
Noah Dobson leading the pack.
As we have reached the All-Star break, here's our New York Islanders (20-17-12) mid-season awards.
ART ROSS: Noah Dobson
Despite Mathew Barzal being on pace to surpass his point total from his Calder-winning 2017-18 campaign with 51 points (13 goals, 38 assists) through 48 games, what Dobson has done this year from the blue line has been ultra-impressive.
He has six goals, with 46 assists, and has been lethal.
ROCKET RICHARD: Brock Nelson
Despite being in his age-32 season, Nelson continues to lead the Islanders' offense with 21 goals in 49 games. He is on pace for 35 goals, a mark he's reached in each of the last two seasons.
Although the concern is that, at some point, Nelson's production will fall off, that time isn't right now as he continues to deposit pucks.
HART: Noah Dobson
With all the injuries to the blue line this season, Dobson has stepped up, becoming a true No. 1 defenseman, eating minutes, bringing the offense, including quarterbacking the greatly improved top power-play unit, while also exponentially strengthening his defensive play.
He's been the team's MVP, no doubt about it.
NORRIS: Noah Dobson
Not only does Dobson lead the Islanders' backend in points, but he's a plus +21 on a team with a negative 23-goal differential. He's averaged the most minutes on the team at 25:59 per night, he's leading in assists and points, and not only would he easily win the Norris if it was a team vote, but he's likely to receive Norris nominations given how he stacks up against the league's best blue liners.
VEZINA: Ilya Sorokin
Although Ilya Sorokin (.909 SV%, 3.13 GAA) hasn't played like the Vezina-caliber goaltender he showed a year ago, he's been left out to dry due to the Islanders' defense, facing the most shots in the NHL, and has survived.
He's been a workhorse, making 10 straight starts due to a Varlamov injury before the veteran goaltender returned for the final two games before the All-Star break.
Semyon Varlamov has the better stats, sporting a 2,88 GAA and a .915 SV% but has played in 16 games to Sorokin's 35.
SELKE: Mathew Barzal
While the offensive numbers have risen this season, Barzal's been much better on the defensive side of the puck. Yes, he's turned the puck over 55 times to lead New York, but his 52 takeaways lead the team by 21.
CALDER: Samuel Bolduc
The 23-year-old Samuel Bolduc hasn't been great this season -- slowly taking strides -- but given that he's the only rookie on the roster, he takes home the Calder.
If we are stretching this award, given the limited option, then Simon Holmstrom takes the cake with his 12 goals and six assists in 48 games. He's been a shorthanded machine with five.
MASTERTON: Matt Martin
A warrior his entire career, Matt Martin hasn't had an easy season. After suffering an upper-body injury on No. 15, the 34-year-old was placed on Injured Reserve before feeling strong enough to come back on Dec. 2.
But then he suffered a setback in a morning skate, landing him back on IR. After hard work and dedication, Martin returned on Dec. 29 and has stayed healthy since.
He reached the 900-game mark on Oct. 17.
LADY BYNG: Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Despite going up against the opponent's best on a nightly basis, Jean-Gabriel Pageau has taken just four penalties through 49 games, the fewest amongst everyday players on the island. While the penalty kill hasn't been great for New York, the positive is that one of their top penalty killers has stayed out of the box.