Mid way point of season: hardware winners

[yave1964]

  Give or take a game here and there for certain teams this marks the halfway point of the season and as such I would like to take a look at the players who are most deserving of the awards at this point:

 

The HART TROPHY: Given to the player judged to be the most valuable player to his team: Can it be anyone other than Patrick Kane? Seriously he has 60 points, 8 ahead of Jamie Benn and 9 ahead of Seguin. Nobody else in all of Hockey is within 17 points of him. And with the losses they ahd this past year he has kept them in the hunt. Holtby and the two Stars players are worthy of mention as is Karlsson from Ottawa but they are all fighting for second place. Kane by a mile.

VEZINA TROPHY:  Braden Holtby has run away with this one the same as Kane did with the Hart. Leads the league in wins with 26, has a sick 1.90 goals against, a .933 save pct. Just an outstanding player. Luongo and Quick and even Crawford deserve consideration as do the two kids who came in and laid claim to starting jobs when the vets got injured, Gibson and Hellboy but Holtby is by far the best goalie in a talented class this year.

CALDER TROPHY: Given to the top rookie, the two kid goalies have put up outstanding stats but both took over roughly at game 20 and so I have to grudgingly rule them out albeit with the caveat that if they keep playing in net like they are they will earn some votes.Dylan Larkin is having an outstanding rookie year leading all of Hockey at plus 23 on a team with a minus goal differential and is second among all rookies with 14 goals. But he is clearly second in the class at this point behind Artemi Panarin who leads all rookies with 15 goals and with 38 points, 10 ahead of Larkin. Simply the best rookie in the game.

 

LADY BING: Ryan O'Reilly. Gentlemanly player on the ice has made the transition for young teammates easier with his classy style on the ice. Just keep him away from Tim Horton's.

NORRIS TROPHY: Depending how you define it, if it is the best scoring d-man it is clearly Karlsson with Klingberg in Dallas as the runner up, Karlsson is 4th in all of Hockey in scoring and Klingberg is not far behind. Subban is top 5 in assists as well as teams adjust to the current game by putting more emphasise in scoring from the back end. I am fine with any of the above, Karlsson will likely win it in a landslide as the award more often than not goes to the top scoring blueliner, but personally my choice hands down is Drew Doughty who has been just amazing at both ends of the ice. Ekblad from Florida is deserving of recognition as well.

 JACK ADAMS TROPHY: Lindy Ruff gets my vote as he has instilled a confidence in the Stars team and they are playing lights out. Gerard Gallant in Florida has taken the team to places they have never been before and John Hynes in New Jersey has the team that was supposed to be a laughingstock somewhat competitive. Ruff has a team of scorers and two shaky goalies, he does not care if they lose 6-5 one night he does not change his style he has them playing their game night after night. They just keep coming after you.

 

Anyway, there are mine, anyone have an opinion to share?

This post has been promoted to an article

[pilldoc]

I can't argue with any of your choice's. Seriously great job.

 

[yave1964]

1 hour ago, pilldoc said:

I can't argue with any of your choice's. Seriously great job.

 

That is because great minds think alike

[WordsOfWisdom]

I've always understood that the Norris trophy is supposed to be given to the best defenceman..... but then they always seem to give it to the highest scoring defenceman anyway. Oh well.

Nicely done. 

[JagerMeister]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 4:59 PM, WordsOfWisdom said:

I've always understood that the Norris trophy is supposed to be given to the best defenceman..... but then they always seem to give it to the highest scoring defenceman anyway. Oh well.

Nicely done. 

Except you are assuming that the highest scoring defenseman isn't the best defenseman. The Norris trophy is the award for the defenseman who possesses the best all around play. And in this case, Karlsson is among the top 5 point producers, for every position... Second highest scoring defenseman is Kilngberg, and he plays with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, both in the top 3. Besides, I don't see anyone right now who is exceptional defensively, that it would compensate for the 15-20 plus points Karlsson has over them.

 

Also, Holtby being the best goalie as of now is rather ambiguous imo. The panthers are outshot in the majority of their games yet because of Luongo's stellar play, they are able to gain a point or two. He plays on a evidently worse team yet has 1 save percentage lower. That's miniscule and inconsequential. Now, GAA is a much more team oriented stat. Luongo has a worse GAA yet essentially has the same save percentage as Holtby.

