The Frank J. Selke Trophy is one of the most prestigious individual awards that the NHL offers. It is labeled as the award given to the forward who exhibits the best play in the defensive zone, but in reality, it is given to the best two-way forward in the league.
Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke three times out of the last four years with Chicago Blackhawks' captain Jonathan Toews winning the other year. Analysts and writers have practically already given the award to Bergeron this season, but there's another candidate who has blown Bergeron out of the water.
San Jose Sharks' captain Joe Pavelski should be the frontrunner for the Selke this season. All it takes is a simple comparison to Bergeron for everyone to understand why he should be the mid-season pick. Let's start with possession statistics: Bergeron has a 5v5 Corsi-for of 53.41%, which is great, but Pavelski has a 57.02%. That is significantly better, yet Pavelski is overlooked. It is important that the 5v5 Corsi-for is what people look at when assessing for the Selke since it adjusts for special teams.
Corsi-for isn't the only statistic that Pavelski leads Bergeron on. Pavelski also has a superior plus-minus. Pavelski boasts a +12 while Bergeron only has a +5. Pavelski has 34 blocked shots compared to Bergeron's 24 blocked shots. Pavelski has 80 hits and Bergeron has only 44 hits. The list keeps going on all of the statistics that Pavelski leads Bergeron on.
So that this article isn't just a bashing on Bergeron, he is leading significantly over Pavelski in one category that is takeaways. Bergeron has 43 and Pavelski are working with 23. They are also pretty even in faceoff percentage with about a 56% each. Leading in one statistic though isn't enough to warrant Bergeron getting the Selke though.
Even though the Selke is known as the defensive trophy, it is never given to a player who doesn't excel in the offensive zone as well. Surprise, but Pavelski also leads Bergeron in those statistics. Pavelski has 43 points in 41 games, which includes his 22 goals that rank him 6th in the NHL for goal scoring. Bergeron has 38 points in 41 games which are good, but not as good as Mr. Pavelski.
Now, all stats aside, Pavelski is the most noticeable player on the ice whenever he plays in all zones. He truly leads by example and will go from blocking a shot in the defensive zone in the final minute of a game to going down the rink and scoring the game-winning goal. He's known by Team USA as the Swiss Army knife because he is so versatile and can be used in absolutely any situation. He may not have a Stanley Cup like Bergeron, but this is an award based on single season success, not a player's history.