Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

NHL Awards

NHL Announces Frank J. Selke Trophy Finalists

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The NHL is announcing finalists for the annual NHL Awards this week, though they will not be handed out until late June between the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency. The finalists for the Hart Trophy will not be named until Friday, May 12, but the Frank J. Selke Trophy finalists have been announced already. This award goes to the league’s best defensive forward.

To no one’s surprise, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron was one of the finalists. This marks the 12th consecutive season that Bergeron is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, as he will go down as perhaps the best defensive forward in hockey history. He has already won the award a record five times and is looking to add to that total with a sixth win. At age 37, Bergeron still remains one of the best penalty killing forwards and faceoff guys in the entire league.

Nico Hischier is also a finalist for the award, and this is his first time as a nominee. The New Jersey Devils center really broke through offensively this season with 31 goals and 80 points, but his defensive game is just as good, if not better, than what he does in the offensive zone. He wins over 53% of his draws, blocks shots, is the Devils top penalty killing forward and limits scoring chances against.

Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs is also up for the award. Known mostly for his offensive wizardry, the Leafs continue to lean on Marner in defensive situations as well and he has risen to the occasion. Though it is rare for a winger to win the award, the Maple Leafs always limit chances against when Marner is on the ice, and he is among the best forwards in the league at taking the puck away from opponents while he has also become one of the most used penalty killers among forwards in the league.

Lady Byng Finalists Announced

at CDT | by 4 Comments

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.

NHL Announces Draft Lottery, Stanley Cup Final Dates

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

On May 8, one NHL franchise will earn the right to select Connor Bedard this summer. The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will be held that night, determining the fate of the Regina Pats superstar a month and a half before he is actually selected.

Bedard has separated himself from the rest of the class with an incredible 61-goal, 125-point season for Regina, and is considered one of the greatest draft prizes in recent history.

While the worst teams in the league will cross their fingers and hope for some luck that day, Bedard won’t actually get to pull on a sweater until Wednesday, June 28, which will be the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

This year’s event will take place in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, with rounds 2-7 following on Thursday, June 29. That’s less than a month after the Stanley Cup is awarded, as the tentative start of the Final is set for June 3—though that could change, depending on how quickly the playoffs progress.

All of the key dates released from the league are:

Monday, April 17

Start of 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Monday, May 8

2023 NHL Draft Lottery

Saturday, June 3

Tentative start of 2023 Stanley Cup Final

Sunday, June 4 – Saturday, June 10

2023 NHL Scouting Combine presented by adidas (Buffalo)

Monday, June 26

2023 NHL Awards (Bridgestone Arena)

Wednesday, June 28

Round 1 of 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft(Bridgestone Arena)

Thursday, June 29

Rounds 2-7 of 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft (Bridgestone Arena)

Nashville To Host 2023 NHL Draft, Awards

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The NHL is headed to Nashville. The Predators will host the 2023 NHL Draft and the 2023 NHL Awards next year, the first time the events have been held in the same place since 2006. The award ceremony is set for June 26, while the draft will commence two days later on June 28  (a Wednesday) with the televised first round. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released the following statement:

We are thrilled to bring two of our marquee events – the 2023 NHL Awards and the 2023 NHL Draft – to Nashville, a special city that certainly knows how to throw a great party. From the 2003 NHL Draft to the 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final to the 2022 NHL Stadium Series game, the city, the Predators organization and the Country Music community have overwhelmed the NHL with their welcome and support every time Nashville has hosted a League event. We cannot wait to return next June to celebrate the stars of our game and introduce the next generation of NHL Players.

The 2023 draft class is expected to be among the best the league has seen in years, with Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov, Adam Fantilli, Zach Benson, Dalibor Dvorsky, and others looking like star-level talent (if not even better than that). Teams across the league are already trying to set themselves up for the best draft position possible to get a shot at Bedard in particular, who continues to wow audiences with a brilliant shot at the World Juniors, even if his overall impact on the game is limited at such a young age.

The Regina Pats superstar only turned 17 a few weeks ago, meaning he will not even be 18 by the time he is picked by an NHL franchise next summer. The hype by next year’s event will likely be out of control, and in a city known for its event planning, the draft should be a fun time for fans and players alike.

Award Notes: Jim Gregory Award Finalists, All-Rookie Team, All-Star Teams

at CDT | by 11 Comments

While there were five awards handed out on Tuesday, there is still one more to be announced.  That one is the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.  It’s voted on by all 32 NHL GMs as well as some NHL executives at the end of the second round.  Not surprisingly, all three of the finalists, who were named during the NHL Awards show, were among the four to help lead their teams to the conference finals including Julien BriseBois of the Lightning, Chris Drury of the Rangers, and Joe Sakic of the Avalanche.  Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello won the award a year ago.  The winner for this won’t be announced until partway through the first round of the draft next month in Montreal.

More news from awards night:

Auston Matthews Wins The 2022 Hart Trophy

at CDT | by 12 Comments

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.   Last up for the night was the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the most valuable player as voted by the PHWA.  After receiving the Ted Lindsay Award for the same honor as voted by the players, Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was this year’s recipient.  The other finalists were Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and Oilers center Connor McDavid.