Edited January 12, 2016 by JagerMeister

[yave1964]

13 minutes ago, JagerMeister said:

Except you are assuming that the highest scoring defenseman isn't the best defenseman. The Norris trophy is the award for the defenseman who possesses the best all around play. And in this case, Karlsson is among the top 5 point producers, for every position... Second highest scoring defenseman is Kilngberg, and he plays with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, both in the top 3. Besides, I don't see anyone right now who is exceptional defensively, that it would compensate for the 15-20 plus points Karlsson has over them.

 

Also, Holtby being the best goalie as of now is rather ambiguous imo. The panthers are outshot in the majority of their games yet because of Luongo's stellar play, they are able to gain a point or two. He plays on a evidently worse team yet has 1 save percentage lower. That's miniscule and inconsequential. Now, GAA is a much more team oriented stat. Luongo has a worse GAA yet essentially has the same save percentage as Holtby.

Luongo is having a monster year, I list him in the conversation but feel that Holtby has to be the guy, leading the league in wins with a goals against under 2 is just too much.

 

  Karlsson will win the Norris, and in truth he is one Hell of a player but denigrating Klingberg because he has high scoring teammates does not wash with me because the same argument could easily be made with Karlsson, unlike past years the Sens have some explosive young offensive players as well. Does Karlsson pad their stats, sure, absolutely but it works both ways.

  I fully expect Karlsson to win but I would like to see Doughty win based off the year that he has had. He IS the Kings IMHO, on both ends of the ice.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Brent Burns ladies and gentlemen > Klingberg

Klingberg is young and has his hangup's. Defensively he is about even with Burns. Offensively, well, they are close with Burns a head and shoulder above in goal scoring.

Not sure if people notice this, but Burns is on pace for 35-40 goals playing defense and has 3 games in hand on Karlsson/Klingberg. SJ has been inconsistent crap all season except for Burns, who is steady and reliable and the best Fantasy Hockey Dman in the league

[J0e Th0rnton]

10 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Luongo is having a monster year, I list him in the conversation but feel that Holtby has to be the guy, leading the league in wins with a goals against under 2 is just too much.

 

  Karlsson will win the Norris, and in truth he is one Hell of a player but denigrating Klingberg because he has high scoring teammates does not wash with me because the same argument could easily be made with Karlsson, unlike past years the Sens have some explosive young offensive players as well. Does Karlsson pad their stats, sure, absolutely but it works both ways.

  I fully expect Karlsson to win but I would like to see Doughty win based off the year that he has had. He IS the Kings IMHO, on both ends of the ice.

Doughty is overrated. He is not playing that rock solid defensively this year, and is a step behind Suter and others. His reputation is solid d, but he has been off many times this year.

 

For the record, Karlsson has been playing very solid defensively, perhaps even better than Doughty many games. He has come away from being a one way dman.

 

 

[J0e Th0rnton]

10 hours ago, JagerMeister said:

Except you are assuming that the highest scoring defenseman isn't the best defenseman. The Norris trophy is the award for the defenseman who possesses the best all around play. And in this case, Karlsson is among the top 5 point producers, for every position... Second highest scoring defenseman is Kilngberg, and he plays with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, both in the top 3. Besides, I don't see anyone right now who is exceptional defensively, that it would compensate for the 15-20 plus points Karlsson has over them.

 

Also, Holtby being the best goalie as of now is rather ambiguous imo. The panthers are outshot in the majority of their games yet because of Luongo's stellar play, they are able to gain a point or two. He plays on a evidently worse team yet has 1 save percentage lower. That's miniscule and inconsequential. Now, GAA is a much more team oriented stat. Luongo has a worse GAA yet essentially has the same save percentage as Holtby.

Luongo LOVES facing tons of shots on goal a game. He specifically enforced "Let me see the shots and keep them to the outside. Bon't block " when he first went to Vancouver. It took them time to get used to it, but they started intentionally allowing him to face more shots from the perimeter at his request.

He is doing the same thing in florida. I recognize when I see Dmen who want to block certain shots but obviously resist the urge. Facing tons of perimeter shots to boost save % doesn't make it a better individual stat

 

 

[fanning&swirling]

Karlsson is the Hart trophy winner, damn who else is carrying a whole team, not Patric Kane. Blackhawks can easily do it without him.

Karlsson should get the Norris too. Gee, he is a force. People dont get him. If noone cut his heel again he´ll win it. Drew Doughty is a big fave, but no no, he is not at Karlsson´s level. 

Drew is stronger in defensive zone, but even there Karlsson triumph Drew, he just take the puck and when Doughty is leaving defensive zone Karlsson is up scoring in offensive zone. Offensive is the best Karlsson,... i mean defensive.

