The 2015 NHL awards were dominated by one man, with a side of inspiration from a young Ottawa hockey fan. Carey Price took home four awards after a career year, winning the Hart trophy (MVP), the Vezina trophy (top goalie), the Ted Lindsey Award (outstanding player) and a share of the William Jennings trophy (lowest team goals against average). Expect a wider spreading of the wealth this time around. All scoring statistics courtesy of nhl.com.
Art Ross Trophy
Winner: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Finalists: Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars), John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Last season, Crosby scored 84 points in 77 games, which translates to 89 points over 82 games, a number which would have won him the scoring race. That production all came without new teammate Phil Kessel, one of the top ten most productive players in the league the past three years, who the Penguins acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the offseason. That move should be enough to get Crosby back on top of league scoring, health permitting. Seguin is the player with the best chance of beating him out, after scoring at a nearly identical pace last season and also missing time due to injury. The 23 year old plays with defending Art Ross winner Jamie Benn and should have talented young Russian Valeri Nichushkin or new addition Patrick Sharp on his other wing. Tavares is another good bet. The former first overall pick finished second to Benn in scoring in 2014-15 and plays for one of the best offensive teams in the league. There are several other contenders worth mentioning, including the aforementioned Benn, Alexander Ovechkin and his center Nicklas Backstrom, and Crosby's teammate Evgeni Malkin if he plays the full season. Young stars like Tyler Johnson, Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan Johansen could also push themselves into the conversation. It's hard to bet against the best player in the world however, especially when he will have the opportunity to play with a truly dynamic winger for the first time.
Rocket Richard Trophy
Winner: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Finalists: Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning), Phil Kessel (Pittsburgh Penguins)
The Great Eight has one the past three goal-scoring titles and there is no reason to believe he will not do so again this season. Backstrom missing the beginning of the season may hurt him, but he is not expected to be without his elite center for long. If for whatever reason Ovechkin's numbers dip, Stamkos will become the favorite. He plays for the high-octane Lightning and is a proven goal scorer, as evidenced by his Rocket Richard award from 2011-12, when he scored 60 goals. Tampa Bay look to be one of the top teams in the league and Stamkos has lots of talent to play with. The other finalist here is a five time 30 goal scorer (with a 30+ goal pace in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season) who has never played with an elite playmaker and will now be centered by Crosby, with Malkin there should anything go wrong. A career high seems fairly reasonable. Other contenders are Tavares (fourth last season), the New York Ranger's Rick Nash (third), the dynamic Tarasenko, and talented Seguin, who has posted 37 goals for two straight years.
Hart Memorial Trophy
Winner: Sidney Crosby
Finalists: Alexander Ovechkin, John Tavares
Since the 2004-05 lockout, the Hart has been awarded to the Art Ross winner six times and the Rocket Richard winner three times. Voters like players who put put up big numbers, Carey Price being the only exception. Barring another incredible performance from a goalie, the is no reason to believe the results will be different this year, meaning the Art Ross winner will be the favorite here, with the Rocket Richard winner an obvious finalist.
Calder Memorial Trophy
Winner: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Finalists: Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres), Sam Bennett (Calgary Flames
Sometimes the easy answer is the right one. Eichel will certainly push him, but McDavid will win the rookie scoring race and the Calder. Both teams have several talented offensive players, but the Oilers were the higher scoring team last season and should be so again, between Taylor Hall, McDavid, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It's true that the first-overall pick will have to adjust to the physicality of playing against men, but many forget that Eichel played a much shorter season and the grind of the NHL will also be an adjustment. The west-coast bias will not be a factor here because everyone in the league will want to watch McDavid. Choosing between Bennett and Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets for the second finalist position was very difficult, but Bennett got the edge due to his NHL playoff experience last season. Ehlers is one to watch regardless, as he looks like he will get a spot in Winnipeg's top six after putting up 100+ points in two QMJHL seasons. He was also dynamic for Denmark at the World Juniors. Other contenders for the award should be Artemi Panarin, who has played six KHL seasons, and Max Domi.
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Winner: Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
Finalists: Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
Karlsson did enough last season to win his second Norris despite spending half the season on a team playing fairly badly, with a coach who did not use him properly and with whom he clearly had tension, and without a suitable (or sometimes even competent defense partner. This year, he will have a full season of Marc Methot and Dave Cameron, as well as the opportunity to unleash his skills at 3-on-3 in overtime. He will certainly break 70 points barring significant injury and could push for his career high of 76 points. Critics of his defensive play clearly do not watch him play enough in recent years, as he is above average at both ends of the ice a puts up stellar possession numbers relative to his teammates. He not may spend much time killing penalties, but not because he isn't capable. He simply doesn't need to, given that he played the third most minutes in the NHL last season and is most valuable creating offense. Hedman is another elite Swede, who truly announced himself in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. He is a huge, smart and skilled defender who can contribute at both sides of the ice. Keith may no longer put up quite enough points in the regular season to take the award, but after the playoffs he had, he'll will certainly be in the mix. Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, and Mark Giordano are also strong contenders, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kevin Shattenkirk and Kris Letang are in the mix.
Vezina Trophy
Winner: Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)
Finalists: Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils)
Price may be most people's favorite after the season he had, and he is without a doubt one of the best goalies in the world, but Holtby played more minutes than any other goaltender, was second in wins and shutouts, and finished in the top ten in both save percentage and goals against average. He raised his game in the playoffs and plays for a strong Capitals team. He should take his game one step further this season. Schneider is here because of his quietly excellent numbers, but players like Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk are strong contenders.
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Winner: Anze Kopitar (LA Kings)
Finalists: Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
The three finalists here should not surprise anyone. These two way centers have swept the nominations for this award for the past three years, with Bergeron winning two out of those three and also winning back in 2012. Kopitar is the winner here because of all the questions surrounding the Boston blueline, especially with the loss of Dougie Hamilton, but any of the three are good bets. Young players such as Ondrej Palat and Mark Stone could be winners in the future—Palat is described as being a winger in the Marian Hossa vein and Stone, who tied for the NHL lead in takeaways as a rookie, gets rave reviews for his defensive smarts in Ottawa—but for now, this award belongs to these three.
Jack Adams Award
Winner: Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Finalists: Barry Trotz (Washington Capitals), Todd McLellan (Edmonton Oilers)
Cooper is one of the smartest coaches in the league and one who has won at every level (expect the NHL—for now). His Lightning should be one of the league's top teams, in large part due to their excellent coaching. Trotz turned his new team around last season and thanks to smart offseason moves, they should take another step forward this year. McLellan is the only one of the three who is likely to fit the common pattern of rewarding a coach who's team is greatly improved compared to the previous season. Though Edmonton still has question marks, McDavid and other offseason additions, combined with good coaching should result in a big improvement. What's more, McDavid's presence means more exposure for the team, helping McLellan's chances. The same applies to Dan Bylsma and the Sabres. Other coaches who might garner some attention are Ottawa's Dave Cameron, Todd Richards of Columbus, and Dallas' Lindy Ruff.