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Sneak peek into a 2020 NHL Awards ballot in progress - Sportsnet.ca

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We use cookies to improve your experience. or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.We use cookies () You can change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman joined FOX News to give the latest update on the NHL season and schedule, saying they're fairly flexible in terms of the calendar, and the league is capable of playing in summer months.One aspect of the hockey-writing gig I initially battled but have learned to accept is that nagging feeling of playing catchup.There’s always a fresh game to dissect, another one to preview, and a steady stream of news and nuggets trickling throughout the day.At some point — be it May, August or some month in between — the paused 2019-20 regular season will end, and the annual call from the accounting firm will come. Get your awards votes in already!Sadly blessed with a little extra time to consider the various individual feats of the campaign, I started a rough draft of my ballot before the days turn to shorts weather and we all forget how to spell “.”Why not let you, dear reader, take a peek into a ballot in progress?Hey, maybe you can sway a few minds in the comments. Or, even better, we get a dozen more regular-season games, and the players themselves can spoil this ballot. There are some air-tight races here….Sign up for NHL newslettersGet the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox!1. (Edmonton Oilers)2. (Edmonton Oilers)3. (Colorado Avalanche)4. (Toronto Maple Leafs)5. (Buffalo Sabres)I never imagined casting a Number 1 MVP ballot for an Oiler not named Connor McDavid. I never imagined rating two players from the same team atop my Hart ballot. And yet, here we are. Although we maintain that Draisaitl is the second-most-talented player on his own club, what the German accomplished over 71 games cannot be denied.Draisaitl’s 110 points place him 13 ahead of runner-up McDavid. His 10 game-winning goals co-lead the league (David Pastrnak). And when his running mate missed six games in February, Draisaitl threw the boys on his back and put up an astounding 12 points in McDavid’s absence.It’s scary to think where Colorado and Toronto might finish without MacKinnon and Matthews, respectively. (Outside the playoffs?) And while I hesitate to place stars on non-playoff teams on my Hart ballot, Eichel’s excellence despite the thinnest of supporting casts deserves recognition: 36 goals, 78 points, nine game-winners, plus-5 on a minus-22 team.Dave Tippett on what it was like to step in and coach stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.Full video conference:— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL)1. (Washington Capitals)2. (Nashville Predators)3. (Tampa Bay Lightning)4. (St. Louis Blues)5. (Carolina Hurricanes)“The way Carlson was putting up numbers there in Washington was something we hadn’t seen in a while — really since Erik Karlsson was doing it,” Seth Jones told Hockey Central at Noon earlier this month. “It’d be hard not to give it to him.”Ultimately, we concur — even though Josi, the best Predator by 100 miles, makes for a compelling 1B option. Carlson’s 60 assists rank fourth among all skaters, he scored six game-winners, plays both special teams, and gets dealt all the tough assignments. It took a point-per-game campaign to awaken everyone to Carlson’s excellence. He’s due.John Carlson became the third defenseman in the last 20 years to record 60 assists in a season, joining Brent Burns (2018-19), Erik Karlsson (2015-16) and Nicklas Lidstrom (2005-06 and 2007-08).— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL)1. Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)2. Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)3. Dominik Kubalik (Chicago Blackhawks)4. Mackenzie Blackwood (New Jersey Devils)5. Adam Fox (New York Rangers)Flip a coin.Makar was both my pre-season Calder prediction and my halfway winner, but what a joy to . The Canucks operate the fourth-best power play in large part because of their 20-year-old quarterback.Hughes logs a remarkable 21:53 per night and tops the freshman class in assists (45), points (53) and power-play points (25). Does the fact he’s played 11 more games than the injury-tested Makar help his cause? Absolutely.Kubalik’s 30 goals are 10 more than the second-most-productive rookie sniper (Victor Olofsson). Blackwood’s work would have garnered way more praise were he stopping pucks for a team in the hunt. And the fantastic Mr. Fox played nearly 19 minutes a night, was a rookie-best plus-22, and scored four game-winners from the back end to boot.Tom Fitzgerald on Mackenzie Blackwood: "What [Blackwood] did this season, the consistency that he played with, the confidence that he showed … we feel we're in a very good place as far as a present and future goaltender is concerned."— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL)1. (Carolina Hurricanes)2. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)3. Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres)4. (Washington Capitals)5. Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)If there is a winner outside of the Ted Lindsay Award that should be crowned by his peers, it’s the Lady Byng. Watching from press boxes often situated above the rink’s nose-bleed section, us writers can’t hear enough of the gentlemanly chatter that takes place in-game to truly understand who is being the most gentlemanly of all. So, we lean on what other players say about guys who are putting up a decent number of points, tally up penalty minutes, and weigh production and low PIMs on an imperfect scale.Teravainen was on my ballot last season as well, and he returns to the top. With 63 points and just four minor penalties in 68 games, he’s one of the game’s unheralded nice (and talented) guys.Werenski’s 10 PIMs (and 41 points) is all the more impressive considering his job is to shut down the fastest scorers in the East. A rare D-man vote for a trophy that’s been won by a forward 63 of the past 64 seasons.His dream to play for the blues like his daddy Ryan O’Reilly starting to work out early like his daddy a machine! Go Snook go Jamison!— Brian O'Reilly (@coachbri1)1. (Boston Bruins)2. (Vegas Golden Knights)3. (Tampa Bay Lightning)4. (New York Islanders)5. (Philadelphia Flyers)I love me some Patrice Bergeron, a four-time Selke winner, but it’s time the two-way wingers get a little love in this category. Marchand rates sixth among forwards in plus/minus (+22) while regularly killing penalties and shutting down the opposition’s top wingers. He’s a workhorse (19:27 time on ice per night, tops among all Bruins forwards) trusted in all big situations and has become smarter with age.Stone steals more pucks than any forward (78 takeaways in 65 games), and Cirelli is looking like a guy who could be on Selke ballots for the next 10 years. Pageau somehow managed a plus-10 rating for a minus-52 Ottawa team that dealt him all the tough assignments, and Couturier is one of the most underrated hockey players, period.Each time Mark Stone scores a goal it’s the greatest moment of his life— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights)More from SportsnetCentre1. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)Right wing1. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)2. (Tampa Bay Lightning)3. (Chicago Blackhawks)Left wing1. (New York Rangers)2. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)3. (Washington Capitals)Draisaitl’s productivity, Pastrnak’s shot, and Panarin’s ability to jolt the Rangers back into relevance.Defence1. John Carlson (Washington Capitals)2. Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)3. Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)4. Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)5. Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes)Copy-and-paste Norris ballot here. Hedman and Pietrangelo are as dependable as essential services. Slavin will probably retire before he gets enough love.Goaltender1. (Tampa Bay Lightning)2. (Boston Bruins)3. (Winnipeg Jets)Writers don’t vote on the Vezina. The GMs do. But the all-star goaltending category is where you can gauge who the keyboard jockeys would’ve picked.Hellebuyck may be too low here for many folks’ liking, but I’m big on wins. Vasilevskiy started four fewer games than Hellebuyck and still managed four more W’s.No Number 1 goalie posted a better save percentage than Rask (.929), whose Bruins should’ve been drained from losing the Cup in seven games but instead were on track to win the Presidents’ Trophy.Forward1. Dominik Kubalik (Chicago Blackhawks)2. Victor Olofsson (Buffalo Sabres)3. (Dallas Stars)Defence1. Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)2. Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)Goaltender1. Mackenzie Blackwood (New Jersey Devils)Gurianov scoring 20 goals (including four game-winners) while seeing less than 13 minutes of ice per night has been one of the better under-the-radar stories of the season. Three years in the minors prepared him well.When submitting content, please abide by our , and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.DoneNoneDoneNoneWould you like to create an account so you can see these Favourites on your other devices too?&nbsp;Customize your Sportsnet lineup for the latest news from your favourite leagues and teams.Customize your lineup with your favourite leagues and teams.EditThere isn’t enough recent news in your lineup. We’ll give you the latest news when it becomes available, or feel free to add some more selections to .208 Comments459 Comments263 Comments121 Comments207 Comments

We use cookies to improve your experience. or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.We use cookies () You can change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman joined FOX News to give the latest update on the NHL season and schedule, saying they're fairly flexible in terms of the calendar, and the league is capable of playing in summer months.One aspect of the hockey-writing gig I initially battled but have learned to accept is that nagging feeling of playing...

Sneak peek into a 2020 NHL Awards ballot in progress - Sportsnet.ca

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