Shayne Gostisbehere, Connor McDavid, and Artemi Panarin have been announced as the 2016 Calder Trophy finalists.
The 2015-2016 NHL season saw its fair share of impressive rookie performances. At the beginning of the season, the Calder Trophy, which goes to the rookie of the year, favorites were Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres. While McDavid certainly lived up to his hype when he was healthy, two unknown rookies at the time emerged as two of the most productive players in the NHL. Those two unknown rookies? Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers and Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks. McDavid, Gostisbehere, and Panarin have been rewarded for their efforts by being named as the Calder finalists.
Panarin is likely the Calder Trophy favorite after dominating with Patrick Kane this season for the Blackhawks. Panarin led all rookies with 77 points in 80 games for the Blackhawks. While playing with Kane (who won the Art Ross) certainly helped inflate his numbers, it’s worth noting that Kane’s most productive season came with Panarin flanking him. He led all rookies in goals (30) and assists (47).
Gostisbehere has a very intriguing case for the Calder. If the award went to the most valuable rookie, one could easily argue that the award should go to Gostisbehere because he played such a significant role in the Flyers making the playoffs. Gostisbehere overcame a devastating ACL injury before the 2014-15 season to set the NHL record for the longest point streak by a rookie defenseman. He finished fifth among all rookies (including first among blue liners) in points with 46 despite playing in just 64 games. His 17 goals and 29 assists both led the league among rookie defensemen.
McDavid has a very strong case for the Calder Trophy. While injuries cut his season short at just 45 games, he averaged over a point per game with 48 points. Had McDavid not suffered a devastating collarbone injury in November, it’s quite likely that he would have wound up leading all rookies in points. His Calder case largely revolves around how large of a sample size you prefer from rookies.
With such a strong rookie class, three skaters got left out. Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues, and Eichel all deserve recognition. They weren’t as impressive as the finalists, but each of them have a bright future ahead of them. This was one of the strongest rookie classes in recent memory.
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