2018 Calder Trophy race: 5 best rookies in the NHL
By Dave Lambert
1. Mathew Barzal
No. 1 with a bullet is Mathew Barzal.
The 20-year-old New York Islander is the odds-on Calder favorite right now. After a slow start to the season, Barzal has been in blistering form recently.
Pundits are running out of superlatives with which to describe the youngster, and for good reason. He has been a dynamic offensive force, proving himself to be one of the NHL’s best skaters with a hockey IQ and puck skills to match.
A star in the making, Barzal is has 49 points already. That puts him on pace for the best rookie season in more than a decade, since Evgeni Malkin’s debut year.
Earlier this season Barzal made history by recording his second five-point game of the season in a demolition of the New York Rangers. In doing so, he became one of just seven hockey players in the history of the NHL to put up multiple five-point outings in his rookie year.
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He is also in the realms of Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid when it comes to offensive zone puck possession.
The race isn’t over, but right now Barzal is in pole position for the Calder Trophy. Unless the competition steps up or Barzal slows down, it might not be that close.