Many of the NHL’s team have played 41 games in the 2023-24 season, and that puts them at the halfway point of the campaign. With that being said, we’ve had a larger sample size to determine which players could be vying for some of the league’s major awards this season.
While he remains in the race, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid definitely isn’t a shoe-in to win the Hart and Art Ross Trophies like he has been in the past. In fact, many of the races are wide-open when it comes to the major hardware around the league.
Let’s take a closer look at what the field looks like when it comes to the NHL’s top awards in 2023-24.
Hart Trophy
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has dominated the Hart Trophy race in recent years as he’s won the award in two of the last three seasons. However, McDavid is currently tied for third in points (55), and isn’t near the top of the leaderboard. It’s quite possible that McDavid doesn’t become a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league MVP based on the crowded field this year.
Currently, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon are tied for the league lead in points (67), and certainly have to be viewed as the frontrunners for the award at the halfway point.
It’s hard to imagine a player that is hotter than MacKinnon right now. Entering Thursday, the Avalanche star has registered 67 points (22 goals & 45 assists) in 42 games, while currently embarking on a season-opening 23-game home point streak that is approaching historic territory. MacKinnon is just two home points away from tying Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr, who had a 25-game home point streak during the 1974-75 season. Wayne Gretzky holds the all-time record with a 40-game home point streak when he was playing for the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89.
MacKinnon is currently on pace for 131 points (43 goals & 88 assists) for the 2023-24 season, which would be the highest point total of his NHL career.
Meanwhile, Kucherov has been just as lethal as MacKinnon when it comes to offensive prowess. Coming into Thursday, Kucherov has racked up 28 goals and 39 assists, and has registered a goal in five of his last seven games. The Lightning star’s 28 goals rank third in the entire NHL behind only Auston Matthews (31) and Sam Reinhart (29). Kucherov is also averaging 0.68 goals per contest, which is good for fourth in the league.
Kucherov is currently on pace for 134 points (56 goals & 78 assists) this season. That would be the highest point total for Kucherov in his career, just beating out his 128-point campaign in 2018-19.
It’s been MacKinnon, Kucherov, and everybody else when it comes to the Hart Trophy race this season. MacKinnon and Kucherov also stand a good chance at winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s point leader.
Of course, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (57 points), New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin (57 points), Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and McDavid (55 points) can’t be counted out, especially if they get hot in the second half of the year.
Vezina Trophy
This season’s Vezina Trophy field is a two-horse race north of the border. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks are easily the two biggest favorites for the annual award that honors the NHL’s top netminder.
However, as of right now, Hellebuyck has to be considered the favorite to take home the Vezina Trophy, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
Hellebuyck owns a 21-6-3 record to go along with a 2.20 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage on the year. He has only surrendered more than two goals on one occasion over the past two months. The Jets netminder last gave up more than two goals on Dec. 18 in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens. Before that, Hellebuyck last yielded more than two goals on Nov. 17 in a 6-3 win against the New Jersey Devils.
The Jets goalie has had a sub 2.00 goals-against-average in each of the last two months, including a 1.88 goals-against-average in nine games throughout December. Hellebuyck’s 21 wins are second in the NHL behind only Colorado Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev (23).
On the other hand, Demko has been extremely dependable in the crease in his own right.
Demko has racked up a 21-8-1 record, a 2.55 goals-against-average, and a .916 save percentage this season. The Canucks goaltender has had a bit of a rough patch in recent weeks, but he’s still produced a stellar season overall. Demko has registered three shutouts, which is good for third in the NHL. In fact, only Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Connor Ingram of the Arizona Coyotes have more with four shutouts to their credit.
Demko had a goals-against-average of 2.37 or better in the first two months of the 2023-24 season. Even though he hasn’t been as stellar this month, the 28-year-old still has yielded three goals or less in four of those five contests.
Midway through the season, Hellebuyck is certainly in the driver’s seat as far as the Vezina Trophy is concerned. If Hellebuyck produces a second half similar to the first 41 games, it’s hard to imagine the Jets goaltender not earning the honor for the second time in his NHL career.
Calder Trophy
The Calder Trophy was expected to center around Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard. However, Bedard underwent surgery to repair a fractured jaw earlier this week, and he’ll now miss six to eight weeks.
That certainly flips the Calder race on its ear considering that Bedard is currently leading all rookies in points. The Blackhawks star had 33 points (15 goals & 18 assists) in 39 games before being hit by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith last Friday. Bedard definitely could still take home the hardware if he was a stellar second half, but it’s opened the door for another rookie to rise to the top.
Devils defenseman Luke Hughes is one player that has the potential to overtake the Calder race with Bedard on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Hughes is just one point behind Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli and Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi for second place in points (24) among rookies. The 2021 fourth-overall pick has registered 23 points (seven goals & 16 assists) in 39 games this season.
Hughes previously had a four-game point streak late last month and has tallied at least one point in five of his last seven contests. In addition, the Devils blue-liner had scored a goal in three consecutive games and joined Barry Beck (1977-78) as the only player in franchise history to achieve that feat. And even though he’s a defenseman, Hughes ranks fourth on the Devils in points (23), while also ranking third on the team in assists (16).
