Los premios de fin de temporada en la NHL

Este jueves 18 de abril la temporada 2023-24 de la NHL llegó a su fin, lo cual indica que la mesa está puesta para que comience la disputa de los Playoffs de la Stanley Cup.

Estas son algunas de las razones por las que los premios de final de temporada deberían entregarse a tal o cual jugador.

Trofeo Hart (Jugador Más Valioso)
Ganador: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Quienes creyeron que aquella mítica temporada de 2018-19 para el delantero ruso del Lightning iba a ser algo único e irrepetible, no contaban con que Kucherov se superaría a sí mismo y concluyera la campaña 2023-24 con 144 puntos (44 goles, 100 asistencias), adjudicándose el segundo Art Ross Trophy de su carrera y liderando a la liga en puntos en Power Play (53).

Finalistas: Nathan MacKinnon y Auston Matthews

MacKinnon had an exciting and disputed race with Kucherov for the points lead in the season, and stayed at 140. But two big aspects to highlight from the Avalanche '29' campaign are that he set a points record for a player from the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise that Peter Stastny had owned since 1982 and his streak of 35 consecutive scoring games at home.

Matthews once again reached the 60-goal mark that he previously reached in 2021-22, but not only that, he flirted with 70, and although he fell short of equaling a feat that has not been tied for 31 years, he surpassed it for the second time. for the first time in his career (69-38-107) the 100-point mark. The Maple Leafs forward (368) is already the third scorer in Toronto history.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman)
Winner: Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)

Quinn Hughes compiled the best season of his six-year NHL career, right in the year he was handed the Canucks captaincy. The American defender (17-75-92) led all defenders in the league in assists and points, completed a +39 in the plus/minus statistic, accumulated 32 assists in Power Play and was one of the great factors for the that Vancouver went from winning 38 to 50 games this season.

Finalists: Cale Makar and Evan Bouchard

Makar once again had a solid season for the Avalanche, culminating with 21 goals, second place among defensemen and with 90 points, second in the league among blue line patrolmen and sealing the best season of his career. He has already been a winner of the award in 2021-22.

Bouchard was a key piece for the Oilers in 2023-24, leading among defensemen with seven game-winning goals. He also ranked fourth among defenders (18-64-82) in points and had the best season of his entire NHL career.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender)
Winner: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)

The Jets' American goalkeeper is a machine. He completed his third straight season with 60 or more starts, trailing only Alexandar Georgiev, led in save percentage (.921) and with 1,656 saved shots, was second in the league behind Juuse Saros. Hellebuyck was instrumental in Winnipeg's resurgence in 2023-24. In 2019-20 he already won this award.

Finalistas: Alexandar Georgiev y Sergei Bobrovsky

Georgiev is back in the conversation. The Avalanche's Bulgarian goalkeeper led the NHL in starts (62) and wins (38), completing a very solid season for the 2022 Stanley Cup champion team.

Bobrovsky, the Russian veteran who continues to rise from the ashes, was third in the league in save percentage (.915) and wins (35). This season he compiled (2.37) the best goals allowed per game average since 2016-17, when he won his second Vezina Trophy.

Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
Winner: Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks)

Despite finishing with a -44 that any elite golfer would envy, there is no denying the quality and unique talent that makes Connor Bedard a generational player who in his first year in the NHL made it clear that he will be special. The Blackhawks' Canadian forward led (22-39—61) all rookies in goals, assists and points. It is the light at the end of the tunnel for the Chicago organization in order to build a power for the future.

Finalists: Pyotr Kochetkov and Marco Rossi

The Hurricanes' Russian goaltender had an extraordinary season, helping Carolina to the second-highest win rate (52) in the Eastern Conference. Kochetkov had a record of 23-13-4, with a .911 save percentage and 2.33 goals allowed average, being a bulwark against ups and downs and injuries at the position for the team.

The Wild's Austrian forward added 40 points (21 goals and 19 assists) in his best season since he debuted in 2021-22 in the NHL. Rossi averaged 16:44 minutes of ice time and ranked second in scoring in the league among rookies.

