Jack Eichel, Anže Kopitar, Brayden Point Named Lady Byng Trophy Finalists
Now that award season is approaching, the NHL has announced the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy: Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Anže Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As one of the more underappreciated honors, the Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player voted best to combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and ability as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Kopitar is the only one of the trio to have won the award previously.
In arguably the best season of his career from an individual perspective, Eichel led the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights in scoring with 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games. Not only did Eichel have a career year himself, but he also set a new standard for Vegas players by besting William Karlsson‘s 78-point 2017-18 season, which stood as the franchise’s single-season record until now. This was largely due to his availability, missing only five games all season and only accruing eight PIMs.
As mentioned earlier, Kopitar is the only member of the trio who has previously won the Lady Byng Trophy, receiving the award in the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons. He outperformed his Pacific Division rival, Eichel, by only taking two minor penalties compared to Eichel’s four. Surpassing Dustin Brown as the longest-serving captain in Kings history this season, Kopitar helped Los Angeles reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.
Point became a finalist for the second time in three years, and for good reason. Point bested a point-per-game average for a third consecutive season and centered one of the most efficient top lines in the game. Beating Kopitar and Eichel, Point only had one minor penalty this year (and finished with seven PIMs).
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Afternoon Notes: Shattenkirk, Dobson, Kopitar, Sharpe
Boston Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been fined $2,734.38 for unsportsmanlike conduct in last night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Twitter link). It is the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement. Shattenkirk earned the fine when he reached over the bench and slashed Bunting on the wrist as he was skating by, after Bunting tripped Linus Ullmark. Shattenkirk wasn’t assessed a penalty during the game and went on to score Boston’s third goal in their eventual 6-4 victory.
This is just the second run-in Shattenkirk has had with the Department of Player Safety in his 950 career games, with his last punishment being a two-game suspension for charging Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kevin Gravel in March of 2017.
Shattenkirk has managed four points across his last five games, heating up at the perfect time. Boston will be glad he avoided suspension, as they chase the top spot in the Atlantic Division with two games left in the season.
Other notes from around the league:
- The New York Islanders may need to finish their season without top defender Noah Dobson, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury per head coach Patrick Roy and Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). Roy also shared that forward Kyle MacLean felt sick after practice, though he’s still expected to play tomorrow. The Islanders have two games remaining in their season, and could technically still lose their playoff spot – if they drop both games and both the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals win-out. Robert Bortuzzo will step back into the lineup in Dobson’s absence.
- Los Angeles Kopitar captain Anze Kopitar missed the team’s practice once again, remaining day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that held him out of the team’s Saturday night win over the Anaheim Ducks, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link). Dooley adds that the team doesn’t seem concerned about Kopitar’s availability. That’s certainly good news, with the future Hall of Famer certain to be a main factor in their postseason success, after posting 26 goals and 70 points in 79 games this season. The Kings opted to ice seven defensemen in Kopitar’s absence, returning Jacob Moverare to the lineup. They could continue that approach in their final two games of the season, though Arthur Kaliyev is their extra forward should they want to ice four full lines.
- The Toronto Marlies have signed defenseman Chas Sharpe to a two-year, minor-league contract set to begin in 2024-25 (Twitter link). Sharpe, 20, joins the team as an undrafted free-agent, having spent the last four seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads. He recorded 19 goals and 53 points in 67 games this season, and served as Mississauga’s captain.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Anze Kopitar To Two-Year Contract Extension
The Los Angeles Kings have signed captain Anze Kopitar to a two-year contract extension carrying a $7MM AAV. As Kopitar already has a contract through the end of next season, this deal will start with the 2024-25 campaign and will cover Kopitar’s age-37 and age-38 seasons.
The deal carries a full no-move clause, and financially Kopitar is set to be paid almost exclusively in signing bonus in year one, and entirely in base salary in year two.
Many viewed the Kings’ acquisition of Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets as succession planning for when Kopitar would no longer take up the mantle as the Kings’ number-one center.
Seeing as fellow era-defining two-way center Patrice Bergeron could be calling it a career at the age of 37, it could reasonably be assumed that Kopitar, set to turn 36 years old in August, would be nearing the end of his storied career as well.
That won’t be the case, though, at least for the next three seasons.
By spending $7MM per year on two seasons of Kopitar in his late thirties, the Kings have placed a significant bet that one of their franchise’s greatest players will remain a great one even as he ages. It’s easy to see why they’ve made that bet, as Kopitar was almost every bit as brilliant at 35 years old as he was in his mid-twenties.
