NHL Awards vs. my ballot

There were some variations between my votes and the winners, but I was pretty much in the ballpark with all my selections for the NHL's post-season awards winners

Connor McDavid will have a few things to declare on his trip home from Nashville.

For more years than I care to remember, I have been privileged to be a voter for the NHL awards. Like the vast majority of my brothers and sisters in the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, I take that privilege, and responsibility, very seriously. We’re talking about the legacies of players here and that is really, really important.

A number of years ago, there was a push in the PHWA to have all voting ballots made public. I agreed with the measure. Voters being accountable and transparent is vital to the process, even if it opens voters up to public criticism.

Here’s how the voting ended up for each of the major awards for which the PHWA votes – the Vezina and Jim Gregory Awards are voted on by GMs, the Jack Adams by broadcasters. The Ted Lindsay is voted on by the players. I’ve compared them to the ballot I submitted after the season. The players I voted in the top five who did not finish there in the actual balloting have their placing in brackets beside their names.

LADY BYNG TROPHY

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
2. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
3. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
4. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
5. Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars

MY BALLOT

1. Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken (6^th)
2. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
3. Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks (Tied for 33^rd)
4. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers (21^st)
5. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

I feel like there’s more variation in voting on the Lady Byng than any other trophy. Kopitar was definitely a deserving winner, but I was trying to go for something a little different with Beniers. As far as Fowler, who received his only vote from yours truly, I always try to get a defenceman among my top five. To play a position that physical without piling up penalty minutes is an impressive feat.

CALDER TROPHY

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
2. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
3. Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres
4. Mattias Macelli, Arizona Coyotes
5. Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

MY BALLOT

1. Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
2. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
3. Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks (7^th)
4. Mattias Macelli, Arizona Coyotes
5. Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

Not much variation for the others with the exception of Power, whom I was expecting a lot more this season. With 160 first-place votes, this was a bit of a slam-dunk for Beniers, who led all rookies in points (57) and plus-minus (plus-14) and was tied with Johnston for first in goals with 24.

SELKE TROPHY

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
3. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Jordan Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
5. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

MY BALLOT

1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
3. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks (7^th)
5. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes (28^th)

Bergeron wasn’t in Nashville to accept the award because he and his wife are expecting a child, but I have to think he was happy to stay away to avoid all the questions about his future. I can’t remember the last player who won a major award, then promptly retired. Ken Dryden won the Vezina in the last season of his career, but this was when the award was given to the goalie with the best goals-against average, not as voted by the league’s GMs. With 187 of 196 first-place votes, Bergeron won his record sixth Selke by a landslide.

NORRIS TROPHY

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks
2. Adam Fox, New York Rangers
3. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
4. Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins
5. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets

MY BALLOT

1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks
2. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils (6^th)
3. Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins
4. Vince Dunn, Seattle Kraken (11th)
5. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

This award does not go to the NHL’s best offenceman, but Karlsson’s numbers were just so mind-boggling and prolific that it was impossible for me not to make him my No. 1 choice. Judging by the fact that he received a very healthy 123 first-place votes, it appears I wasn’t alone. I really struggled with Makar, wondering whether he had a large enough body of work to merit being in my top five. Dunn was my darkhorse, on account of he was excellent in Seattle this season.

HART TROPHY

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
3. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
4. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
5. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

MY BALLOT

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
4. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
5. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche (6th)

McDavid got 195 of the 196 votes. The one voter who did not give McDavid a first-place vote, put him fifth. We will find out in time who voted McDavid fifth because the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association discloses everyone’s ballots. I would suggest that person not check his or her social media accounts for a while, like all summer. For most of the season, Pastrnak was second on my ballot, but that changed when Tkachuk scored 100 points and dragged the Panthers into the playoffs.

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

OFFICIAL RESULTS

G – Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
D – Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres; Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
F – Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken; Mattias Macelli, Arizona Coyotes; Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

MY ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

G – Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
D – Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres; Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
F – Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken; Mattias Macelli, Arizona Coyotes; Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

Nailed it.

FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM

OFFICIAL RESULTS

C – Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
LW – Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
RW – David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
D – Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks; Adam Fox, New York Rangers
G – Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins

MY FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM

C – Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
LW – Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
RW – Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
D – Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks; Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils
G – Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM

OFFICIAL RESULTS

C – Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
LW – Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
RW – Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
D – Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche; Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins
G – Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

MY SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM

C – Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
LW – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
RW – David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
D – Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins; Vince Dunn, Seattle Kraken
G – Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators