Aleksander Barkov repeated as the Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, but the Washington Capitals also earned some consideration for the award. Aliaksei Protas, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nic Dowd all earned consideration for the Selke, presented to "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Protas finished 22nd in voting, earning two fourth-place votes and three fifth-place votes for the award. The 23-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him set career-highs in goals (30), assists (36) and points (66), along with a plus/minus of plus-40 that ranks third-best in the league. He also had three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points. Averaging 16:27 minutes a night and also logging key minutes on the penalty kill, Protas was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the puck while showing significant growth after putting up just 53 points through his first three seasons in the NHL. Dubois came in 23rd, as he earned a second-place vote and a fifth-place vote. He also impressed with a career year. In 82 games, he put up 20 goals, 46 assists and 66 points, along with a plus/minus of plus-27 while playing 17:18 minutes per game. Beyond his point production, he served as a shutdown center going up against other teams' top lines on a nightly basis. Then, Dowd, as has been the case the last few seasons, earned a couple of fifth-place votes to finish 36th in voting. Washington's top penalty killer and entrusted fourth-line center, Dowd again had a career year with 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 82 games, while putting up a plus/minus of plus-7 and averaging 15:11 minutes per night. He has been one of the Capitals' top two-way forwards for years. While the award is now Barkov's to lose going into the post-Patrice Bergeron years, it is promising for the Capitals to see a handful of their forwards earn votes.
