Anthony Cirelli (© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)The NHL has announced that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli is a finalist for the 2024-25 Selke Trophy. In addition to Cirelli, Florida Panthers forwards Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart are among the finalists for the Selke.
The Selke Trophy is given each season to the forward "who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."
Hearing that Cirelli is a finalist for the Selke is not surprising in the slightest. The 27-year-old forward is well-known for his excellent two-way play, and this was undoubtedly the case during this campaign as well. In 80 games with the Lightning this campaign, the 2015 third-round pick set new career highs with 27 goals, 32 assists, 59 points, and a plus-30 rating.
Cirelli was also once again an incredibly important part of the Lightning's penalty kill this season, which certainly adds to his case for the Selke Trophy.
It is going to be very interesting to see if Cirelli can secure his first Selke Trophy from here. Given how well he played defensively this season, he undoubtedly has a real shot at doing so.
In 511 career NHL games over eight seasons with the Lightning, Cirelli has 124 goals, 168 assists, 292 points, 462 hits, and a plus-124 rating.
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