2021-22 NHL awards watch

The New York Rangers went from one franchise-changing goalie in Henrik Lundqvist to another one in Igor Shesterkin. Goalies do not typically win the MVP award unless they have an unbelievable season that carries a team. Well, say hello to Igor Shesterkin. He leads the league in most goaltending categories and there is a night and day difference in the Rangers record when he plays versus when he does not play. By any criteria, he is an MVP candidate. Maybe the top MVP candidate. 

Matthews has become the best current goal scorer in the NHL and is the best player on the Maple Leafs. He is on pace for over 60 goals in 82 games and is probably going to win the Rocket Richard award for the second year in a row. He is probably the odds on favorite right now, right up there with the Rangers' Shesterkin. 

Still the best and most dominant offensive player in the league and on track to win another Art Ross Trophy. The Oilers are likely going to sneak into the playoffs and it is the two-headed monster of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that is going to carry them there. As long as he stays healthy McDavid is pretty much a lock right now for 100 points every season and to be in the conversation for the MVP award. 

If we are being honest, Aleksander Barkov is probably the most valuable member of the Panthers. But Huberdeau is going to be the player that gets the MVP attention because he has the point totals and is one of the top offensive players in the league. He is having an absolute monster season offensively and has already eclipsed the 70-assist mark, the most ever for a left-winger in a single season. 

Josi is having a season for the ages on the Nashville blue line, currently on track to be the first 100 point defender in nearly 30 years and playing an incredible all-around game. He will not reach the level of the other four players listed here in the MVP voting, but he should absolutely be in the conversation. 

Makar is a special player and has a chance to eclipse the 30-goal mark this season as a defender. But his game is not just about offense. He can dominate in all phases of the game and is already one of the best all-around players in the league regardless of position. For much of the season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he was going to run away with this award but he is starting to get a significant push from somebody else as the season reaches the stretch run. That somebody else...

The Norris Trophy race has basically become a two-player race between Josi and Makar and it would be stunning if anybody other than those two actually won the award, or if they did not finish first and second in the voting. Josi not only has the offensive numbers that jump off the page, but he has also been sensational defensively and in every phase of the game. He is an MVP and Norris Trophy contender. He already has one Norris Trophy in his career and has a strong argument for a second. 

Hedman is one of the best all-around defenseman of this era and is a mainstay in the Norris discussion every season. He is scoring at a point-per-game pace this season and is still an elite defensive player. He is probably not going to win, but he absolutely has a chance to at least finish as a finalist. 

The reigning Norris Trophy winner, Fox has become one of the key players in the New York Rangers' core. He has been an impact player from the moment he arrived in the NHL and just seems to keep getting better. He is a top-tier offensive player on the blue line that can excel in all situations, while also being the Rangers' best possession driver on defense. They are Stanley Cup contenders, and the development of players like Fox are a big reason why. 

Letang is probably an afterthought in the Norris Trophy discussion this season but he is having one of the best seasons of his career. He is among the top-five in defenseman scoring this season and is still an elite skater on defense. He is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season and should be a top priority when it comes to their offseason plans. Like Hedman and Fox, he is almost certainly not going to win, but he is absolutely deserving of some top-five votes. 

Shesterkin is having one of the best goaltending seasons in recent memory and has taken the Rangers from a good rebuilding team that is ready for the playoffs, to a potential Stanley Cup contender. There has not been a more impactful goalie anywhere in the league this season. He is the runaway favorite for the Vezina. 

The Carolina Hurricanes took a big gamble this past offseason by redoing their goalie situation by signing Andersen and Antti Raanta. They are both excellent goalies when healthy, but that has not been the case very much in recent years. Not only has Andersen been healthy, but he has also given the Hurricanes some of their best goaltending in years and is helping to drive them to the top of the Metropolitan Division. With him playing the way he has this is a team with absolutely no weaknesses on paper. 

