We broke out our crystal ball to take a way-too-early look at six members of the Senators organization who have the best chances to grab NHL awards soon.
The Senators may not have an obvious Hart Trophy candidate in their midst for the coming season, but they do have several players capable of working their way into various NHL awards conversations.
Some are already closer than people may realize. Shane Pinto and Travis Green both finished sixth in voting for big awards last season, while Jake Sanderson received Norris Trophy votes for the second consecutive year.
Here are the six Senators most capable of taking home some hardware soon, maybe as early as next summer.
Jake Sanderson: Norris Trophy
For the second straight year, Sanderson finished 10th in Norris voting after putting up career highs with 14 goals and 54 points in only 67 games. He also led the Sens with 24:50 of ice time per game, and NHL Network recently ranked him as the eighth-best defenceman in the league.
Sanderson is good enough to win a Norris right now, but his primary obstacle is the league's extreme depth of star defensemen,
Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin and Quinn Hughes are among those who've consistently produced superior offensive numbers, and all of them have a million miles of racetrack left in their careers.
For Sanderson to have a chance to win, he’ll need to stay healthy, flirt with a point per game, and help the Senators take another step forward.
Shane Pinto: Selke Trophy
Pinto finished sixth in Selke voting last year, receiving eight first-place votes. Only Nick Suzuki, Anthony Cirelli, Brock Nelson, Mitch Marner and Jordan Staal finished ahead of him for the NHL’s best defensive forward.
That means his defensive game is no longer flying beneath anyone's radar.
Like Sanderson, his next step will be to create enough offence to attract more voters for what's supposed to be a defensive award. Pinto scored 23 goals and 47 points last season, but most modern Selke winners are also prominent offensive players.
As the team thinks about their chessboard alignment for next month, GM Steve Staios has admitted that moving Pinto into the top six and sliding Dylan Cozens to the wing is something that's been talked about.
If Pinto pushes toward 60 or 70 points while continuing to succeed in his shutdown role, kill penalties and win faceoffs, he could become Ottawa’s first serious Selke finalist since Mark Stone.
Linus Ullmark: Vezina Trophy
Ullmark still has three years left on his four-year contract, so the Sens are praying that he can still be the man who ends Ottawa's reputation for being a goalie graveyard.
He finished last year with 28 wins, a 2.73 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. Those are clearly not Vezina numbers. However, Ullmark has already demonstrated that he can reach that level, winning the award with Boston just three years ago.
He hasn't been anywhere near that level in his two years with the Sens, except in this year's playoffs. Maybe he can carry that into next season. Regardless, he’s on the list because he’s the only Ottawa player who has already proven he can be the best in the league at his position.
Carter Yakemchuk: Calder Trophy
Yakemchuk needs to put all his focus on just making the team and shouldn't even be thinking about trophies right now.
But we're not Yakemchuk, so we're free to proceed.
Yakemchuk's offensive ability makes him a Calder possibility, albeit a long shot. He led Belleville’s defencemen with 40 points during his first professional season. If he makes the Sens and hits that number again in the NHL, he'll get some votes.
He made an immediate NHL impression, recording two points in his regular-season debut and another two in his first Stanley Cup playoff game.
If Yakemchuk wins a full-time spot, it will probably come with some looks on the power play, which could further assist him in putting up some decent numbers. Offence from the blue line tends to attract most, if not all, of the Calder attention, and Yakemchuk has never been shy about joining the rush or creating something with the puck.
Everyone remembers his solo overtime rush up ice against the Leafs two years ago, but how about this one (0:35 second mark) against the Leafs in the rookie showdown in Montreal last year?
Yakemchuk may not receive enough minutes to compete with the Gavin McKennas, Porter Martones or Cole Hutsons of the world, but he's far and away Ottawa’s best Calder possibility for the coming season.
Claude Giroux: Masterton Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. But unofficially, many nominees have either overcome a major injury or personal crisis, or they're still going strong as they approach the sunset of long, excellent careers.
Now 38, Giroux remains an important player and one of the most respected voices in Ottawa’s dressing room. His willingness to return and continue helping a relatively young team grow only adds to that story.
Depending on how the Sens leadership decision goes, the Messier Award might be on his radar as well, particularly if the Sens can take a big step forward and G's influence gets more national attention as a result.
Travis Green: Jack Adams Award
Green finished sixth in Jack Adams voting last season, receiving four first-place votes after guiding Ottawa to its second consecutive playoff appearance.
The award often goes to the coach of a team that significantly exceeds preseason expectations. That can work against coaches whose teams are already considered contenders, but the Sens are still in the ideal territory. They're respected, but not quite viewed yet as a Stanley Cup favourite.
If the Senators can improve again this season after a summer of significant roster turnover, Green will receive much of the credit.
None of the above would be considered a favourite this season by any stretch. But for Sens fans, it's nice to at least have some possibilities. Three or four years ago, during the darkest days of the rebuild, this would have been a very short article, if it got written at all.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest headlines below:
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