NHL Award Predictions: Crosby, Ovechkin among players poised for repeat successes.
On Wednesday, the puck will drop once again to start the National Hockey League season. With that, discussions will begin about who will earn the NHL’s most prestigious awards come June when the ceremony takes place.
Here are my picks for the top players to look for this coming season and potential award winners:
Hart Trophy (League MVP): Sidney Crosby. This is a pretty safe pick, as Pittsburgh’s superstar has won the award twice in his nine-year career, including last season. The 27-year-old center amassed a league-best 104 points last year with 36 goals and 68 assists. His closest competitor looks to be Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who is back and healthy after a broken leg shortened his 2013-14 campaign.
Maurice Richard Trophy (Most goals): Alexander Ovechkin. Here’s another safe pick, but how can you not be confident in Ovechkin to put up ridiculous scoring totals? The Washington Capitals right wing won this award in back-to-back seasons and four times in his nine-year career. A big part of his success has been linemate Nicklas Backstrom, who was third in the NHL last year with 61 assists. Ovechkin’s biggest competition is also Stamkos, whose wicked one-timers helped him to a league-best 60 goals in the 2011-12 season.
Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie): Jaroslav Halak. One of many offseason signings for the New York Islanders, Halak hopes to bring them back to the playoffs for the second time in eight seasons. The team recently beefed up their defensive lines with blue-liners Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. Halak will need to be a workhorse like he was last season, when he went 29-13 in 52 starts with a 2.25 goals against average (GAA). If he can put up similar numbers and bring the Isles to the playoffs, he just might win the award. His fiercest competition appears to be last year’s winner Tuukka Rask, who boasted a 36-15 record in 58 starts with a 2.04 GAA.
Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Evgeny Kuznetsov. You might be thinking, ”Who’s this guy?” He isn’t your typical candidate. He was drafted in 2010 by Washington and played in 17 games for the team last year. However, his limited experience will still qualify him as a rookie. This season, he’s primed to start on the top line with the aforementioned Backstrom and Ovechkin, meaning he’s bound to get chances to put up points. It’s tough to say who will contest for the rookie of the year, but another notable name is Leon Draisaitl, the third overall pick in this year’s draft and the second-line center for the Edmonton Oilers.
jh950614@ohio.edu