It was a career year for Matthews in terms of goals (60), assists (46), points (106), and shots on goal (348) with his goal and shots totals leading the league despite only playing in 73 games.  His goals per game rate (0.82) was the highest in the NHL since Mario Lemieux back in the 1995-96 campaign.  That helped lead Toronto to the second spot in the Atlantic Division and their most successful season in franchise history in terms of points.  Matthews is the third Maple Leaf to win the Hart and the first to do so in quite some time as Toronto’s previous winner was Ted Kennedy back in 1954-55.

Matthews received 61% of first-place votes among the 195 ballots cast while appearing on all but two of them.  That helped him finish more than 500 points ahead of McDavid to take home the award with Shesterkin coming a distant third.  Four other players received a first-place vote – Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau, Nashville’s Roman Josi, and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov.

The full voting results can be found here.

Cale Makar Wins The 2022 Norris Trophy

at CDT | by 16 Comments

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.  The second-last award of the night was the James Norris Memorial Trophy, handed out to the NHL’s best defenseman.  This year’s winner is Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.  The other finalists were Predators blueliner Roman Josi and Lightning rearguard Victor Hedman.

Makar led all defensemen in goals this season with 28, becoming just the fifth blueliner in the last 30 years to get that many goals.  He also finished second in points (86) to Josi, who had 96.  While thought of as an offense-first defender, Makar took a regular turn on Colorado’s penalty kill this season as well which helped him average 25:40 per contest.  While this voting doesn’t cover his playoff performance, the 23-year-old has been dominant in the postseason as well, picking up 26 points in 17 games while his ATOI has jumped up to a little under 27 minutes a night.

Interestingly enough, Makar actually finished second to Josi in first-place votes, 98-92.  However, Makar had 22 more second-place selections (98-72) which helped him garner 25 more voting points to secure the victory.  He was also the only player to appear on all 195 ballots with Josi not being put on one of them.  It’s the closest vote for this award since the 2011-12 campaign when Erik Karlsson edged Shea Weber for the award.  Only one other blueliner, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, received a first-place vote.

The full results of the voting can be found here.

Auston Matthews Wins The 2022 Ted Lindsay Award

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.  Third on the docket was the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the player voted as the most outstanding in the league by the players.  This year’s recipient is Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews.  The other finalists were Oilers center Connor McDavid and Predators defenseman Roman Josi.

The 24-year-old led the league in goals scored for the second straight season, hitting the 60-goal mark for the first time in his career despite missing nine games due to injury or suspension, becoming the first player to hit that mark since Steven Stamkos did it back in 2011-12.  Matthews set a new league record for the most goals scored by an American-born player, besting Jimmy Carson’s mark of 55 back in 1987-88.  Between November 24th and April 9th, Matthews scored 51 times in just 50 games.  That helped lead Toronto to a 115-point season, the most points in franchise history.

Matthews, who was a finalist for the award last season, is the fourth different winner of this award in as many years.  The last time that happened was between 2009-10 and 2012-13.  Unlike the other awards being revealed on Tuesday, no voting breakdown was released. He is the first Maple Leaf to win the award.

Moritz Seider Wins The 2022 Calder Trophy

at CDT | by 4 Comments

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.  The second award of the night was the Calder Memorial Trophy, handed out to the NHL’s top rookie.  Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider took home the trophy after a stellar first season.  Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting and Ducks center Trevor Zegras were the other two finalists.

The 21-year-old was the sixth-overall pick by Detroit back in 2019 and spent his post-draft season with AHL Grand Rapids before playing in Sweden last season.  The extra seasoning certainly was beneficial as he led all rookie defensemen with 50 points (seven goals and 43 assists), the third-highest point output from a rookie rearguard in the last 30 years.  Seider also led all rookies (including forwards) in assists and power play points while logging more than 23 minutes a game to lead all Detroit defensemen, a franchise record for all rookies.

As a result, the vote wasn’t particularly close.  Of the 195 PHWA members to cast a ballot, Seider was ranked first on 170 of them while he was the only player to appear in the top three on every ballot.  That helped Seider become the first Detroit rookie to win the award since goaltender Roger Crozier back in the 1964-65 season.

The full results of the voting can be found here.

Igor Shesterkin Wins The 2022 Vezina Trophy

at CDT | by 1 Comment

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.  First up was the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender.  The winner of the award was Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.  The other finalists were Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom and Nashville’s Juuse Saros.

The 26-year-old had a dominant season, leading the league with a 2.07 GAA along with a .935 SV%.  That helped lead New York to second place in the Metropolitan Division while recording their highest point total since the 2014-15 campaign and third-best in franchise history.  Shesterkin’s numbers in the playoffs were also quite strong as he put up a 2.59 GAA along with a .929 SV% as he helped the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final before they were eliminated in six by Tampa Bay.  He becomes the third Ranger to win the award under the current voting criteria, joining Henrik Lundqvist and John Vanbiesbrouck.

The Vezina Trophy is voted on by the 32 General Managers and it was a near-unanimous selection as Shesterkin took home 29 of 32 first-place votes while having more voting points than every other goalie combined.  Interestingly, the other two finalists didn’t receive a first-place vote with those nods going to Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning, Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders, and Frederik Andersen of the Hurricanes.

The full results of the voting can be found here.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top