Predicting the 2024 NHL Awards

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As the 2023-24 NHL regular season comes to an end, more and more people are talking about which players should receive which awards. While some names are obvious favorites for the awards, other names continue to be left out of conversations, leading to lots of controversy. These are some predictions for every major individual award this season.

Hart Memorial Trophy: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

Honorable mentions: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers / Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs / Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning / Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

MacKinnon is consistently one of the best players in the NHL year in, and year out. While he has never received the Hart Trophy, this year may be the one where it happens. He is currently second in the league in scoring, while he is top five in goals with 43. There is perhaps no other player in the league that is more important to his team than MacKinnon is to the Avalanche. Since joining the team about a decade ago, he has turned Colorado into a powerhouse; especially this season where they are second place in the Western Conference. It should be very interesting to see how the rest of the regular season and the playoffs pan out, because this prestigious award is still very much up for grabs.

Calder Memorial Trophy: Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

Honorable mentions: Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild / Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils

This is a pretty easy one. Bedard is the clear-cut favorite for the Calder and it’s not even close at this point. He leads all rookies in points (leads in both goals and assists), even though he has also missed 14 games in the regular season due to a jaw injury. It doesn’t look like anyone is going to catch up to him, as he continues to perform as Chicago’s best player. This probably won’t be Bedard’s only NHL trophy, since he is well on his way to having a great career in professional hockey.

Vezina Trophy: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Honorable mentions: Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks / Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers / Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins

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Hellebuyck is a world-class goalie. This is proven by most of the league seeing him as the best tender in the game at the moment. The stats say that he has been elite over the past couple of years, while they also say that he is deserving of the Vezina Trophy this year. He is second in goals against average and save percentage, as well as being tied for third in wins. That is not an easy feat for a guy who has already played in 50 regular season games for the Jets this season. He is the motor that keeps Winnipeg running, and is the main reason why they are able to compete against any team in the league. One big factor in the Vezina race this year is how some of these goalies can perform in the playoffs as well. The damage that the Jets can do in the postseason relies entirely on what Hellebuyck can do. If he is able to play the same way that he has in the regular season so far, this trophy will be all his.

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Honorable mentions: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche / Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers / Noah Dobson, New York Islanders

Fans have been waiting for Hughes to make the jump that everyone saw out of his younger brother Jack. Well here it is. This season he has been phenomenal, leading all defensemen in scoring with 79, as of Mar. 23. He is one of the most crucial pieces on an overachieving Vancouver squad, who are first place in the Western Conference. To show just how good of a player Hughes is, one must look at his +/-, which is 37; good enough for third in the league. Like many other awards this year, the Norris is still very much up for grabs depending on how some of these defenseman end their seasons. Hughes has to continue to come up big for the Canucks if he wants to beat Cale Makar, who is closing in on this award rapidly.

Art Ross Trophy: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

Honorable mentions: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche / Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Maurice Richard Trophy: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Honorable mentions: Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers / Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers

These two trophies are being grouped together based off how similar they are. The Art Ross Trophy commemorates the best scorer in the league, while the Maurice Richard Trophy is presented to the top goal scorer. On the one side, Kucherov has been the top “point getter” in the league for most of the season (122 points), and he isn’t slowing down. Assuming he can maintain the same production that he has over the past couple of months, he will be the winner. On the other side, Matthews has dominated other teams this season. He is already up to 57 goals on the season, while there are still plenty of games left. This is a very easy choice, considering that it is nearly impossible for anyone else to catch up to that number.

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Honorable mention: Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers

This would be Barkov’s second time winning the Selke Trophy, and it’s pretty clear as to why. Since he was drafted in 2013, Barkov has been one of the best defensive forwards in the league. This season has been nothing short of the same, as he is dominating the ice both offensively and defensively. He has made the Panthers into the team they are now, right alongside Sam Reinhart, who is the lone honorable mention in the conversation. Together, they have put Florida on the map and have not looked back.

Jack Adams Award: Rick Tocchet, Vancouver Canucks

Honorable mentions: Peter Laviolette, New York Rangers / Rick Bowness, Winnipeg Jets / Paul Maurice, Florida Panthers / John Tortorella, Philadelphia Flyers / Kris Knoblauch, Edmonton Oilers

The Canucks have thrived under a full season of Rick Tocchet. In the 2022-23 season, Vancouver was scrutinized for “not being good enough”, but they have quickly turned that around in less than a year. They are the top team in the west and are competing for the top spot in the NHL. Tocchet is getting the very most out of his top players and is one of the main reasons as to why they will be competing for a Stanley Cup. However, the other coaches listed have done just as good of a job with their teams, as the trophy is anyone’s guess at this point.

Photo Credit: Jess Starr / The Hockey Writers

Once again, these are just predictions and subject to change as the regular season is still going on. With that, the playoffs will be a large factor in which players get which awards. The final push is here for most NHL teams, but it is also here for the players as well.