Who
will win NHL hardware?
By Matthew Ross
Will Jaromir
Jagr be adding some more trophies to his mantle
at the end of the 2005/06 National Hockey League
season? Jagr has won the Art Ross Trophy five
times in his career, and was once awarded the
Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable
player.
With the Czech winger
leading the New York Rangers to unexpected heights,
he’ll get quite a bit of consideration
from the Hart voters again this year when it’s
time to cast their ballots. Let’s take
a look at the contenders for all of the major
trophies this season:
Hart Trophy
- Most Valuable Player
With Jagr leading
the NHL scoring race, and the Rangers riding
high in the Eastern Conference standings, the
1999 Hart Trophy recipient is probably the top
candidate for that award this season. However,
Eric Staal isn’t far behind Jagr in points,
and he’s by far the top scorer on a Carolina
Hurricanes team that has one of the best records
in the league. Joe Thornton has shifted seamlessly
to San Jose, but if the Sharks miss the playoffs
Big Joe isn’t likely to snag a nomination.
Alexander Ovechkin is pretty much the Washington
Capitals, but the Caps would be bad with or
without their rookie star. Daniel Alfredsson
would be Ottawa’s top candidate, but his
strong supporting cast hurts his chances for
this trophy; same deal with Mike Modano in Dallas.
The dark horse candidate could be Calgary goalie
Miikka Kiprusoff. The Flames’ pop-gun
offense should have them in the lower portion
of the Western Conference standings; instead,
thanks in large part to the strong play of Kiprusoff,
the Flames are a Western contender.
Top three candidates
for the Hart Trophy today: Jagr, Staal, Kiprusoff
Norris Trophy
- Top Defenseman
Only six active players
have won the Norris Trophy: Chris Chelios, Brian
Leetch, Rob Blake, Chris Pronger, Nicklas Lidstrom,
and Scott Niedermayer. Of those six, Lidstrom
has the best shot at winning this year, as he
leads all defensemen in scoring, has a solid
plus/minus, rarely takes penalties, and contributes
on the power play. The Stars’ Sergei Zubov
and the Kings’ Lubomir Visnovsky could
be contenders as well, with numbers that nearly
mirror those of Lidstrom. Bryan McCabe shot
out to a fast start with flashy numbers for
the Leafs, but defensive deficiencies will likely
hold him back here. Niedermayer is always a
contender, but Blake and Pronger look like they’re
now a step back. Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara
have a vote-splitting issue in Ottawa, although
Redden has one of the league’s top plus/minus
ratings. Rookie Dion Phaneuf will be a Norris
candidate for many years to come, but it’s
not likely to happen in his first season.
Top three candidates
for the Norris Trophy today: Lidstrom, Zubov,
Redden
Calder Trophy
- Rookie of the Year
The preseason hype
had Alexander Ovechkin battling Sidney Crosby
for this trophy, and those two forwards have
both had Calder-caliber seasons. However, Ovechkin
is ahead of Crosby in points, will likely cruise
past the 50-goal mark, and hasn’t been
subjected to all the ‘crybaby’ accusations.
That gives him the edge for this award right
now. Predicting the third finalist for the Calder
this year is a more difficult task. Henrik Lundqvist
grabbed the Rangers’ starting goaltender
job early in the season and has put up a stellar
goals-against average and save percentage. That
could be enough to have him included in the
final three. However, Sabres goaltender Ryan
Miller has been solid for his contending team
as well. In fact, so many first-year netminders
have been contributing positively to their respective
teams this season that voters could quite possibly
look past Lundqvist and name Phaneuf as the
third Calder Trophy candidate instead. The Flames
rookie leads all NHL defenseman in power play
goals this season, and in just a short time
has established himself as a rock on the Calgary
blue line.
Top three candidates
for the Calder Trophy today: Ovechkin, Crosby,
Phaneuf
Vezina Trophy
- Top Goaltender
Martin Brodeur won
this trophy the last two times it was awarded,
but he isn’t likely to be even a nominee
this time around. Kiprusoff has to be the frontrunner
right now, as he sits among the goalie leaders
in all the major statistical categories. Lundqvist
could get shut out as a Calder nominee but find
himself on the Vezina ballot. Tomas Vokoun has
one of the league’s top save percentages,
and is backstopping a strong Nashville team
to a high finish in the Western Conference.
Central Division rival Manny Legace also has
great numbers for Detroit, as does the Wild’s
Manny Fernandez. Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco
don’t look like they have the stats to
compete this season, even with Turco’s
high win total. Six-time Vezina winner Dominik
Hasek has some of the best goalie numbers in
the league, but an Olympic injury has hurt his
chances; he needs to come back pretty soon to
garner consideration as a finalist and edge
out Lundqvist et al.
Top three candidates
for the Vezina Trophy today: Kiprusoff, Vokoun,
Hasek
Jack Adams Trophy
- Coach of the Year
Dramatic, one-year
improvements by your team are a great way to
snag a nomination for the Adams Trophy, making
it possible that all three finalists will come
out of the Eastern Conference this season. The
Hurricanes’ Peter Laviolette, the Sabres’
Lindy Ruff, and the Rangers’ Tom Renney
all have their respective teams playing well
above their 2003/04 season levels, and those
three could all end up with home-ice advantage
in the first round of the playoffs. However,
Laviolette and Renney have each had huge scoring
seasons from their star forwards to help their
cause; Ruff’s top scorers, Maxim Afinogenov
and Ales Kotalik, aren’t even on a point-per-game
pace, and Buffalo has had problems with injuries.
If the Sabres avoid fading over the final month,
Ruff could be the frontrunner for the Adams.
Laviolette should be a lock as a finalist as
well, but Renney could get bumped if voters
feel the need to add a Western Conference coach
to the mix, like Detroit’s Dave Babcock,
Dallas’ Dave Tippett, or Nashville’s
Barry Trotz.
Top three candidates for the Adams Trophy today:
Ruff, Laviolette, Babcock
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