There are no Vancouver Canucks among the finalists for NHL Awards this season. But some of the players will still receive consideration when ballots are revealed
There will be no Vancouver Canucks among individual award winners when the National Hockey League hands out its year-end hardware on Monday night in Nashville. That much was already known when the league revealed the finalists for each of its major awards earlier this year. As a team, the Canucks were shutout.
But surely a few Canucks will have garnered consideration in a couple of categories. And that information will be revealed moments after each of the awards is presented at Bridgestone Arena.
Elias Pettersson could very well find himself on several of the ballots of members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Coming off a 39-goal 102 point season in which he established himself as a two-way force in the NHL, Pettersson may earn a handful of Hart Trophy votes for the played judged most valuable to his team. More likely, however, is that he will appear on many Selke ballots as the 24-year-old Swede has produced a body of work recognized as one of the best defensive forwards in the league. And with the fewest penalty minutes of any of the league's top 10 scorers, Pettersson's play this season certainly merits Lady Byng consideration for the league's gentlemanly player.
But Pettersson shouldn't be the only Canuck to earn a few individual award nods. After finishing tied for second in scoring among NHL defensemen, Quinn Hughes had a season worthy of serious Norris consideration. The 23-year-old blueliner is not a finalist for the award for best defenseman so he clearly didn't finish among the top three vote getters. But it will be interesting to see close to the top of the list Hughes winds up considering his point total (T-2) and overall ice time (4th).
Last season, the Canucks had five players earn at least one vote for a year-end award. A 99-point season earned JT Miller a single fifth place vote for the Hart Trophy while Miller and then captain Bo Horvat both landed Selke votes. Thatcher Demko's fine play a year ago netted him a third place vote for the Vezina. Quinn Hughes received a pair of fourth place votes and three fifth place votes for the Norris. And Elias Pettersson's gentlemanly play was worthy of a third place vote for the Lady Byng Trophy.
Pettersson was the last Canuck to receive an NHL individual award claiming the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2018-19 season. Brock Boeser in the preceding season and Quinn Hughes the following year were both runners-up for the award.
The NHL Awards show begins at 5pm Pacific time on Monday. Click here for a full list of finalists in each category.