[JagerMeister]

23 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Luongo is having a monster year, I list him in the conversation but feel that Holtby has to be the guy, leading the league in wins with a goals against under 2 is just too much.

 

  Karlsson will win the Norris, and in truth he is one Hell of a player but denigrating Klingberg because he has high scoring teammates does not wash with me because the same argument could easily be made with Karlsson, unlike past years the Sens have some explosive young offensive players as well. Does Karlsson pad their stats, sure, absolutely but it works both ways.

  I fully expect Karlsson to win but I would like to see Doughty win based off the year that he has had. He IS the Kings IMHO, on both ends of the ice.

You can make the same argument for Karlsson. But Karlsson's teammates are irrefutably benefiting more from him then he is from them. He is fourth in scoring as a defenseman.

While Klingberg's two teammates are top three in scoring.

Holtby has undoubtedly been spectacular, but Wins and GAA are very team oriented stats. Just look at Capitals team in comparison to Florida's.

[JagerMeister]

3 hours ago, fanning&swirling said:

Karlsson is the Hart trophy winner, damn who else is carrying a whole team, not Patric Kane. Blackhawks can easily do it without him.

Karlsson should get the Norris too. Gee, he is a force. People dont get him. If noone cut his heel again he´ll win it. Drew Doughty is a big fave, but no no, he is not at Karlsson´s level. 

Drew is stronger in defensive zone, but even there Karlsson triumph Drew, he just take the puck and when Doughty is leaving defensive zone Karlsson is up scoring in offensive zone. Offensive is the best Karlsson,... i mean defensive.

This statement would hold some truth if this was any other year we were discussing. But this is already Kane's best regular season performance, while it has been captain intangibles worst season. He is 30 points ahead of the next highest point producer on his team.

Its truly something when someone contradicts themselves in the same sentence.

[ScottM]

I didn't include the Lady Byng or Jack Adams in my post, but I'll remark about them here. O'Reilly is a great candidate for the Lady Byng, but wouldn't it be the ultimate irony if he won it? Everyone seemed ready to throw him under the bus before the season, and now he could win that award? Incredible turnaround.

As for the Adams, I'll throw something Buck Showalter said at the press event I was in the other night into the discussion. Someone asked him about his AL manager of the year awards, and he said he looks at it as more of an organizational award than anything. Basically, he said that he thinks they tend to give it to the manager whose team had the greatest improvement, and overlook guys who keep their teams consistently at the top. Do we tend to do that with the Jack Adams as well? I don't ask that to discredit Ruff, because I think he's a great pick. He's built that team up in a hurry, and last year was a big part of that too. Still, in general, do we (and the voters) tend to do what Showalter said?

[yave1964]

3 hours ago, ScottM said:

I didn't include the Lady Byng or Jack Adams in my post, but I'll remark about them here. O'Reilly is a great candidate for the Lady Byng, but wouldn't it be the ultimate irony if he won it? Everyone seemed ready to throw him under the bus before the season, and now he could win that award? Incredible turnaround.

As for the Adams, I'll throw something Buck Showalter said at the press event I was in the other night into the discussion. Someone asked him about his AL manager of the year awards, and he said he looks at it as more of an organizational award than anything. Basically, he said that he thinks they tend to give it to the manager whose team had the greatest improvement, and overlook guys who keep their teams consistently at the top. Do we tend to do that with the Jack Adams as well? I don't ask that to discredit Ruff, because I think he's a great pick. He's built that team up in a hurry, and last year was a big part of that too. Still, in general, do we (and the voters) tend to do what Showalter said?

Truer words never spoke, lets use Scotty Bowman as an example. The award was first given in 1974, Montreal was an elite team, from 76-79 the Habs won every year, the winners those 4 years were:

76: Don Cherry....77....Bowman....78 Bobby Kromm.....79 Al Arobour

1991 taking over the Pens for the dying Badger Bob Johnson and winning the cup the Adams went to Brian Sutter of the Blues.

1997 and 1998 the Wings won back to back cups, the Adams award winners were Ted Nolan in Buffalo and Pat Burns in Boston.

In 2002 Bowmans final record breaking cup he did not win again, instead it was won by the immortal Bobby Francis of the Coyotes.

In short the greatest coach in the history of the game who coached pretty much continuously from 1974 through 2002 win exactly 2 Adams, in 1977 and again in 1996 when the Wings had the best record but did not win the cup.

