Our mid-season award winners
Well, this is new. For the first time since I can remember, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association is voting on mid-term awards, which will be released on the Friday before the all-star game and will feature a few new awards, such as the Rod Langway Award for the top defensive defenceman, Comeback Player of the Year and GM of the Year. Fans can also participate in the voting at bit.ly/fanvotephwa. Here are my top picks for each award.
Hart: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado
The skinny: Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov has Steven Stamkos, but MacKinnon lost Matt Duchene and somehow got even better.
Norris: Victor Hedman, Tampa The skinny:
His latest injury might hurt him in the second half, but right now he’s been the best all-around D.
Calder: Brock Boeser, Vancouver
The skinny: Goals count more than points, so he gets the edge over the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal.
Selke: Patrice Bergeron, Boston
The skinny: Twenty goals and 40 points in 41 games — and a plus-23 rating — means he’s on his way to a record fifth trophy.
Vezina: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa
The skinny: Yeah, Tampa Bay scores a lot. But Vasilevskiy’s .930 save percentage means that on most nights they don’t really have to.
Jack Adams: Gerard Gallant, Vegas
The skinny: You could have engraved his name two months ago.
GM of the Year: George McPhee, Vegas
The skinny: The expansion draft gave him a leg up, but c’mon, no one expected this.
Rod Langway Award: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles
The skinny: The defensive defenceman award was made for guys like him.
Comeback Player of the Year: Steven Stamkos, Tampa
The skinny: After missing 65 games last year, the Lightning captain is on pace for 30 goals and 95 points — and a career-best 65 assists.