The NHL regular season was ending before the season had to be shut down due to COVID-19. So many questions are still up in the air for how the rest of the season will play out, including if the season will be able to finish all together. Something we may never get to know is who would have won big at the annual NHL Awards that happens during the summer after the Stanley Cup finals. Writers and broadcasters within the sport come together to vote for who they think best represents the award description. So, I am here to give my opinion on who should have won.
- Lady Byng winner: Nathan Mackinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Starting off the list with what is in my opinion the most subjective of all the awards. This trophy is supposed to go to the most gentlemanly player. I think this award is subjective mostly because what makes someone a “gentleman” especially in a high contact sport like hockey. Also, who would sports writers know if they are not on the ice themselves. I perceive the award as the player who gives his all every game and plays the sport with heart and respect. Watching Nathan Mackinnon is a treat in of itself and you could argue he carried the Avs when both Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen were out with injuries.
- Jack Adams Award Winner: John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Which coach stood out among the rest and led his teams to bigger and better expectations? This award is the hardest to figure out for me. The season itself can be summed up by players leaving and injuries. It came down to Paul Maurice, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, and Tortorella. Both has similar struggles to face going into the season. Winnipeg lost most of the its veteran defensive core (a strong point of the team) while Columbus lost its star forwards due to free agent trades. Both teams have low expectations going in and exceeded them. I have Torts the upper hand because Columbus is in a harder division (the metropolitan).
- Selke Trophy: Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers)
The Selke is awarded to the best two-way center. Two way meaning they responsible not only in their offensive zone but also the defensive zone, a feat for forwards. Couturier has been an underrated center for most of his career. His 56.25 corsi (possession numbers) proves that he is a big part of the Flyers success this season.
- Vezina Trophy: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
Awarded to the goalie that best helped his team. Hellebuyck is a lay up for this award that is voted on by NHL GMs. Hellebuyck has the most appearances for the starting goalie and has faced the highest danger shots out of any goalie in the league. His stats this season includes 58 appearances with a .922 save percentage; he also has a whopping six shutouts to top it all off.
- Calder Trophy: Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)
The best rookie of 2019-2020 is a debate that has gone of more most of the season now. The two rookies in question have been 20-year-old defensemen Quinn Hughes, and 21-year-old defensemen Cale Makar (Avalanche). What makes this debate so heated is that the players are both defensemen, a rarity for this award since it is known defensemen often take time to “mature” versus forwards. Quinn accumulated 53 points in 68 games and plays are a “inferior” team compared to Makar.
- Norris Trophy: John Carlson (Washington Capitals)
Carlson should take the title of the best defensemen in the league. It is quite ironic since his best career season really has nothing to do with his defensive qualities, but his offensive ones. The fact that he can be on a team with the likes on Alex Ovechkin, TJ Oshie, Jakub Vrana, and Nick Backstrom and still hold your own offensively is impressive. Carlson’s 1.09 points-per-game average is the highest for any defenseman since 1993-94. His prowess begs the argument that always comes up for the Norris. Should there be two awards: best defensive defensemen and best offensive defensive?
- Hart Trophy: Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
The biggest award of the show; who will receive the honor of being the MVP of the season. If the season would have went as played, it would have been a given that Draisaitl would have won his first Art Ross Trophy for most points in the league. Being a line mate with Connor McDavid is a blessing and it can be a curse. Draisaitl proved that he does not need his line mate to be a great player when McDavid went down for two weeks with an injury. It is hard to look at his stats are and argue with them.
Unfinished Business 