NHL award winners — if they were handed out now
With the season half in the books, it’s time to look at who is leading the awards’ race. But keep in mind, the real evaluation will come in the final 41 games.
HART
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh: This was supposed to be the year when the Penguins took a step back and when Crosby showed his age. Instead, after a slow start, Pittsburgh is battling Washington for top spot in the Metropolitan Division and Crosby is scoring at a 108-point pace — his most productive in the last 10 years.
Honourable mention: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is once again putting voters in an awkward position. He has 63 points — a 123-point pace — on a team that is in 11th place in the West, but one look at the roster and it’s amazing that they are not in last.
NORRIS
Morgan Rielly, Toronto: He leads defencemen with 13 goals and is behind only Brent Burns with 45 points in 42 games. Sure, the points come easy when you’re passing the puck up to Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, but on a team with a no-name defence, Rielly’s had to do it all back there. Honourable mention: Calgary’s Marc Giordano has 40 points in 42 games, as well as a leaguebest plus-30 rating.
VEZINA
Pekka Rinne, Nashville: The reason why the Predators’ defence is so active and aggressive in jumping up in the play, is because they know they have the best goalie in the league. Rinne, who missed time in October, is 16-10-2 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Honourable mention: Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the hottest goalie since he returned from injury, losing just once in regulation in the past 10 games.
CALDER
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver: He’s currently nursing a knee injury, but even if he doesn’t play a game the rest of the way, Pettersson is winning the award. That’s how dominant the Canucks rookie has been, having scored 22 goals and 42 points in 38 games — 17 more points than the next-best rookie.
Honourable mention: Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen is logging close to 23 minutes, while putting up nine goals and 20 points in 44 games. Pencil him in for next year’s Norris Trophy.
JACK ADAMS
Barry Trotz, New York Islanders: No one gave the Islanders a chance at making the playoffs when the team lost Tavares to free agency. But Trotz, who is coming off a Stanley Cup win last season in Washington, has somehow kept a team that lacks a top-50 scorer or a No. 1 defenceman in the mix for the first-half of the season.
Honourable mention: Vancouver’s Travis Green has a young team that has battled injury and perhaps the worst schedule in the NHL. And yet, he’s knocking on the door of a playoff spot.