Kopitar scored 28 goals and 74 points in 82 games in 2022-23, and added seven points in the Kings’ six-game first-round series loss to the Edmonton Oilers. As he’s done throughout his career, Kopitar paired that offensive production with exceptional defensive play, playing the most minutes of any Los Angeles forward on the team’s penalty kill.
The two-time Selke Trophy winner might have a few more of those trophies on his resume had he not had the misfortune of playing at the same time as Bergeron, one of the greatest defensive forwards of all time, and Kopitar’s defensive game gives him a high floor in terms of the value he’s providing Los Angeles should his offense start to dry up as he gets older.
With Kopitar locked up through 2025-26 at a below-market rate compared to what he provides, the Kings have secured arguably the best set of four centers in the entire NHL. While he’s a somewhat divisive player, Dubois is certainly a great fit in a second-line center role behind Kopitar.
Having a center like Phillip Danault, who can score 50 points on offense and routinely appear in the top ten of Selke Trophy ballots, in the third-line center role is the kind of stuff coaches dream about. Even their projected fourth-line center, the energetic Blake Lizotte, might be overqualified for that role coming off of a career-best 34-point season.
With this extension, the Kings have bet on Kopitar maintaining his brilliance into his late thirties. If that bet pays off, the Kings will have secured themselves an embarrassment of riches at one of the game’s most important positions, and built the foundation for a team that could very well contend for Stanley Cups once again.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
2023 NHL Awards Winners
2023 The NHL Awards were given out tonight in Nashville. The ceremony kicks off what should be a busy week as teams continue to prepare for the NHL Entry Draft and free agency, which begins on July 1st.
Here is the full list of winners, with the top two runners-up in each category:
Calder Trophy – Top Rookie
Winner: Matthew Beniers (Kraken)
Runners-Up: Owen Power (Sabres), Stuart Skinner (Oilers)
Norris Trophy – Top Defenseman
Winner: Erik Karlsson (Sharks)
Runners-Up: Adam Fox (Rangers), Cale Makar (Avalanche)
Ted Lindsay Award – Most Outstanding Player (as voted by the players)
Winner: Connor McDavid (Oilers)
Runners-Up: Erik Karlsson (Sharks), David Pastrnak (Bruins)
Lady Byng Trophy – Most Gentlemanly Player
Winner: Anze Kopitar (Kings)
Runners-Up: Jack Hughes (Devils), Brayden Point (Lightning)
Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player
Winner: Connor McDavid (Oilers)
Runners-Up: David Pastrnak (Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers)
Vezina Trophy – Goaltender Of The Year
Winner: Linus Ullmark (Bruins)
Runner-Ups: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Ilya Sorokin (Islanders)
Selke Trophy – Best Defensive Forward
Winner: Patrice Bergeron (Bruins)
Runners-Up: Mitchell Marner (Maple Leafs), Nico Hischier (Devils)
Jack Adams Award – Coach Of The Year
Winner: Jim Montgomery (Bruins)
Runners-Up: Dave Hakstol (Kraken), Lindy Ruff (Devils)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy – Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication
Winner: Kris Letang (Penguins)
Runners-Up: Clayton Keller (Coyotes), Alex Stalock (Blackhawks)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy – Humanitarian
Winner: Mikael Backlund (Flames)
Runners-Up: Anders Lee (Islanders), Darnell Nurse (Oilers)
Mark Messier Leadership Award
Winner: Steven Stamkos (Lightning)
E.J. McGuire Award – Prospect Commitment to Excellence
Winner: Connor Bedard (Regina Pats, WHL)
Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees.
Anze Kopitar Wins 2023 Lady Byng Trophy
Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar has been named the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given to the player judged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. Kopitar nudged out Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the award. Kopitar had just two minor penalties the entire season and accumulated just four PIM. This is the second time he has won the Lady Byng, as he was given it back in 2016 as well.
The long-time Kings Center had another terrific season posting 28 goals and 46 assists in 82 games while posting terrific defensive numbers despite being 35 years of age. It was Kopitar’s best offensive season in six years. The native of Jesenice, Slovenia, took more defensive zone draws this year than he did in the offensive zone but still managed to drive play and make everyone around him better. Even more impressive is the defensive work he did while not needing to resort to taking penalties if caught out of position. Kopitar’s four PIM represented a career low, an impressive feat for a player who has continuously posted very low numbers of penalties year to year.