Despite being tied for second in points behind Bedard, Fantilli and Rossi have been sporadic in terms of their offensive production. Another defenseman is playing himself into the Calder Trophy conversation in Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild.
Faber has been very impressive in his rookie season as he’s tallied 19 points (two goals & 17 assists) in 40 games for the Wild. After appearing in just two games during the 2022-23 season, Faber has developed into a stellar defensive piece for the Wild. The 21-year-old’s 17 assists are second only to Bedard (18) among rookies. While the scoring numbers haven’t been eye-popping thus far, Faber has still established himself as one of the most impressive rookies this season, and Bedard potentially falling behind in the race helps his cause.
Unless Fantilli and Rossi can pick up their scoring numbers, Hughes has to be considered the frontrunner to take home the Calder Trophy right now. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s developed into one of the Devils’ top blue-liners in a relatively short time.
Norris Trophy
Much like the Vezina Trophy, the battle for the Norris Trophy currently looks to be a two-horse race between Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.
Hughes is considered the frontrunner for the Norris Trophy as of right now. After all, the Canucks blue-liner leads all defensemen in points (51) while being second in goals (11) behind only Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, who has 12 on the year. Hughes also leads the NHL with 40 assists in 2023-24.
The Canucks star had never registered double-digit goals in his NHL career, but now is on pace to score 21 goals this season. Hughes also stands to have his first 100-point season if his current pace holds up. His playmaking ability has been on full display for a Canucks team that is currently leading the Pacific Division.
Meanwhile, Makar continues to be the standard when it comes to offensive production for a defenseman. Makar has tallied 48 points (nine goals & 39 assists) in 37 games this season. The 25-year-old is second in points (48), second in assists (39), and third in goals (9) among NHL defensemen.
One of the Avalanche blue-liner’s top attributes is his ability to put the puck in the net. Makar has tallied 54 goals over the last 2.5 seasons, including a 28-goal campaign when he won the Norris Trophy during the 2021-22 season.
If Makar can pile on more goals in the second half of the year, it’s not crazy to think that he has a chance to overtake Hughes as the frontrunner for the Norris Trophy. However, for now, Hughes leads the pack with a tremendous first half that left many jaws on the ice given some of his highlight reel plays.
Selke Trophy
The Selke Trophy landscape looks quite a bit different than it has over the last several seasons. Former Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron retired following the 2022-23 campaign and left others with the chance to win the award as the league’s top defensive forward. Bergeron had won the award in each of the past two seasons and six times over the past 12 seasons.
Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov certainly could succeed Bergeron as one of the top defensive forwards that the sport has to offer. When Barkov is on the ice, opponents are averaging just 1.94 goals against per 60 minutes, according to Money Puck. In addition, Barkov has managed to dish out 39 hits, force 30 turnovers, and block 26 shots on the season, in addition to winning 54.9 percent (304-of-554) of his face-offs.
Barkov already has one Selke Trophy under his belt as he won the award for his performance during the 2020-21 season. During that campaign, the Panthers star has recorded 39 takeaways, 37 blocked shots, and laid 31 hits. He’s already eclipsing those numbers this time around, so it’s hard not to place Barkov as the frontrunner for the award thus far.
In addition to Barkov, Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar also remains in the conversation for the Selke Trophy.
When Kopitar is on the ice, opponents are averaging just 2.44 goals against per 60 minutes, according to Money Puck. Kopitar has also tallied 35 blocked shots, 17 takeaways, and dished out 13 hits during the 2023-24 season. Kopitar is also winning 56.9 percent (429-of-754) of his face-offs on the season, which is the sixth-best clip in the entire NHL.
The award seems to be Barkov’s to lose at this point in the year.
Jack Adams Award
The Jack Adams Award race is paced by a pair of head coaches who are leading a pair of unexpected teams toward a potential postseason berth. Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet and Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella are currently the leaders in the clubhouse for the prestigious honor.
Tocchet took over the Canucks in the second half of the 2022-23 season and led the team to a 20-12-4 record to finish out the year. That success has certainly carried over into this season as the Canucks possess a 28-11-3 record (59 points) and sit atop the Pacific Division.
As you may have gathered by the other awards, the Canucks have a chance to take home some major hardware when the awards are handed out this summer. This is a team that has a stellar goaltender in Thatcher Demko along with sensational playmakers in Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser. The Canucks are currently riding a four-game winning streak and have only recorded back-to-back losses on two occasions thus far in 2023-24.
Perhaps even more surprising, Tortorella has the Flyers playing some inspired hockey this season. The Flyers have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the past three seasons and didn’t have much to build around when Tortorella came on board before last season. After a 31-39-13 season in 2022-23, Tortorella has completely turned the tide with a good mix of veteran and young talent in the form of Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, Travis Sanheim, and Owen Tippett. The team received a huge boost when they shipped prospect Cutter Gauthier out of town for defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
Tortorella previously won the award during the 2003-04 when he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 46-22-6 regular-season record and won the Stanley Cup. The veteran, opinionated bench boss has had success everywhere he’s been, and the case appears to be no different in Philadelphia, where the Flyers are very much in contention for a playoff spot.
As of right now, Tocchet gets the slight edge just because of how dominant the Canucks have been this season. However, Tortorella is very much in the mix for the Jack Adams Award.
