Connor McDavid scored the first 150-point season in the NHL since the mid-1990s, Erik Karlsson became the first defenseman to reach 100 points in more than 30 years, and the Boston Bruins wrote a page of history.
Putting all of this together, then it becomes pretty obvious who will take home the top individual and team honors on the Bettman circuit.
McDavid could once again be the unanimous choice for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, Karlsson is the clear favorite for a third career Norris Trophy and the Bruins could take individual honors reserved for the goaltender par excellence, the best defensive forward and the head coach par excellence.
HART
Who will win: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers.
Other possible candidates: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), David Pastrnak (Boston) and Jack Hughes (New Jersey).
McDavid earned it unanimously in 2021, and the fact that the Oilers captain surpassed the 60-goal mark only solidified his grip on the title of the best hockey player in the world. The last player to collect 150 points in a single season was Mario Lemieux and, before that, Wayne Gretzky.
The Avalanche, defending Stanley Cup champions, were decimated by injuries and Rantanen was their main element in having avoided the infirmary. Pastrnak, like McDavid, reached 60 goals, and Hughes helped the Devils into the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
NORRIS
Who will win: Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks.
Other possible candidates: Adam Fox (NY Rangers), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo) and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas).
No defenseman had reached 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. Karlsson accomplished that feat at 32, making him the favorite for the honor, even though the Sharks were out of the game for most of the campaign.
Fox won the Norris Trophy in 2021 and developed his shorthanded game to help prepare the Rangers for the playoffs. Morrissey nearly doubled his career-best points tally, Dahlin had another impressive season at 22, and Heiskanen, an all-around player, expanded his offensive output.
VEZINA
Who will win: Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins.
Other possible candidates: Juuse Saros (Nashville), Ilya Sorokin (NY Islanders), Jake Oettinger (Dallas) and Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg).
There is only one downside to Ullmark. He made just 47 starts, despite being part of an alternating system with Jeremy Swayman, which will not prevent the Bruins from winning the William Jennings Trophy allocated to the team that conceded the least goals in the NHL. Ullmark’s 93.8 per cent save percentage is the best among goaltenders who have made at least 40 appearances in a season since Tim Thomas, also of the Bruins, in 2010-11, and his average of 1.89 goals against is the best since Dwayne Roloson’s in 2003-04.
Sorokin and his good friend Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner, spiced up the debate, as did Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Saros, Oettinger and Hellebuyck all had great seasons, but Ullmark had the best of his career for the top team on the Bettman circuit.
SELK
Who will win: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins.
Other possible candidates: Mitch Marner (Toronto) and Jordan Staal (Caroline).
Bergeron has already won the Selke Trophy five times and been a finalist in each of the last 11 seasons, and at 37 he is still the benchmark among forwards who excel defensively. The Bruins captain has deferred 60 per cent of his face-offs (third in the NHL), spends nearly two minutes a game shorthanded and is constantly up against the opposition’s best players — duels he wins more often than otherwise.
When Bergeron hangs up his skates, the competition will thicken to determine the identity of the attacker who has the best defensive qualities. Until then, the Quebecer is in a separate category.
CALDER
Who will win: Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken.
Autres candidats envisageables: Stuart Skinner (Edmonton), Mason McTavish (Anaheim), Owen Power (Buffalo), Matias Maccelli (Arizona) et Wyatt Johnston (Dallas).
Beniers seems to be alone in control since he is the best scorer of his vintage and he allowed the Kraken to participate in the playoffs in his second season of existence.
Skinner established himself as the Oilers’ No. 1 goaltender and filled in some of their defensive gaps. Maccelli picked up the pace late in the campaign and became the second-leading scorer in the class, but the Coyotes never really aspired to the playoffs, unlike the Kraken or Johnston with the Stars.
JACK ADAMS
Who will win: Jim Montgomery, Boston.
Other possible candidates: Todd McLellan (Los Angeles), Dave Hakstol (Seattle) and Rod Brind’Amour (Carolina).
Montgomery helped the Bruins set a new NHL record for wins, completing his triumphant return after being abruptly fired by the Stars in 2019. Legendary head coach Scotty Bowman, nine-time Stanley Cup champion , praised the work of the other finalists, but admitted that Montgomery’s performance alone earned him the individual honor.
“He’s optimistic, and he’s brimming with confidence,” Bowman said. He managed to maintain the very high level of confidence of his team throughout the season.
McLellan got the Kings back to the playoffs. Hakstol was able to quickly turn things around at the Kraken, and Brind’Amour is constantly in the conversation due to the consistency of the Hurricanes.