Jack Adams Award (Best Coach)
Winner: Peter Laviolette (New York Rangers)

Peter Laviolette helped the New York Rangers not only amass the best record in the NHL this season (55-23-4) but also record the best season in the history of a franchise called the 'Original Six', bordering on a century of existence, which adds even more merit. The veteran coach could also become the first in the organization's history to capture this award.

Finalists: Rick Bowness and Peter DeBoer

Rick Bowness's work with the Jets was so solid that when he had to take a leave of absence for almost a month to care for his wife, who had health problems, the Winnipeg team never lost its way and had such a season. good that allowed the Manitoba team to record the second best record in the Western Conference (52-24-6; 110 points).

Peter DeBoer has proven to be a coach with proven ability on any bench he stands on. Although the Jack Adams Award has eluded him, he has everything he deserves to win it. He helped the Stars capture the best record (52-21-9; 113 points) in the West and their best mark since the 1998-99 season, the year they won the Stanley Cup.

Selke Trophy (Forward with best defensive qualities)
Winner: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)

They say that Matthews' offensive talent is undeniable, but little is said about his virtues when he does not have the puck in his possession and his own Maple Leafs teammates confirm that assertion. The forward of Mexican blood averaged almost (20:58) 21 minutes of ice time, was second in the league in blocked shots (93) and puck steals (85), helping Toronto (2.68) hold seventh best defense.

Finalists: Jordan Staal and Aleksander Barkov

Barkov, the 2021 winner of this award, has finished in the top eight in votes six times. He was among the leaders (+33) in plus/minus among forwards and averaged just over a point (80 in 73 games) per game this season for the Panthers.

The Hurricanes' veteran center forward helped his team rank in the top five in goals allowed per game (2.57). Additionally, Staal won 58.1 percent of the faceoffs he played this season.

Lady Byng Award (Sportsmanship and High Level of Play)
Winner: Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes)

Playing in a division full of talent and in which the common denominator is tough games and a lot of rivalry, is not an easy task and playing the defense position, it is even more so, which is why the work of Jaccob Slavin, defender of The Hurricanes, with almost 21 minutes of ice time (20:56), finished with just eight minutes of penalties, that is a fact that speaks for itself. In 2020-21 he already won this award.

Finalists: Patrick Kane and Jack Hughes

The 35-year-old veteran Red Wings forward revived his career in Detroit after recovering from hip surgery. The three-time Stanley Cup winner. He compiled just 16 penalty minutes in 50 games in which he took part in 2023-24.

The Devils forward had a bittersweet season, due to the time he missed due to his injury, but that did not stop him from displaying his talent on the ice in almost (20:58) 21 minutes of ice time, scoring 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists) in only 67 games, with only 12 penalty minutes.

Jim Gregory Award (General Manager of the Year)
Winner: Don Waddell (Carolina Hurricanes)

Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell did a splendid job in the front office to catapult his team among the best in the East. He kept his roster almost intact, they called Pyotr Kochetkov to the big team when the goalkeeper went into crisis and that decision was a success, but having brought a player of proven offensive quality like Jake Guentzel on the trade deadline to boost the attack . Giving Rod Brind'Amour a boost in the first part of the campaign, when everything seemed to be falling apart, was also a wise move from management.

Finalists: Chris Drury and Jim Nill

Drury was in charge of assembling, neither more nor less, the most successful team in the NHL in the regular phase, with a coach like Peter Laviolette and with a roster full of talent in each of its lines, helping Artemi Panarin to have the best year of his career, with 120 points (49 goals, 71 assists) and to form a solid duo in goal with Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, two-time Stanley Cup winner.

Jim Nill guided the Stars from the front office to be the best team in the Western Conference, maintaining a mix of seasoned veterans and promising young talent. Perhaps the most successful move for which he is given little credit was the hiring of the veteran forward Matt Duchene, on whom few were betting anything in 2023-24, but established himself as a key piece that gives depth to Dallas with a total of 65 points (25 goals and 40 assists).