Kopitar took 77 first-place votes, while Hughes had 41, and Point had 15. Overall, it was a decisive win for Kopitar as he accumulated 1175 points to Hughes’ 934. It’s a bit of a surprising number, given that Hughes had just three minor penalties and six total penalty minutes. Kopitar certainly deserved the award, but it looked as though the voting would be closer than it was.
Lady Byng Finalists Announced
The National Hockey League is announcing award finalists this week as they begin to set the stage for the annual NHL Awards at the end of the season. Per a league release, we now know the three players that are up for the Lady Byng Award this season. This award is given out annually to the player who exhibited the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct while playing at a high level this season.
Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is one of the finalists. He finished this season with 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games while putting up just six minutes in penalties. He was the team’s leading scorer and a key reason the Devils made it to the postseason for the first time since 2018. The Devils didn’t just sneak into the postseason either as they finished the regular season with a 52-22-8 record which gives them 112 points in the standings.
Anze Kopitar is also up for the Lady Byng this season. The 35-year-old center had another stellar season for the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 28 goals and 74 points in 82 games while playing great defensive hockey as well. He also had just two minor penalties proving his sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct which goes with his strong play on the ice. Kopitar won this award in 2016 and this is the 16th consecutive season he has received votes for the Lady Byng.
Brayden Point is the third finalist for the award after another strong season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 27-year-old center scored 51 goals and 95 points in 82 games and had just seven penalty minutes on the season.
West Notes: Kopitar, Fiala, Chibrikov
The Los Angeles Kings’ season-ending loss last night is still fresh in the minds of many, but that hasn’t stopped some of the team’s players from looking forward to the future in today’s exit media availabilities. One of those players is captain Anze Kopitar, who said today to the media (including The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein) that he wants to retire as a “one-franchise player” and would like to have a conversation about a contract extension this summer.
Kopitar, 35, will see his $10MM AAV deal expire next summer and is therefore eligible for a contract extension at the start of the new league year. Despite reaching his mid-thirties Kopitar remains the Kings’ most important player. He’s a lineup-topping first-line-center who scored 74 points in the regular season and seven points in the team’s six-game playoff loss. While the Kings might not have the financial bandwidth to have his next contract match his current $10MM cap hit, this looks to be a situation where both sides are highly motivated to get a deal done and therefore it’s a decent possibility that we see a Kopitar contract extension this summer.
Some other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Kings’ most important winger, Kevin Fiala, talked to the media today as well and gave an update on the status of his health. While he did not want to dive into specifics, Fiala called the injury that caused him to miss three games of the Kings’ first-round series a continuation of the knee injury he suffered earlier in the season against the Colorado Avalanche. He did state that no summer surgery would be necessary to get him back to full health, which is great news for the Kings as Fiala (72 points in 69 regular-season games and six points in three playoff contests) is their most dynamic offensive generator.
- Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe relays word from Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff at his press conference today that Jets 2021 second-round pick Nikita Chibrikov is in Winnipeg and is expected to join the AHL’s Manitoba Moose at the conclusion of his KHL contract. The expectation is that the 20-year-old winger will play in North America next season after spending most of this season with Spartak Moscow in the KHL. As is the norm for many younger players in the KHL, Chibrikov received very few minutes in the 31 games he played in the KHL this season, sometimes playing as little as 46 seconds, as he did in a February loss to Dynamo Moscow. It’s very possible that the Jets view the AHL as a better developmental environment for Chibrikov, prompting today’s announcement.
Looking Back At The First Round Of The 2005 NHL Entry Draft
On this date 17 years ago, the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. It was the league’s first major event since the lockout that cost them the entire 2004-05 season ended just over a week prior, and considering the draft’s top prize, there was added intrigue.
With the lack of regular-season standings to determine the draft order, the league implemented a snake draft system to make things more equitable for teams in later rounds that didn’t fare so well in the draft lottery. One team that did fare well that night, though, was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who cemented a 15-plus year run of success by drafting future captain Sidney Crosby with the first overall pick.
Five players selected that night went on to appear in at least 1,000 NHL games, including Crosby. One was 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Jack Johnson, taken third overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. Johnson never played a single game for Carolina, though, as he was traded the following offseason to the Los Angeles Kings along with defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky in exchange for defenseman Tim Gleason and center Eric Belanger.
