Leafs’ Matthews wins Hart Trophy as MVP
TAMPA, FLA. » Toronto’s Auston Matthews won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player on Tuesday night, beating out Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers to win the award for the first time.
Shesterkin claimed the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Colorado’s Cale Maker took the Norris Trophy, presented to the league’s best defenseman, and Detroit’s Moritz Seider claimed the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.
Matthews became the first player to score 60 goals since Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos did it 10 years ago, helping the Maple Leafs (54-21-7, 115 points) set franchise records for wins and points. Toronto lost to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
The 24-year-old forward also took home the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player in the regular season, an honor determined by voting by members of the NHL Players Association.
Shesterkin became the third Rangers goalie in the past 40 years to win the Vezina, joining Henrik Lundqvist
(2011-12) and John Vanbiesbrouck (1985-86). He went 36-13-4 with an NHLbest 2.07 goal-against-average and .935 save percentage before leading a playoff run that
ended against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference final.
Seider became the first Red Wing to win the Calder Trophy since goalie Roger Crozier during the 1964-65 season. He led all first-year defensemen with 50 points and finished ahead of Toronto’s Michael Bunting and Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras in balloting for the award.
Stars hire DeBoer
Peter DeBoer has twice gone to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with a new team. Now he is the new coach of the Dallas Stars, who were there two summers ago.
“Every team that he has taken over has not only shown immediate improvement but has been ultracompetitive in the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “His resume displays the high standards he sets and his ability to get his team to play up to that level consistently.”
The Stars announced DeBoer’s hiring on Tuesday, a month after he was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights.