Which Kings Players Are Closest To Winning An NHL Award This Season?

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar has won several individual NHL awards as he enters his 20th and final season.

Just last year, he was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy for the third time in his career, which is awarded "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

However, it’s a new season, and is there anyone else on the Kings who could challenge for an award at the end of this campaign?

While on the topic of Kopitar, in addition to being a Lady Byng contender with the few penalties that he commits, there are other awards he could challenge for.

For starters, the 38-year-old has two Selke Trophies - who’s to say he can’t challenge for another?

With the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov out for the entire regular season, there’s a path for the Slovenian to take home that hardware. 

Barkov has won the award three times, including the last two seasons, but Kopitar is a defensive maestro himself. Not to mention, the Kings' center has been in the top 10 for Selke voting in the last three years.

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Other members of the Kings who could earn some Selke love include Phillip Danault, who’s been a top-10 contender for the award four times in his career. And although Joel Armia hasn’t been on a voting list for the award, his defensive skills are enough to put him on the map eventually.

Additionally, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Kopitar in the conversation for the Bill Masterton Trophy as "the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

Last season, Los Angeles nominated defenseman Drew Doughty, as he recovered from a serious ankle injury he suffered early last season. Yet, he showed perseverance and dedication when he returned on time and played for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

But this year, with the knowledge of Kopitar retiring at the end of this season, he’d be a great nominee, who has shown all the qualities of a Bill Masterton winner.

Right winger Corey Perry is another player who could be looked at for taking home the Bill Masterton Trophy. At 40 years old, he continues to play at the top of his game and is a key contributor to the Kings.

Furthermore, it makes sense to look at who else was close to winning awards last season, and one of those Kings would be goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

Kuemper was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, finishing third in the final voting. That’s the highest the 35-year-old goaltender has finished for any award in his now 14-year career.

It’ll be tough for Kuemper to repeat what he achieved last season, but it’s certainly not impossible, as he has been solid between the pipes.

With one shutout, as well as a 2.40 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage, he could play his way into the Vezina mix once again, and even on Team Canada, which would only highlight his impressive campaign even further.

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