it’s creating rebounds and scoring opportunities for his Sharks teammates. With 39 points, Burns is producing at nearly a point-per-game clip. Lest we forget, he’s also a mobile defender with a physical presence in the defensive zone…but yes, it’s his offensive prowess that gives him the edge for the Norris.
Honourable mentions: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators; Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning; Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens; Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks.
CALDER TROPHY
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs: This was a close one, with Matthews and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine battling back and forth through the first three months of the season. They’re tied in goals with 21 apiece — Laine has played 42 games to Matthews’ 39, though the Jets rookie is out indefinitely with a concussion after being rocked by Buffalo’s Jake McCabe on the weekend. Laine has a slight edge in points, 37-35, but Matthews has emerged as more of a game-to-game driving force, as partially evidenced by his 140-111 advantage in shots. Hopefully Laine comes back quickly — and healthy — and the rookie rivalry can be renewed in the second half of the 2016-17 NHL campaign.
Honourable mentions: Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets; Micth Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs; Zach Werenki, Columbus Blue Jackets; Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers.
SELKE TROPHY
Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks veteran won the Selke in 2011 after being a runner-up in 2010, and he’s back on top of his all-around game. Kesler goes head-to-head with the league’s best players on a nightly basis, and more often than not he comes out on top. On top of his defensive diligence, he’s leading the Ducks in goals (16) and points and ranks second in plus/minus (plus-10).
Honourable mentions: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers; Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild; Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings.
LADY BYNG TROPHY
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames: They might have to change his trademarked nickname to ‘Gentlemanly Johnny Hockey.’ The Flames dazzler has yet to be whistled for a penalty this season, while producing 10 goals and 27 points in 32 games. He’s not the only player, however, to avoid the penalty box while putting up points — Vancouver winger Sven Baertschi (23 points in 39 games), Washington defenceman John Carlson (22 points in 39 games) and Edmonton defenceman Oscar Klefbom (14 points in 42 games) have also managed to do so.
Honourable mentions: Sven Baertschi, Vancouver Canucks; Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues; John Carlson, Washington Capitals; Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs; Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton Oilers.
JACK ADAMS AWARD
John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets: Just like we, uh, all predicted, Tortorella guided the blue-collar Blue Jackets to a 16-game winning streak and the NHL’s best record in the first half of the season. It’s been a stunning turnaround for the team as well as Tortorella, both of which entered the season amid low expectations. The challenge, of course, is to keep it going in the second half — and to make some noise in the playoffs.
Honourable mentions: Bruce Boudreau, Minnesota Wild; Mike Babcock, Toronto Maple Leafs; Guy Boucher, Ottawa Senators; Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers.