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NHL Awards 2016: Why Artemi Panarin is the Calder Trophy favorite

By Dave Stevenson

Nov 20, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Artemi Panarin is the Calder Trophy favorite as the NHL’s best rookie, but there have been some other impressive rookie performances. 

Every year, the Calder Memorial Trophy is given to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL.” That’s just a fancy way of saying “the league’s best rookie player.” While the Hart Trophy goes to the most valuable player to his own team, which leads to controversy since “valuable” is something that everyone defines differently, the Calder Trophy is much easier. This year, the Calder Trophy favorite has to be Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Panarin has been the most productive rookie this season. Whether you like goals (25), assists (39) or points (64), Panarin leads all rookie skaters in each entering March 31st. It’s worth noting that he has played a ton of minutes alongside the league’s most productive player (Patrick Kane), but Panarin has been Kane’s wing during his most productive season. That suggests that Panarin is likely a reason for Kane’s success as well.

Possibly the strongest argument against Artemi Panarin is how sheltered he has been. However, does Artemi Panarin deserve to be hurt because his head coach Joel Quenneville is smart enough to know that his team’s top offensive players should be deployed primarily in the offensive zone? While that thinking likely hurts the argument that he is the most valuable rookie, the Calder isn’t about value. It’s about who’s the best, and that’s Artemi Panarin.

Panarin has been asked to play a significant role for the Blackhawks as their second line left wing. He has flourished in that role. It’s rare to see Joel Qunneville trust a rookie so quickly, but Panarin has earned that trust with consistent production and impressive chemistry with Kane.

Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres has a strong argument considering that he has 50 points with far worse teammates than Panarin. Hurting his case is that despite his addition, the Sabres haven’t seen that much of an improvement. As the Sabres improve, he’ll play with better linemates, and there might be some Hart Trophies in his future if the Sabres surround him with the right talent.

Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings had a very strong case to be the Calder Trophy winner at the All-Star break. However, he has been in a second half slump (along with the rest of the Red Wings). That significantly hurts his case. Larkin is arguably more skilled than Panarin, but at the end of the day, Panarin has been more productive than Larkin and has a more significant role on his team.

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers has taken the league by storm. If the Calder Trophy went to the most valuable rookie, a very strong argument could be had for Gostisbehere because the Flyers’ success this season started when he was called up. His magical run has consisted of a historic point streak, and many of his goals have either given the Flyers the lead or tied the game. Gostisbehere helped turn the Flyers blue line from boring to extremely exciting and productive.

He’s done all of this despite having an ACL surgery in 2014. If it wasn’t for Artemi Panarin’s impressive rookie season, Gostisbehere would likely be the winner of the Calder Trophy. He’s a strong candidate and if Artemi Panarin doesn’t win it, Gostisbehere is the guy who will.

While defenseman Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues won’t win the Calder Trophy, he deserves to be mentioned because his rookie season has been overshadowed by Gostisbehere. He leads all rookies in plus-minus and has 31 points in 74 games. 30-point seasons from rookie defensemen who don’t get much playing time (19:23 per game) don’t happen too often, so Blues fans should be very excited about Parayko moving forward.

One could argue the primary reason Parayko has been sheltered is because the Blues have arguably the deepest blue line in the NHL, and it’s hard to argue against him getting less playing time than Jay Bouwemeester, Alex Pietrangelo, and Kevin Shattenkirk. Should the Blues move on from Shattenkirk this offseason, Parayko could be a breakout candidate in 2016.

Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers entered the season as everyone’s Calder Trophy pick, and he justified that until his November injury that kept him out for several months. He’s an extremely intriguing case because he leads all rookies in points per game. In a weaker rookie class, one could argue that he deserves to be win the Calder Trophy. However, Artemi Panarin, Eichel, Larkin, and Gostisbehere have been productive for a larger sample size than McDavid. Had he not been injured, McDavid likely would be the Calder Trophy favorite even while playing on an awful Edmonton Oilers team.

Artemi Panarin might be the clear favorite for the Calder Trophy, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been other impressive rookie performances this season. The future of the NHL looks bright.

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