All-Star weekend is over, with the Metropolitan Division earning the bragging rights from the exhibition event. With that behind us, the second half of the season is ready to begin in short order. Before we get too far into that, I want to put down my favorites for the major end-of-season awards. I don't have a vote in the matter -- these are all my opinions with no bearing on the actual results. I'll also have some predictions for the purely statistical awards.
Hart Trophy: This year's MVP race is set to be a fun one, but I think Alex Ovechkin stands above the rest. Obviously the Oilers' duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will generate plenty of buzz -- they're young, they're talented, and they're both top-5 in league scoring at the break. In the case of an MVP discussion, especially in a field as deep as this one, that's not the best thing. They are both hugely valuable to the Oilers, but not so clearly one more than the other. Likewise, I understand the Jonathan Huberdeau hype of late, but I consider what the Panthers have done this season to be so fully a team effort. Huberdeau is easily the best member of that team based on performance, but the drop-off to an Aleksander Barkov or Aaron Ekblad level isn't very much. Ovechkin, save for his absence in the COVID-19 protocols right before the All-Star break, has been the Capitals' one constant this season. He's on pace to top 50 goals and 100 points -- he hasn't hit the former mark since 2018-19 and you have to go back to 2009-10 to see him with three digits in the point column. He leads the league in shots, which has him shooting a very reasonable 13.6 percent. If the Caps ever have their preferred top-six in the lineup at the same time, they can collectively thank Ovechkin for turning in an MVP-caliber campaign to keep the boat afloat.
Calder Trophy: By now, I think we're pretty certain the Rookie of the Year is going to be one of Lucas Raymond, Trevor Zegras or Moritz Seider. I like Raymond's steady play -- he's yet to go more than two games without a point -- but his recent fade has made zeroes on his stat line a little too common. Zegras has the flashiness and star power, as evidenced by his apperance at the All-Star Skills Competition. His breakaway challenge move defied logic, and he's pulled off plenty of puck magic in games too. For me, I still think Seider's been the top rookie. He came in with no guarantee of a roster spot this season, and has immediately turned into the Red Wings' top defenseman. He's playing all situations, with 12 of his 29 points through 47 games coming on the power play. He's added a couple of shorthanded assists, and he plays physical. I've long liked Filip Hronek as a depth defenseman in fantasy, but Seider has come in and done everything Hronek does, but better. At such a difficult position to be good at, I'm team Seider for the Calder.
Vezina Trophy: Count me in for the Igor Shesterkin campaign. He had his first taste of a starter's workload last season and he performed decently, but he's turned into a true goaltending stud this season. He's 22-5-2 with a 2.10 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Those surface numbers are fantastic, no doubt about it, and he's likely stolen a few wins for the Rangers when their offense wasn't sharp enough. He's a large part of the reason why the Ranger's 2.57 goals-against-per-game ranks third best in the league behind the Flames and Hurricanes (where Jacob Markstrom and Frederik Andersen also have strong cases for the Vezina). Shesterkin has gotten in done in all situations -- his .923 save percentage against opposing power plays is fourth among goalies with at least 10 appearances, and he's yet to give up a shorthanded goal this season. You can debate if the Rangers are ready to be real contenders yet, but Shesterkin has done a ton of work to get them in that conversation, and he'll likely take them to new heights in the next few years.
Norris Trophy: There's no lack of depth on defense in the NHL this season. Not to count out reigning Norris winner Adam Fox, but I'm torn between Victor Hedman and Cale Makar for the award this season. Hedman's case is one of quiet excellence. He holds a share of the league lead among blueliners with 47 points. The Swede is very much an established presence at 31 years old, and there's lots to love about his game. If he ends up with a point-per-game pace by year's end, the award might as well be his. Makar, however, has been just as good on offense with 44 points in 40 appearances. He'll set a new career-best mark probably within the month of February. I'll give the edge to Makar for his scoring contributions in a juggernaut of an offense while helping to cover some of the gaps as Darcy Kuemper's Avalanche tenure has gotten off to an occasionally rocky start.
Lady Byng: The NHL's award for gentlemanly play is often one given more on reputation than anything else. While there's no guarantee his offense will end at a high enough level for consideration, it was an excellent first half of the season for Evan Rodrigues. The 28-year-old has picked up just 10 PIM in 88 games throughout his time in Pittsburgh, and he's yet to skate to the sin bin this season. Combined with a career-best 32 points through 46 contests, there's a strong case to be made for the gentlemanly part of the award. Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Connor represent other notable good guys with a stronger scoring profile.
