Jack Adams Award (best coach): Lindy Ruff, Barry Trotz, Gerard Gallant.
Who Should Win- I’m going off the board here and giving it to Mike Sullivan or Mike Babcock. Sullivan turned a slumping Penguins team into a Stanley Cup Champion while Mike Babcock kept the tanking Maple Leafs competitive far longer than they wanted to be.
Who Will Win- As is tradition, the Jack Adams award will go to the coach of the team that made the most surprising jump in the standings this year so Gerard Gallant it is. Once again a coach who succeeded due to an unsustainably high PDO takes the win, despite the near certainty that the team regresses next season.
Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Kesler.
Who Should Win- Patrice Bergeron was the stabilizing force on a Bruins team that struggled defensively. Kopitar has a great year and he is very deserving but Bergeron was put in a tougher spot and let's be honest, how can you not give it to a guy that backchecks in an All-Star game.
Who Will Win- As we have seen throughout history, voters get tired of giving the trophy to the same player. Bergeron has three already and I think they give it to Kopitar just to change things up. While its not the right choice they are close enough that I won’t complain about giving Kopitar some overdue respect.
Calder Trophy (top rookie): Artemi Panarin, Connor McDavid, Shayne Gostisbehere.
Who Should Win- I’m not punishing Panarin for being significantly older than McDavid because I don’t think that is relevant to the discussion. Connor McDavid deserves the trophy because in his small sample of games he was not only the best rookie but one of the best players in the NHL. The biggest difference for me is that McDavid drove the bus for the Oilers while Panarin was a secondary option to Kane.
Who Will Win- Panarin’s ridiculous point totals will be too much for the voters to ignore, particularly with McDavid missing half the year.
Vezina Trophy (best goaltender): Braden Holtby, Ben Bishop, Jonathan Quick.
Who Should Win- This is an odd group of finalists, while Holtby and Bishop would be my second and third choices, Quick is not anywhere near that class. Henrik Lundqvist deserves the trophy for his incredible work keeping a bad Rangers team competitive, even though he won't get an invite to Vegas.
Who Will Win- Holtby has almost 50 wins and while I don’t put too much stock in that I think it will be too much for the voters to ignore so he takes home the trophy.
Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, Brent Burns.
Who Should Win- While this has been seen as a huge debate in the hockey universe for the last few months it really shouldn't be a debate. Erik Karlsson averaged a point per game and made the Senators competitive and sometime even dominate when he was on the ice despite being a tire fire when he was on the bench. Doughty had another solid year but I don’t think he is so superior defensively that it makes up for a 30 point difference. Doughty was great this year, but Karlsson was sensational.
Who Will Win- This one will be very close but I have a feeling voters are tired of voting for Karlsson, who many see as a forward playing defense, and will give it to Doughty.
Hart Trophy (league MVP): Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Sidney Crosby.
Who Should Win- Crosby remains the best player in the world but he wasn’t great to start the season and even if it wasn’t completely his fault, that matters. Jamie Benn did a lot of heavy lifting for the Stars this year, particularly down the stretch when Seguin was injured but his point totals are nothing compared to Kane's. In the end, although he shouldn’t have been playing due to his off-ice actions, Patrick Kane did play this year and when he did he was absolutely incredible. For that reason he deserves the trophy, which he will almost certainly win.
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