NHL Awards: Blades of Teal Predicts Who’s Gettin’ A Trophy!
The Hart Trophy
The Hart Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player in all of hockey. The surprise winner last year was New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall (who was traded for Adam Larsson), who came almost out of nowhere to win the award for the first time. It was also the first time a New Jersey Devil had won the trophy.
Michael Gutnick- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is the fuel that lights the lamp on a nightly basis for the Edmonton Oilers. Known for his unstoppable speed, acrobatic reflexes and incredible playmaking abilities, McDavid stands as the heart and soul of the Edmonton Oilers organization.
The 2015 1st overall pick has made a name of his own over his first few years in the league, drawing remarkable comparisons to legendary Oiler Wayne Gretzky. After suffering an injury during his impressive rookie campaign (48 points in 45 games), McDavid continues his unbelievable pace, tallying at least 100 points in the following two full seasons.
The 21-year-old center enters his fourth season with Edmonton in what appears to be a year of revenge after missing the playoffs in 2017. With new linemates Ryan Nungent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie on the top forward group, McDavid seeks to reclaim the Hart Trophy he earned back in 2016.
Lucas Burrell- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon is coming off a spectacular 2017 – 2018 campaign. He was only on the ice for 74 games last season and compiled a monster 97 points.
Mackinnon came up big in clutch situations, potting a league high 12 game winning goals. He was on the same scoring pace as Hart Trophy favorite Connor McDavid but was hindered by an upper body injury. The Avalanche come into next season with relatively the same roster and MacKinnon is looking to perpetuate similar results.
MacKinnon is a piece of arguably one of the best lines in hockey. He clicks very well with line mates Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanten. The 23 year old is coming into his 6th official season in the NHL. He experienced a 44 point jump in production from the previous season He shot at a 13%, that’s 4.0% points above his career average of 9.4%.
One would think that a player with such a low career shooting percentage is a perfect candidate for regression, but the Avalanche had a bit of a renaissance last season and are more than capable to continue their accession into contender status.
His chemistry with his linemates, the continual usage in offensive zone, PP time, along with another year of development is the reason why I believe MacKinnon is capable of putting together another Hart Trophy caliber year.
David Boettcher- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Last season, Nate was the runner up in the Hart Trophy vote. Taylor Hall was a worthy candidate, but was absolutely the wrong choice. While Hall was likely the reason the Devils made the playoff last season, Nathan McaKinnon was the heart and soul of the Colorado Avalanche’s unlikely single season recovery from worst to playoffs.
MacKinnon scored 97 points in what was a masterpiece of a season. Leading an Avs team bereft of top 6 forward talent, more often than not, MacKinnon lofted the entire team on his back and willed them to victory. This however, is not what made him the heart and soul of the Avs. He frequently shouldered and accepted the responsibility for his teams failures, and he did so willingly, though often the only reason he should have, was because of the letter on his jersey.
So far, MacKinnon seems to be picking up where he left off last season. If he continues, expect him to hoist hardware at the end of the season.
Steve Fishman- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Picture it. The young American from Arizona is the top pick in the 2016 NHL draft to hockeys most famous team. He lives up to the hype in his rookie season scoring 40 goals on 69 (nice) points. Matthews gets hurt his second year, but the Leafs still make the playoffs, but he’s overshadowed by guys like Hall and MacKinnon, who had just absolutely crazy years.
Now its Matthews third season in the league. The Maple Leafs have acquired guys like John Tavares, have another year of Patrick Marleau, and their young players like Mitch Marner and Morgan Reilly are one year better. Reilly is on pace to win the Norris this year by the way. The Leafs are the odds on favorite to bring the Stanley Cup home to Canada, to Toronto, where it belongs.
If Matthews can build on what he did his rookie season, if not exceed it, he’s got to be the odds on favorite to win the Hart Trophy. No Maple Leaf has won it since Ted Kennedy in 1955.
Matthews currently leads the NHL in both goals and points. If he keeps this up, and if something catastrophic doesn’t happen in Toronto, the it will finally be Auston Matthews who will bring the NHL’s most prestigious trophy back to the home of hockey.
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That’s it. That’s all of em. We’ll probably miss on all of them, as hockey is one of the more random sports, and anything can happen at any time. But like I said waaaaay in the beginning of this article. This could be the greatest era of hockey ever. We’re seeing more and more deserving players than ever. All we know is this. Its going to be a fun year!