With December coming to a close there is still a lot of hockey left to be played but for fun if the season ended today what players would win awards?

                                       Hart: Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

                 Runner Ups: Kirill Kaprizov (MNW), Quinn Hughes (VAN)

The Hart trophy is awarded to the player who is most valuable to their team in the regular season. Nathan MacKinnon has been very valuable this whole season. At the beginning of the year the Avalanche were decimated by injuries and getting poor goaltending. Nathan MacKinnon kept them near NHL .500 with his stellar play and because of that when they got healthy and traded for better goalies, they were able to take off and cement themselves into a solid position to make the playoffs. If he wins the Hart trophy it would be the second of his career and in a row.

Norris: Quinn Hughes (VAN)

Runner Ups: Cale Makar (COL), Zachary Werenski (CBJ)

The Norris trophy is awarded to the best all-around defenseman in the regular season. So far this season I would give the slight edge to Quinn Hughes over Cale Makar. In the defensive end Quinn Hughes, while not very physical, has been very solid. His 8 goals and 34 assists (42 points) in 34 games this season is the highest point per game for a defenseman this year. This is even more impressive when you factor in that the Canucks top scorers from last season are not replicating their production and that Hughes’s defensive partner Filip Hronek has missed 14 games this season. He is also the only defenseman in the NHL that leads his team in points. While he is currently injured, I believe he has been the best defenseman so far this season. If he wins the Norris trophy it would be his second of his career and in a row.

Vezina: Connor Hellebuyck (WIN)

      Runner Ups: Mackenzie Blackwood (COL), Filip Gustavsson (MNW)

The Vezina trophy is awarded to the best goalie in the regular season. Connor Hellebuyck currently leads the NHL in Goals Against Average (2.06), Save% (.927), Shutouts (5), Saves (878), Wins (24), and is tied for games played (31). Yes, the Jets have played great defense in front of him, but Hellebuyck is a huge part of their success this season. His stats truly speak for themselves and because of that he has easily been the best goalie this season. If he wins the Vezina Trophy it would be the third of his career and second in a row.

Calder: Macklin Celebrini (SJS)

                    Runner Ups: Dustin Wolf (CGY), Lane Hutson (MTL)

The Calder trophy is awarded to the best rookie in the regular season. Macklin Celebrini has immediately been a very effective player for the Sharks at just 18 years old. His all-around game is solid, and he puts up points. He has the most PPG of any rookie this season with 12 goals and 15 assists (27 points) in 29 games.

Selke: Nico Hischier (NJD)

Runner Ups: Jordan Staal (CAR), Anthony Cirelli (TBL)

The Selke is awarded to the best defensive forward in the regular season. The Selke is a hard trophy to justify off of stats because you can really never know how good someone is defensively without watching them, however I will do my best. Nico Hischier has continued his very solid play defensively this year. Hischier has a high hockey IQ and is often positioned well in the defensive zone. He is also a big part of the Devils Penalty Kill (PK) which is 7th in the NHL. This season his Short-Handed Time On Ice is 89 minutes and 23 seconds which is 13th in the NHL and most on the Devils. He has also been on the ice 44.2% of the time the Devils have been on the PK which is 34th in the NHL and most on the Devils. He has been very solid in the faceoff dot, He has won 55.9% of his draws this season. He has won just a hair under 48% of his Defensive Zone Faceoffs. While that might not sound impressive it is important to consider the fact the offensive centerman has an advantage on faceoffs and Hischier’s 205 Defensive Faceoff wins leads the NHL this season. The Devils use him as a shutdown center to go against the top forwards on the opposing team which is very useful especially in the third period when trying to hold a lead. If he wins the Selke, it would be the first of his career.

                                Jack Adams: Spencer Carbery (WSH)

                 Runner Ups: Ryan Huska (CGY), Scott Arniel (WIN)

The Jack Adams is awarded to the Head Coach who contributed most to his team’s success. My biggest factor for my decision is what coaches got the most out of their players and exceeded expectations the most and I settled on Capitals Head Coach, Spencer Carbery who has continued his impressive journey since being hired prior to the 2023-24 season. Coming into this season my expectations of the Capitals were not all that high. I viewed them as a team that lacked high end talent, and I thought that their ceiling was a wildcard team, but Carbery’s Capitals have proved me wrong. In 2022-23 the Capitals missed the playoffs and finished 6th in the Metropolitan Division. Last season the Capitals snuck into the playoffs as the final wildcard team in the Eastern Conference. I viewed them making it as a fluke because of the circumstances. They had a differential of -30 which was the worst of any playoff team in over 30 seasons. This season Spencer Carbery has done a great job getting the most out of his players. Young players having break out seasons and veterans bouncing back from down seasons have contributed to the Capitals success in having the second most goals in the NHL. They also play good team-defense and have had solid goaltending. 

   Ted Lindsay: Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

Runner Ups: Lean Draisaitl (EDM), Quinn Hughes (VAN)

The Ted Lindsay is awarded to the best player in the regular season, voted amongst the players. Nathan MacKinnon is having another great season leading the NHL in points and assists. If he wins the Ted Lindsay trophy it would be his second of his career and in a row.

Bill Masterton: Sean Monahan (CBJ)

The Bill Masterton is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. While in most circumstances I probably would not predict the Bill Masterton because it does not have to do with what happens on the ice as much as the other awards but under these circumstances, I think it’s important to talk about. During this past off-season Sean Monahan signed with the Blue Jackets. Being able to reunite with past teammate and good friend Johnny Gaudreau influenced his decision. Unfortunately, Johnny tragically died with his brother Matthew Gaudreau after being hit by a drunk driver while biking. Monahan has dedicated his play to his friend’s legacy and is on pace to have his best season since the 2018-19 season.