Who will be taking home some more silverware in 2022?
These are some of our trophy predictions as we approach the half-way mark of the season.
Auston Matthews: Rocket Richard Trophy
Auston Matthews currently leads all players (more than 5 GP) with 0.76 Goals for / game. Despite missing all of training camp and half-a-dozen games, he is right up there competing for the top of the NHL in goals, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (27) and Leon Draisaitl (26) despite playing far less games than both.
The 24-year-old has hit the 40-goal plateau 3 times in his young career, with his peak being 47 goals in 70 games during the shortened 2019-20 season. His consistency throughout his 6-year career lead's me to believe he will be able to keep his current pace during the remainder of the season.
He already has one Rocket Richard trophy under his belt, which he won during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season where he scored 41 goals in 52 games.
Our prediction: 56 Goals
Runner-ups: Alex Ovechkin (52 Goals) Leon Draisaitl (45 Goals).
Hart Trophy: Alex Ovechkin
There is no doubt Alex Ovechkin is still one of the league's top players, and he is almost singlehandedly carrying the Washington Capitals.
Leading the league in both goals (27), and points (55), consistency has not been an issue for the three-time Hart trophy winning forward.
He won back-to-back Hart trophies in 07-08 and 08-09.
The closest player in points to Alex Ovechkin on the Washington Capitals is Evgeny Kuznetsov, with 39.
There's no doubt he is the MVP of the cup-contending Washington Capitals, who currently sit third in the Metropolitan division, and fifth in the over-all standings.
Prediction: 52 Goals, 54 Assists (106 Points)
Runner-ups: Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jonathan Huberdeau
Norris Trophy: Cale Makar
Today's NHL is full of elite defensemen, however, none shine quite as bright as Cale Makar.
With 37 points in 32 games, the 23-year-old currently leads all NHL defensemen (more than 5 GP) with 1.25 Points / game. Which if translated over a full 82-game season, would be roughly 102 points.
He's keeping pace with other defense men in the defensive scoring race, despite having played 7-9 less games than his competitors.
He lead's all defensemen by a wide margin in goals scored, with 16 goals so far.
Here is Makar's bid for Goal-of-the-year scored against the Chicago Blackhawks back on January 4th.
The vote is going to be very close, however, Cale will pull ahead of the race during a Colorado Avalanche playoff run.
Prediction: 30 Goals, 52 Assists (82 points)
Runner-Ups: Victor hedman, Adam Fox
Ted Lindsay Award: Connor McDavid
Despite his recent struggles, as well as the Oilers current situation, there's still no doubt that Connor McDavid is the most exceptional player in the NHL.
The three-time reigning Ted Lindsay award winner will look to add another one to his vast collection of trophies.
with 53 points in 34 games played and a 1.56 Goals / game average, McDavid is keeping up with a pace he has maintained over the duration of his 7-year NHL career thus far.
Last season, he led the NHL in points by a mile. Putting up 105 points in his 56-game COVID-19 shortened campaign.
However, with only 3 points in his previous 5-games, his pace has dramatically slowed down from earlier on in the season, however you can expect him to find his rhythm and soon pick up where he left off.
Prediction: 44 Goals, 80 Assists (124 points)
Runner-ups: Leon Draisaitl, Nathan Mackinnon, Alex Ovechkin
Vezina Trophy: Igor Shesterkin
Igor Shesterkin has quietly over-taken Jack Campbell as the Vezina Trophy favorite.
With a 1.99 GAA, and a .939 SV%, he currently leads all goaltenders in both categories (Min. 10 GP).
With Jack Campbell (Toronto) Allowing 13 goals in his previous 3 games, the gap between the two goaltenders in the Vezina race has significantly widened as Shesterkin pulls ahead.
With a 17-4-2 record with the New York Rangers, Shesterkin continues to make his mark in the NHL. He also has earned a shutout in 2 of his past 3 starts.
The 26-year-old from Russia has truly made a name for himself, bouncing back from last year which saw the Rangers finish fifth in their division and miss the playoffs.
Runner-ups: Jack Campbell, Andrei Vasilevskiy
