NHL awards watch: Calder Trophy leaders as season winds down
One of the NHL’s most hotly debated awards is the Calder Trophy, given to the league’s most outstanding rookie.
In years past, the Calder Trophy has been anything but a slam dunk. Two seasons ago, there was a debate about whether or not Artemi Panarin should win over Connor McDavid, and in 2012 there was a major debate between Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Gabriel Landeskog.
This year had no shortage of talent, either. The league’s future is in great hands with these future stars.
Unfortunately for their fans, a few of the top names in the running have had their season cut short due to injury. These injuries made what should have been a tight and exciting race to the finish a little less dramatic.
The Late Bloomer: Yanni Gourde (Tampa Bay Lightning)
To call Yanni Gourde a late bloomer is not that fair to his season. He has been consistent throughout the entire year playing on a line with Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. Many people knew Gourde was having a good season, but he was not getting the Calder Trophy hype he deserved until recently. There are other rookies on this list who have carried their teams a little more than Gourde has in Tampa Bay. They are just one of the most talented offensive teams in the league, so it is hard to tell how effective Gourde really is.
Yanni Gourde has picked up 24 goals this season for a total of 53 points. Gourde has been an important piece for Tampa Bay, which ultimately made Vladislav Namestnikov available at the trade deadline. Yanni will need to do something special to take over the lead for the Calder Trophy. Something that isn’t mentioned enough when people talk about Gourde is his age. At 26, he is by far the oldest of the other players on this list. Gourde’s path to the NHL has been anything but conventional, but his perseverance is inspiring and could lead him to a Calder Trophy.
The Injured: Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
Brock Boeser was lighting up the Western Conference this season. He was able to pick up 29 goals and 25 assists in his rookie season. He was also named to the NHL All-Star game and won the accuracy competition and All-Star Game MVP. Unfortunately, most hockey fans didn’t see much of Boeser in the United States because he is on the Vancouver Canucks, a bad team in Western Canada. What is even more unfortunate is Boeser’s season was cut short due to an injury that could have been much worse. Boeser took an awkward hit into an open bench door that fractured vertebrae in his back.
The good news is Boeser is expected to make a full recovery for next season. As the Canucks continue to rebuild, Boeser will become the face of their franchise. In his first full season, he was able to take control of the lineup and boosted the play of his linemates Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi. Before the injury, Boeser seemed like a lock to be named a finalist for the award. He still may be named a finalist because of his accomplishments before the incident, but is a long shot to win this year.
The Defenseman: Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins)
Before the season started, those in the know in hockey knew Charlie McAvoy was going to be something special. After being drafted in the first round by the Boston Bruins in 2016, McAvoy went to college, where he starred on the Boston University Terriers. McAvoy made his Bruins debut last season, where he shined. This season, McAvoy played top pair minutes with veteran Zdeno Chara; the duo played great for the Bruins and propelled them to a playoff spot in the Atlantic division. McAvoy may be one of the most important rookies on Boston’s team this season. Unfortunately, a late-season injury may have derailed his Calder chances. McAvoy is sidelined with an MCL sprain that will cause him to miss roughly a month. The Bruins are hopeful he will be able to return for their playoff run.
In his first full season, McAvoy has tallied seven goals and 32 assists. The last defenseman to win the Calder Trophy was Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad starred on the Florida Panthers and recorded 39 points, matching McAvoy’s total this season. McAvoy likely will be named a finalist for the award despite the injury, but it will be tough to catch the current leader for the Calder trophy.
The Favorite: Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders)
The 2017-18 rookie of the year will be Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders. Barzal was the 16th overall pick of the 2015 draft out of Seattle in the WHL. As a junior hockey player, most people knew of his talent, but he still slid to 16th. Coming into the season, Islanders fans were most interested in Josh Ho-Sang. He is another one of their top offensive prospects. Ho-Sang struggled and Barzal stole the spotlight. He became not only a great story for the team but also for the league as well.
This offseason, general manager Garth Snow made a surprising trade that brought in talented winger Jordan Eberle from the Edmonton Oilers. No one expected the chemistry between Eberle, Barzal and Ladd to take off and for the trio do as well as they did. All three have performed at a higher level this season, and it is due to Barzal driving the offense. Barzal has picked up 69 points in 70 games this season. Performing at a point-per-game pace is impressive for any player, but even more so for a rookie. Besides the point totals, just watch Barzal — it is easy to see he is something special on the ice. He has great speed, vision and some of the best creativity in the league.
Next: Hart Trophy leaders as season winds down
Honorable Mentions
- Clayton Keller – Arizona Coyotes
- Kyle Connor – Winnipeg Jets
- Mikhail Sergachev – Tampa Bay Lightning
As the season winds down and the playoffs start, be sure to check out as many of these impressive rookies as you can. Over the last few seasons, there has been plenty of young, exciting talent brought into the NHL. Fans should be excited about the future of the league as it reaches new heights.