Who will win the top awards this season?
Mackinnon a strong candidate for Hart Trophy
Colorado’s Nathan Mackinnon, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, Edmonton’s Connor Mcdavid and Toronto’s Auston Matthews are all in the running to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.
Mackinnon has carried the top-heavy Avalanche into the playoffs, Kucherov has played a role in half the Lightning’s goals, Mcdavid got the Oilers back in it after a horrid start and Matthews is on the verge of becoming the first to player to hit 70 goals in a season in more than 30 years.
Mcdavid also became just the fourth player to record 100 assists in a season, and Kucherov is one away with a game left.
“There’s a lot,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. “These kind of numbers have not been reached in a long time. ... It’s going to be close, but you obviously know who has my vote.”
Here is who AP’S hockey writers think will take home the hardware on these regular-season awards in June (all stats through Tuesday):
Hart (MVP)
Avalanche center Nathan Mackinnon reacts to his goal against the Wild on Tuesday in Denver.
Nashville’s captain also has the most goals among defensemen with 23.
Calder (top rookie) Selke (best defensive forward)
two or fewer goals. Bobrovsky did so in 32 starts and on a Panthers team regarded for being defensively responsible.
Whyno: Hellebuyck. His save percentage is best in the NHL among goalies with 50 or more starts, and his goalsagainst average is second only to Bobrovsky’s. Just give him the trophy.
Jack Adams (best coach)
Lage: Rick Tocchet. He took over in Vancouver when Bruce Boudreau was fired midway through last season and made the most of the opportunity. The Canucks were considered a middle-of-the-pack team at best before the season started and ended up earning more points than any season for more than a decade.
Wawrow: Tocchet. The 60-year-old showed potential in making the Arizona Coyotes competitive during his four-year stint in the desert. And that’s carried over in the Pacific Northwest where he’s getting the best out of a talented team that underachieved last season.
Whyno: Spencer Carbery. Washington — with its minus-37 goal differential, worst of any playoff team since 1991 when 16 of 21 teams in the league made it — on paper had no business reaching the postseason but here they are. Carbery pushed all the right buttons from start to finish.