A little more than a year ago the Nashville Predators looked like a team in desperate need of a rebuild. But thanks to some bounce-back seasons for Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, and Filip Forsberg, a monster season from Roman Josi, and the continued excellence of Saros in net they are a solid playoff team that could make some noise in the playoffs. Saros has been one of the league's best goalies over the past two seasons, single-handedly dragged the Predators to the playoffs a year ago, and has been just as good this season. 

The Flames paid a huge price in free agency for Markstrom before the 2020-21 season and they are getting their money's worth this season. Markstrom is backstopping one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and having a Vezina caliber season in the Flames' net. His nine shutouts as of April 3 are the most in the NHL and more than he had in his entire career (combined) prior to this season. 

This has been a lost season for the Islanders that was completely undone by an 11-game losing streak earlier in the season as their schedule and roster were in a constant state of disruption. Outside of that? They have been pretty good and could be in line for a bounceback next season. Their poor overall record is going to hide how good Sorokin has been this season, but with him and Shesterkin for the Rangers, the New York city hockey teams are set in net for the foreseeable future. 

It is another season outside of the playoffs for the Detroit Red Wings but they at least have some real hope for the future with a couple of young stars in their lineup who are Calder Trophy front runners. At forward they have Lucas Raymond who has played like a bonafide top-line player as a 19-year-old. With him, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Jakub Vrana the Red Wings have some real impact potential at forward with a ton of salary cap flexibility this offseason. 

This is Detroit's other Calder Trophy contender, and he might be the front-runner. The Red Wings took some criticism for drafting Seider when they did (it was thought to be an overdraft) but nobody is questioning it now. Seider already looks like a No. 1 defender and is going to be a cornerstone building block for the Red Wings' rebuild. He has a Norris Trophy in his future as the top all-around defender in the NHL. This season it is the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. 

There might not be a more entertaining and creative player in the NHL right now than Zegras, and that is not hyperbole or an exaggeration. He is a one-man highlight reel every night with his passing, puck handling, lacrosse style goals, and the way he seemingly creates something out of nothing. The Anaheim Ducks have needed a young superstar to build their franchise around, and they have one in Zegras. 

The Florida Panthers have one of the NHL's best offenses in recent memory, loaded with all-star level players and top-line producers. They also have a ton of young talent entering the lineup, including Lundell, the team's first-round pick in 2020. Lundell has been very good this season and is on a 20-goal, 50-point pace over 82 games as a 20-year-old rookie on a Stanley Cup contender. He probably does not have enough of an argument to beat Seider, Raymond, or Zegras, but he is having a magnificent season for the Panthers and has a great future ahead of him. 

The argument against Bunting will be his age (26) but his numbers stack up with any other rookie in the NHL. He has been a huge addition to the Maple Leafs' lineup and provided some much-needed secondary scoring. He has been one of the best offseason additions for any team in the NHL. 

Sutter's second go with the Flames has been a fantastic success so far and they have put together one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Sutter has them playing dominant defense, and when combined with their goaltending, top line, and newly acquired forward depth at the trade deadline they look like a potential force in the West. They were pegged as a fringe playoff team before the season and are now on track to win the Pacific Division and be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. 

Every year there is an expectation that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to start to decline, but they never really do. Despite significant injuries for much of the season and an older core the Penguins are still on track for more than a 105 points this season and have been one of the league's best teams. Mike Sullivan deserves a ton of credit for that. 

Brunette took over for Joel Quenneville when he stepped down and the Panthers have not missed a beat. They are the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season and are in contention for the Presidents' Trophy. He is leading one of the best offensive teams we have seen in more than 25 years. 

The Carolina Hurricanes are again one of the best teams in the league and Brind'Amour is again showing he is one of the league's best coaches. Typically teams with a lot of talent and high expectations do not have coaches that get much Jack Adams attention (they are expected to be good). But just because the roster is good does not mean the coaches are not also a part of that success. 

The Colorado Avalanche have been the NHL's best team all season and should be the odds on favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They have done all of that and dominated for much of the season despite some pretty significant injuries to their roster all season. Like we said with Brind'Amour, coaches of talented teams do not typically get much respect in this discussion but Bednar has been one of the top coaches in the league.