Examining 2022's NHL Calder Trophy Finalists a Year Later

Detroit's Moritz Seider beat Anaheim's Trevor Zegras and Toronto's Michael Bunting for the NHL's Calder Trophy last season. How did they do as sophomores?

The annual rookie of the year award in hockey – and sports in general – is always one of the most contentious as every team pushes the young budding star that has helped their team in a given year. Rival fanbases give reasons why the other guy shouldn’t win while propping up whatever stats paint their candidate in the best light.

Last year was certainly no different. Detroit Red Wings do-it-all defender Moritz Seider ultimately took home the Calder Trophy, with human highlight reel Trevor Zegras and budding super pest Michael Bunting coming up just short.

It could have also been framed as Seider winning because he was given all of the minutes to produce on a bad team while all-flash, no-substance Zegras and old-rookie Bunting came up just short.

See, positives and negatives depending on who you ask.

A year later, they’re all completing their second full season in the NHL. Let’s take a look at how each has fared as the 2022-23 NHL season winds down.

2021-22 stats: 7 goals and 43 assists for 50 points in 82 games

2022-23 stats: 5 goals and 35 assists for 40 points in 77 games

The winner of last year’s Calder Trophy had an up-and-down season, but he seems to be finishing much stronger than he started. Paired with divisive free-agent signing Ben Chiarot to start the season, Seider had mixed results with carrying Chiarot. Seider seemed off in the offensive zone, and his defensive play suffered because he was often not on the same page as his partner. It was truly just a poor match between the two.

Since being paired with Jake Walman, the young German defender returned to the form that we all expected from the Wings blueliner. Walman and Seider seem to have a better understanding of when each is going to attempt to step up in the play or join the rush. They maintain solid defensive positioning and provide the safety net both need.

Seider is one of the league's best young defenders, and although his trajectory may have taken a slight dip early this season, he remains on track to be a very good top-pair defender.

The hopes of getting into the periphery of the Norris conversation this year may be a bit premature, but Seider cemented himself as Detroit’s No. 1 defenseman this season. He was also the first Wings blueliner to start their career with back-to-back 40-point seasons since Nicklas Lidstrom – pretty good company. 

2021-22 stats: 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points in 79 games

2022-23 stats: 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points in 77 games

While he hasn’t found the success he had last season, Bunting has remained one of the Leafs’ top-six forwards for most of the season. His goal-scoring touch is still where it was last year when the then 26-year-old eclipsed 20 goals. 

Last season, he played with league MVP Auston Matthews and playmaker extraordinaire Mitch Marner, whereas this season, he has been spread throughout the lineup with much less consistency.

The pest quality to his game has seen a bit of a hit this season, though. While being one of the league’s best at goating opponents into penalty trouble, he has begun to develop a reputation and hasn’t been given the benefit of the doubt. He’s been the target of incidental minors and embellishment penalties more recently, leading to him having to keep his mouth shut as officiating teams are looking for him to make a mistake.

He could get to the 50-point plateau with a few games remaining, which would be a nice bar to clear. From inconsistent linemates to inconsistent officiating, Bunting hasn’t quite been as effective as last season, but the playoffs are going to be where he proves his true worth. 

If the referees pull back on penalties for the post-season silliness as they typically do, Bunting could make up for the up-and-down sophomore season he had. If he can’t help the Leafs out of the first round and gets into penalty trouble in the process, the narrative around Bunting could soil his value as a pending UFA.

2021-22 stats: 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 points in 75 games

2022-23 stats: 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points in 76 games

With nearly identical production on a Ducks team virtually devoid of talent and trying their hardest to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, this should be taken as a sign of progress. Zegras remains a fixture on the weekly highlight reels, and he’s been doing it with the flair we’ve become accustomed to, despite Adam Oates’ best efforts.

Zegras has been one of the few bright spots in a season from hell for the Ducks. Nothing seems to have gone right for the team, from injuries to key young players like Jamie Drysdale to the inability to move the puck out of their own end. 

Zegras still boasts the skating, skill, and offensive creativity that make the Ducks watchable – at least when his line is on the ice – but the wins have come few and far between. They went into mid-November without a regulation win.

Next season, it will be on Zegras to take another step and show he can be a true play driver. He’s shown he can produce on a bad team, but he must find a way to power his line and team to some wins by keeping possession of the puck in the offensive end. It’s going to be time to start pulling this team from the basement next season.