  He won 7 cups since the inception of the Adams, (2 previously) and only won the Adams once in a cup winning year. It proves Buck's (and your) point quite nicely.

  Another case in point is Joel Quinneville who is arguably the greatest active coach in the game today, during his three cup wins with the Hawks has lost every single one of those years to the likes of Bob Hartley, Paul Maclean and Dave Tippett. Quinneville did win once, back in 1999-00 when he coached the Blues. They were a bit of an upstart, but did not win the cup.

If you want to say the greatest coach of al time is Arbour instead of Scotty, then fine, he won it once, in 1979, the Isles did not win the cup that year, Bowman's Canadiens did.

I feel like I have hijacked your comment a bit, no offense if I did so, Very good point you made, just wanted to back it up with a bit of evidence.

[ScottM]

41 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Truer words never spoke, lets use Scotty Bowman as an example. The award was first given in 1974, Montreal was an elite team, from 76-79 the Habs won every year, the winners those 4 years were:

76: Don Cherry....77....Bowman....78 Bobby Kromm.....79 Al Arobour

1991 taking over the Pens for the dying Badger Bob Johnson and winning the cup the Adams went to Brian Sutter of the Blues.

1997 and 1998 the Wings won back to back cups, the Adams award winners were Ted Nolan in Buffalo and Pat Burns in Boston.

In 2002 Bowmans final record breaking cup he did not win again, instead it was won by the immortal Bobby Francis of the Coyotes.

In short the greatest coach in the history of the game who coached pretty much continuously from 1974 through 2002 win exactly 2 Adams, in 1977 and again in 1996 when the Wings had the best record but did not win the cup.

  He won 7 cups since the inception of the Adams, (2 previously) and only won the Adams once in a cup winning year. It proves Buck's (and your) point quite nicely.

  Another case in point is Joel Quinneville who is arguably the greatest active coach in the game today, during his three cup wins with the Hawks has lost every single one of those years to the likes of Bob Hartley, Paul Maclean and Dave Tippett. Quinneville did win once, back in 1999-00 when he coached the Blues. They were a bit of an upstart, but did not win the cup.

If you want to say the greatest coach of al time is Arbour instead of Scotty, then fine, he won it once, in 1979, the Isles did not win the cup that year, Bowman's Canadiens did.

I feel like I have hijacked your comment a bit, no offense if I did so, Very good point you made, just wanted to back it up with a bit of evidence.

I don't think you hijacked it at all. That's a very detailed, researched post that makes the case very well. In fact, if anything, I think it proves that the idea is even more pronounced than I would have thought.

[yave1964]

6 minutes ago, ScottM said:

I don't think you hijacked it at all. That's a very detailed, researched post that makes the case very well. In fact, if anything, I think it proves that the idea is even more pronounced than I would have thought.

Yeah, looking at it a bit closer (because I am sitting around with the wife watching one of her shows and I have too much time on my hands, lol) the last time a Stanley Cup winner won the cup and the Adams in the same year was in 2004, John Tortorella. Prior to the it was Jacques Lemaire in 1994 with the Devils. Prior to that it was Slats Sather in 1986. Sofrom 1987 through last year, So in the 28 years after Sather won both the cup and the Adams, only two Cup winners went on to win the Adams.

   Now back to watching Mt 600 pound life with the wife, lol.

[OccamsRazor]

Trio battle for NHL's Calder Trophy

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/trio-battle-nhls-calder-trophy-012255178.html

Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks

Simply known as the "Bread Man" in Chicago, the Russian-born Panarin has fit right in with the defending Stanley Cup champions, anchoring a line with countryman Artem Anisimov and NHL points leader Patrick Kane. At 24, Panarin is older than most rookies after being signed as a free agent from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. With experience on his side, Panarin has gone full #YeastMode in Chicago, leading all rookies with 39 points, including three game-winning goals.

Max Domi, Arizona Coyotes

If the last name sounds familiar, you may remember Domi's father, Tie, engaging in some of the most violent fights in NHL history for the Maple Leafs. The enforcer skills must skip a generation, because Max's soft hands and scoring touch have propelled the 20-year-old to stardom in Phoenix, where he plays on the first line and is a point away from leading the Coyotes in scoring. Second only to Panarin in rookie points scored, Domi is one of the main reasons why the Coyotes are poised to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in four years.

Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

When Dylan Larkin made his NHL debut Oct. 19, he became the first teenager to score for the Red Wings since Steve Yzerman. Larkin also is the only rookie who will appear in this year's All-Star Game. Not bad, for a 19-year-old. Not only does Larkin lead all rookies in plus-minus with a plus-22, he also trails only Kings center Tyler Toffoli (plus-23) for the NHL's overall lead.

A good solid race.....

 

I think Ghost could have been in there too if he had started the season on the Flyers. Sam Bennett making a late season push too.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well guys, starting tomorrow we are entering the last leg run to the post season, and I thought it would be BUMP time for this thread as some players have really separated themselves in the races for the various hardware awards....and some races are still close.

 

I will start with the last post in this thread, about the Calder.

 

Occams rightly had Panarin, Domi, and Larkin (and those are still viable of course), but you simply can't leave Jack Eichel out of the equation, and he is MY pick for the Calder.

Ya, it'll be tough sledding for Eichel due to him being 12 points behind point leading Panarin, but there are more than enough games left in the season for Eichel to make a push.

 

Main stumbling block for Jack though, would be who he plays with. Let's face it, if Panarin is playing with Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews, then that right there is a huge advantage over ANYONE on the current Sabres who is playing on the same line with Eichel! Just no getting around that.

 

That said, Eichel is producing and carrying the load on a team that is still quite behind the curve of being a contender. Not a ton of defense and goaltending to speak of, yet Eichel continues to be the one player that can be relied on if the team needs some offense.

 

Panarin is the favorite, but I will channel my inner HJ and say, Jack Eichel pulls a rabbit out of his Sabre hat and steals away the Calder when all is said n done!

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

One other award that I would like to buck the trend on is the Norris.

 

Now, I honestly gave up on the 'proper' player winning this award long ago as it seems it usually goes to the highest point producing defenseman (and this year it's Erik Karlsson), but I'd like to make a case for Brent Burns.

 

I never was a Burns fan since way back when he played for the Minnesota Wild. In fact, I was happy the Wild traded him and got Charlie Coyle, Devin Setoguchi, and a 1st round pick (Zack Phillips).

I always thought Burns was a liability on defense and while his offense was good, it still didn't make up for the chances and goals against. Plus, with Coyle, Setoguchi and a 1st rounder, the Wild HAD to come out on top here, right?

 

Well, not so fast. Burns proved many (myself included) wrong and has gotten progressively better in San Jose both as an all around defenseman while still maintaining and IMPROVING his offensive play....with a tad of mean streak thrown in too.

Setoguchi, meanwhile, did very little for the Wild, Zack Phillips has yet to be a factor with the big club, and while Charlie Coyle is rounding into a nice top six forward, Brent Burns is by far, outpacing him in overall development.

 

But this post is about the Norris, not who won a trade some 6 years ago, right?

Right.

Thus, my pick for Brent Burns over Erik Karlsson for the Norris.

 

Burns is right there with Karlsson in the production department, but I believe, plays an overall better brand of defense, complete with all the physical aspects of it, that gives TRUE meaning to "Norris Candidate".

 

Not taking anything away from Erik Karlsson, but Burns, right now, just seems like the complete package of offense, defense, hitter, coverage guy, game changer, and a guy a team can ride all the way to the post season.

Is this a fluke year for Burns? Maybe. But I think not.

 

Like I said...I think he has been building up to this fine year for several seasons now and this is simply who he is as an NHL player.

And while I love Charlie Coyle on the Wild, I'd have to say, the Sharks ended up with the better end of the deal here after all.

 

Brent.........making the Norris hardware a trophy for overall best defensemen once again!

[MadDevil]

Yeah, the Norris has always been a tough one for me. I almost feel like it's become the most valuable defenseman instead of the best defenseman, if that makes any sense. I mean, I get how valuable a guy like Karlsson or even Letang (maybe bot necessarily this season) are to their teams because of their offense, but to me the Norris should be about who the best all-around defenseman is. And a lot of those guys just don't put up the "sexy" point totals that the Karlssons and Letangs of the league do. Burns maybe being the exception this year. I almost feel like they need two awards for defensemen.

Edited February 2, 2016 by MadDevil

[BluPuk]

Just askin' here. Are you guys OK with Panarin being classified as a "rookie"? Isn't it high time we drop the "NHL is the only real pro league in the world" thing and admitted that Panarin is no rookie? The KHL really is a 'pro' hockey league? I can accept that maybe it's just old me, but I think Larkin (or possibly even McDavid) are getting 'screwed'.

How about you guys?