Selke Trophy: For the league's best defensive forward, it's often come down to the best center in that regard. Admittedly, as more of a fantasy-oriented person, defense is not my focus. On the shortlist of Selke candidates, I'd include perennial favorite Patrice Bergeron, along with Phillip Danault and Elias Lindholm. I'd give the edge to Bergeron for now -- this isn't necessarily a career achievement nod, but he's at a solid 34 points while shooting 7.6 percent. The Bruins have 64.7 percent of the 5-on-5 shots when he's on the ice, which ranks him top among players who have made at least 20 appearances. Bergeron's actually had fairly soft usage with 61.3 percent of offensive zone starts when compared to my other two finalists. The biggest area of success is Bergeron's faceoff work. He's won 63 percent of his draws while taking a league-leading 973 turns at the dot this season, at age 36. He's simply incredible.
Now, for some performance-based awards. I'm going with Leon Draisaitl for the Rocket Richard this season. The fact that Draisaitl was rather cold in January bodes well for a second-half resurgence in a more balanced Oilers lineup. He's also got 40 games to work with. With 32 in 42 already, a 60-goal campaign isn't out of range. I also like Draisaitl for the Art Ross for the same reason -- he's got more games to work with. His 63 points put him second in the league with five games in hand over Huberdeau. I think this year's race for these two trophies will be thoroughly exciting and it should go down to the wire.
I think the Ted Lindsay Award -- the players' choice for most outstanding player -- will likely go to Connor McDavid again. There's a lot of impressive cases to be made in such a talent-filled league, but the absolutely dazzling plays McDavid makes is what the players typically notice. Maybe a strong second half from Ovechkin generates buzz, but McDavid's got a massive highlight reel to contend with.
For the Jack Adams, I like Andrew Brunette. After the Blackhawks' investigation fallout and Joel Quenneville's resignation from the Panthers, things could have fallen off the rails in Florida. Instead, Brunette has arguably taken the team to another level. They've got three good scoring lines, the defense is steady and the goaltending is performing better than expected given Sergei Bobrovsky's struggles in recent years. Jared Bednar's navigation of injuries and Darryl Sutter's molding of the Flames into defensive stalwarts can't go unmentioned, but Brunette's a head above the field at the midway point.
I'll close the awards talk with a few fantasy specific standouts. My pickup of the year is Jordan Kyrou -- 17 goals and 25 assists in 40 games, plus positional flexibility? That's gold. The Blues' offense is deep, so his role doesn't matter as much as it might if he had to be a true top-line forward. There's no physicality, but I'm rostering him for the point-per-game pace exclusively.
My unofficial comeback player of the year is Matt Duchene. The 31-year-old looked done after posting just 13 points in 34 contests last season, but now he's back with 21 goals and 20 assists in 42 outings. The Predators' evolution from under-performers to competitors in a crazy Central Division was not something I expected to see this season. This honor arguably could have gone to Ryan Johansen or Mikael Granlund just as easily. Duchene's been the best of the bunch, however, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.
This season's top wrecking ball, the league-leader in hits, is Radko Gudas. The Panthers' defenseman has already chipped in 199 hits in 45 games, though he's far from a one-trick pony. He's also got 66 blocked shots and a plus-23 rating. With 11 assists, he's chipping in the occasional offense, but it's the steady physicality and solid defense that make him serviceable.
The ice pack crown, awarded to the shot-blocking leader, is a little less clear. Connor Murphy leads with 116 blocks this season, but Brayden McNabb, Mario Ferraro, Jacob Trouba and Calvin de Haan are the other five that have eclipsed the century mark. Of them, Trouba has established himself as the only player in the league to top 20 points, 100 shots, 100 hits and 100 blocks. He's also chipped in 65 PIM. I love Trouba's category coverage, though I hope he's invested in the best shinguards on the market.
Finally, my fantasy rookie of the year: Tanner Jeannot. This guy's a throwback player if there ever was one. He's picked up a respectable 27 points in 46 games this season, providing good supporting offense from the Predators' third line. He's at 151 hits, good for sixth in the league. His 80 PIM puts him fourth in the league, and that includes eight majors. He chucks knuckles and throws the body around like a madman -- think Tom Wilson without the predatory checking history. The Predators have made an impressive turnaround, and Jeannot's made them a pain to play against.
I'll be back to the usual player recommendations in next week's Hutch's Hockey as we enter the rescheduled portion of the season. For the next two months, it's time to turn our attention to the push for the fantasy playoffs, and I'll work on finding the best players to provide an edge in that goal. Ideally, there won't be any more interruptions in NHL action through the end of the regular season, though it's still not a sprint to the finish. Good luck this week, and I'll have more next Monday.
