The 2023-24 will soon end, and many players have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as favorites to take home some trophies come award season. But in some cases, the current front-runners emerged more recently than others.
Nathan MacKinnonThe NHL’s regular season is nearly over, and with it, speculation about the league’s individual awards is zeroing in on the favorites. But in some cases, those favorites have changed from who they were prior to the all-star break. Let’s look at them:
1. Hart Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado; Connor McDavid, Edmonton; Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay
Current favorites: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado; Connor McDavid, Edmonton; Auston Matthews, Toronto
Breakdown: Not a whole lot has changed in regard to the NHL’s most valuable player. MacKinnon and McDavid have been favorites all season long, and really, even though we’ve placed Matthews ahead of Kucherov, the Lightning superstar winger is still in the hunt as well. McDavid has been more of a playmaker than a play-finisher this season, and the votes that go to him might instead be split among MacKinnon and Matthews. We suspect the Hart is MacKinnon’s to lose at this stage, but stranger things have happened than someone else taking home the honor.
2. Vezina Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Thatcher Demko, Vancouver; Jeremy Swayman, Boston; Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg
Current favorites: Thatcher Demko, Vancouver; Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida; Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg, Jeremy Swayman, Boston
Breakdown: The goaltending picture has remained fairly similar throughout the season, with Demko starring for the Canucks, Hellebuyck leading the Jets to near the top of the Central Division, and Swayman usurping Linus Ullmark in Boston. Hellebuyck has cooled off of late, and Bobrovsky has come on strong for the Panthers. We envision a split of votes for the four netminders, with Swayman our pick to ultimately take home the Vezina.
3. Norris Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver; Cale Makar, Colorado; Noah Dobson, New York Islanders
Current favorites: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver; Cale Makar, Colorado; Roman Josi, Nashville
Breakdown: Hughes and Makar have once again had stellar seasons for their teams, but Josi has come on strong and been one of the drivers of the Predators’ success in the second half of the season. Hughes remains the top dog among defensemen in scoring, and for that reason, we like him to get the Norris nod. However, Makar and Josi have won the Norris before, so it wouldn’t be overly surprising for one of them to get this year’s best defenseman honor.
4. Calder Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Connor Bedard, Chicago; Adam Fantilli, Columbus; Brock Faber, Minnesota; Logan Cooley, Arizona
Current favorites: Connor Bedard, Chicago; Brock Faber, Minnesota; Luke Hughes, New Jersey
Breakdown: We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Bedard has always been the heavy favorite to win this year’s top rookie award, and although his injury absence has allowed others like Faber to gain more attention, Bedard remains the front-runner to win this honor. He’s in a class all his own, and nothing that’s happened this season can change that.
5. Selke Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Alexander Barkov, Florida; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; Jordan Staal, Carolina
Current favorites: Alexander Barkov, Florida; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; Sam Reinhart, Florida
Breakdown: Barkov has been an elite defense-minded star forward for many seasons, and this year has been no different. Crosby and Staal also have had solid seasons, but Reinhart has crept into the Calder front-runner race with an incredible all-around year for Florida. If we were voting, we’d give this award to Barkov, but you can make a good case for many when it comes to this honor.
6. Jack Adams Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: John Tortorella, Philadelphia; Rick Tocchet, Vancouver; Peter DeBoer, Dallas
Current favorites: John Tortorella, Philadelphia; Rick Tocchet, Vancouver; Andrew Brunette, Nashville; Paul Maurice, Florida
Breakdown: This is an extremely tight race, with Tortorella, Tocchet and DeBoer all having excellent years. But in the second half, Brunette’s Predators and Maurice’s Panthers have thrived, putting them into contention for coach of the year. Tortorella may have been the clear winner prior to the all-star break, but since then, Brunette may have usurped him as the favorite for this award.
7. Art Ross Trophy
Pre-all-star break favorites: Connor McDavid, Edmonton; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado; Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay
Current favorites: Connor McDavid, Edmonton; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado; Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay
Breakdown: Nothing has changed in the race for top point-getter this season, with MacKinnon, McDavid and Kucherov at least 20 points ahead of the next-most-productive skater. It may come down to the final week and final few games of the season to decide a winner here, but this trio is the cream of the crop, and they’ve been that way all season long.