Johnson wasn’t the only player from the first round to play meaningful games for the Kings, though. The team selected two-time Stanley Cup champion and future captain Anze Kopitar with the 11th overall selection. Another thousand-gamer was selected directly after him when the New York Rangers picked defenseman Marc Staal 12th overall, while Johnson’s teammate on the 2022 Avalanche, forward Andrew Cogliano, was selected 25th by the Edmonton Oilers.
One name from that night who could still join the 1,000-game club was St. Louis Blues selection and current Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. Taken 24th overall, he only needs 100 more appearances to hit the mark.
Future Stanley Cup-winning skaters weren’t the only future legends drafted that night, though. Two of the greatest goalies in recent memory were drafted that night, with the Montreal Canadiens selecting Carey Price with the fifth overall pick and the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Tuukka Rask with the 21st overall pick, of course prior to trading him to the Boston Bruins the following season.
Just three players selected that night, all taken within four picks of each other, would never make an NHL appearance. Slovak forward Marek Zagrapan, drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, played just three years in the organization with two different AHL affiliates, scoring 20 goals there just once. At 35 years old, Zagrapan is still active, playing the 2022-23 season in the French Ligue Magnus.
Directly after him, the Washington Capitals took Canadian defenseman Sasha Pokulok with the 14th overall pick. The first overage player taken in the draft, he’s arguably the biggest bust of the night. He never spent a full season in the AHL, bouncing up and down between there and the ECHL for four seasons after turning pro in 2006. He failed to make a notable impact in Europe, too, only lasting one season in the DEL (2010-11) before floating around various lower-level leagues in Eastern Europe and Quebec.
Lastly, there’s Canadian winger Alex Bourret, taken by the Atlanta Thrashers at 16th overall. A short but strong power winger, Bourret had a very successful junior career in the QMJHL that just didn’t translate. His North American career fizzled out quickly after a strong start in the AHL, but after being traded twice (first to the Rangers, then to the Coyotes), he had just 14 points in 48 AHL games during his final season there in 2008-09.
Los Angeles Kings To Retire Dustin Brown’s Number
The Los Angeles Kings are poised to add a seventh member to their list of retired numbers. On February 11, 2023, the team will retire winger Dustin Brown‘s no. 23, unveiling a statue of him as well prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, per the team.
He’ll be the team’s third winger to have his number retired, joining Dave Taylor (18) and Luc Robitaille (20). Defenseman Rob Blake (4), center Marcel Dionne (16), goalie Rogie Vachon (30), and Wayne Gretzky‘s no. 99, which the team had a separate ceremony for in addition to its league-wide retirement.
Brown announced his retirement late in the 2021-22 season, saying he’d retire after the culmination of the Kings’ playoff run, which ended in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers in the First Round. He finished his career as the team’s all-time leader in games played with 1,296, although Anze Kopitar is set to surpass that mark shortly as well. Captaining the team to two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, he’s remembered as one of, if not the best, power forwards the team’s had in their history.
While his production dipped mid-career, Brown never gave up on playing meaningful minutes, and his work ethic led to a late-career resurgence that included 61-point and 51-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Brown will be just the third individual to have a statue in his honor in LA, joining Robitaille and Gretzky.
Anze Kopitar Wins 2022 Mark Messier Leadership Award
Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is the recipient of the 2022 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. Per the league, the trophy is awarded “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.”
The team had the following to say with Kopitar’s victory:
As a spokesperson and contributor in several team fundraising events, Kopitar strives to represent the organization at every opportunity, including local institutions such as the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Make a Wish Foundation, Wags and Walks and Kings Care Foundation. Kopitar also hosts a hockey academy yearly in his native Slovenia, which serves aspiring youth players who may not have access to similar programs. Typically attracting nearly 200 players per year, the academy has drawn players from more than 15 countries.
The winner of the award is chosen by Messier himself, and he announced the selection live during ESPN’s broadcast of Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.
Given out since the 2006-07 season, Kopitar becomes the second King to win this award. Former Kings captain and fresh retiree Dustin Brown won the trophy back in 2014 after guiding the Kings to their second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The Slovenian veteran forward has worn a letter on his jersey for Los Angeles since 2008 and has been the captain since replacing Brown in 2016. With two Stanley Cups under his belt, Kopitar’s 1,210 games are second in Kings history. He’s also just one of four players to register at least 1,000 points as a King.
The 34-year-old remains under contract with the Kings until 2024.