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

12 minutes ago, BluPuk said:

Just askin' here. Are you guys OK with Panarin being classified as a "rookie"? Isn't it high time we drop the "NHL is the only real pro league in the world" thing and admitted that Panarin is no rookie? The KHL really is a 'pro' hockey league? I can accept that maybe it's just old me, but I think Larkin (or possibly even McDavid) are getting 'screwed'.

How about you guys?

 

I hear ya, @ BluPuk , but the bottom line is, by NHL standards, he is still a "rookie" and will be treated as such for the purposes of contracts, awards, etc.

Even if you or I would consider him not to be so (he certainly is a young, but VERY veteran player having played all those seasons in the K while still being only about 24 or 25), the fact remains this is his first year in the NHL, a rook, and thus, eligible for the Calder.

 

As you know, the NHL themselves have to acknowledge his previous seasons in the KHL and perhaps give him status past being a rookie...though they won't.

Yet another reason I like Eichel for the Calder better! 

[J0e Th0rnton]

15 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

One other award that I would like to buck the trend on is the Norris.

 

Now, I honestly gave up on the 'proper' player winning this award long ago as it seems it usually goes to the highest point producing defenseman (and this year it's Erik Karlsson), but I'd like to make a case for Brent Burns.

 

I never was a Burns fan since way back when he played for the Minnesota Wild. In fact, I was happy the Wild traded him and got Charlie Coyle, Devin Setoguchi, and a 1st round pick (Zack Phillips).

I always thought Burns was a liability on defense and while his offense was good, it still didn't make up for the chances and goals against. Plus, with Coyle, Setoguchi and a 1st rounder, the Wild HAD to come out on top here, right?

 

Well, not so fast. Burns proved many (myself included) wrong and has gotten progressively better in San Jose both as an all around defenseman while still maintaining and IMPROVING his offensive play....with a tad of mean streak thrown in too.

Setoguchi, meanwhile, did very little for the Wild, Zack Phillips has yet to be a factor with the big club, and while Charlie Coyle is rounding into a nice top six forward, Brent Burns is by far, outpacing him in overall development.

 

But this post is about the Norris, not who won a trade some 6 years ago, right?

Right.

Thus, my pick for Brent Burns over Erik Karlsson for the Norris.

 

Burns is right there with Karlsson in the production department, but I believe, plays an overall better brand of defense, complete with all the physical aspects of it, that gives TRUE meaning to "Norris Candidate".

 

Not taking anything away from Erik Karlsson, but Burns, right now, just seems like the complete package of offense, defense, hitter, coverage guy, game changer, and a guy a team can ride all the way to the post season.

Is this a fluke year for Burns? Maybe. But I think not.

 

Like I said...I think he has been building up to this fine year for several seasons now and this is simply who he is as an NHL player.

And while I love Charlie Coyle on the Wild, I'd have to say, the Sharks ended up with the better end of the deal here after all.

 

Brent.........making the Norris hardware a trophy for overall best defensemen once again!

I have no complaints about Brent Burns. He is doing what he is there to do. He is a dynamic offensive force who can barrel to the net like a power forward, blast it from the point and everything in between.

 

But I would not give him much Norris consideration. His defensive zone play is fairly horrendous at times when he gets stuck watching the puck. To the point of me comparing him watching the play to myself watching the game on my couch, only with less movement. He is a huge man with a condor wingspan and it keeps him in the play at times and saves his bacon, and a very mobile guy on his skates. But his positional instincts are often wrong.

[MadDevil]

On the Vezina, Cory Schneider currently has a better GAA and Save % than Holtby and plays on the second lowest scoring team in the league. If they make the playoffs I think he deserves serious Hart consideration.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Connor McDavid.

 

Back with a bang (granted it WAS against the Blue Jackets, but still....) and putting the other rooks on notice:

"It doesn't matter how many games I missed, I am going to be there for consideration for that damned Calder!"

 

Ok, ok...so McDavid has a lot of work to do (as does his team), and no one can really expect him to do what he did against the Jackets on a nightly basis.

But this is still Connor Freakin McDavid.

Maybe he CAN do what he did on Tuesday regularly. I mean, he walks on water after all, right?

I thought I read on here somewhere that he can walk on water, turn rocks to fish, and water to wine.....I could be wrong...

 

Anyways, this guy isn't going away quietly in the Calder race.

I will stick with my pick Jack Eichel, but still.....Eichel, Larkin, Panarin, McDavid, Domi, Duclair?

This Calder race will be fun to watch to say the least.