NHL Awards

By : Mike Rifkin

Tonight is the NHL Awards Ceremony. I’m going to give you the candidates who were announced for each award and give my candidates and pick who I would have win and who I think will win. 

NHL AWARD Nominees and Winners 

HART: Connor McDavid (Oilers), David Pastrnak (Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers) – McDavid. The best player on Earth had his best season ever. Leading the league with 64 goals and 153 points, 25 points ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl. 

Vezina: Linus Ullmark (Bruins), Ilya Sorokin (Islanders), Connor Hellebuyck (Jets) – Ullmark won the triple crown for goalies. Leading the league in Wins, save percentage, and Goals Against Average. 

Norris: Adam Fox (Rangers), Cale Makar (Avalanche), Erik Karlsson (Sharks ) – Karlsson, the Norris has turned into an offensive award for defensemen. Karlsson had 101 points this season, becoming the first defenseman since 1991-92 to reach that mark and only the sixth time in NHL history. 

Calder: Matty Beniers (Kraken), Owen Power (Sabres), Stuart Skinner (Oilers): Beniers led all rookies in scoring with 57 points and tied for the lead in goals with 24. 

Jack Adams: Jim Montgomery (Bruins), Dave Hakstol (Kraken), Lindy Ruff (Devils): Montgomery led the Bruins to the best regular season in NHL history, so I think he’ll take the Jack Adams. 

RIFKIN’S NHL AWARDS 

Hart: Connor McDavid (Oilers), Jack Hughes (Devils), Nathan Mackinnon (Avalanche) – Before I pick the winner, let me explain why I put Hughes and Mackinnon as the other two candidates instead of Pastrnak and Tkachuk. If the Avs won, they won the Central division, and Mackinnon had a hat trick and an assist in a 4-3 win. Mackinnon had a career-high 42 goals and 111 points. But the most impressive was in the final game of the season. Jack Hughes had 99 points in 78 games this season and was the best player on the Devils in a resurgent year. WINNER: McDavid. Yes, I changed the nominees, but the result remains that McDavid will win his third Hart Trophy. 

Vezina: Linus Ullmark (Bruins), Ilya Sorokin (Islanders), Jake Oettinger (Stars) – Oettinger’s numbers are very similar to Hellebuyck’s, but Oettinger has a better GAA and one more shutout. Oettinger was top ten in wins, GAA, Save percentage, and shutouts. Winner: Ullmark won the triple crown for goalies, so he should win the Vezina. 

Norris: Adam Fox (Rangers), Erik Karlsson (Sharks), Josh Morrisey (Jets): This is not a slight to Cale Makar at all, but Morrisey played in 18 more games on a Jets team where a lot of people question the rest of the Defensemen. Winner: Adam Fox. Fox is excellent in every facet of the game. Fox played in all 82 games and had 72 points. The value of Fox also increased when his defense partner Ryan Lindgren went down with an injury. 

Calder: Matty Beniers (Kraken), Wyatt Johnston (Stars), Stuart Skinner (Oilers): Johnston tied with Beniers for most goals for a rookie with 24 and was huge all season for the Stars. Winner: Beniers; he was a massive part of the Kraken’s success in their second season of existence. 

Jack Adams: Jim Montgomery ( Bruins), Dave Hakstol ( Kraken), Lindy Ruff ( Devils): They got the nominees right with the coach of the year. Winner: Hakstol. I know the Bruins had a historic regular season, and I take nothing away from the job Montogomery or Ruff did, but the Devils had the talent and needed to stay healthy. Nobody saw the Kraken having a 40-point turnaround in their second season. The Kraken was the best story of the NHL season, and Hakstol deserves much credit.