The NHL revealed on Wednesday that Toronto’s Michael Bunting, Detroit’s Moritz Seider and Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras were selected as finalists for the 2022 Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association before the Stanley Cup Playoffs began.
Seider, 21, would appear to be the front-runner as he burst onto the scene with a 50-point season from the backend with the Red Wings. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 Draft led all rookies in assists (43), power play assists (19) and power-play points (21).
Seider collected the third-most points of any rookie rearguard over the last 30 years, behind only Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes (53) in 2019-20 and the Islanders’ Vladimir Malakhov (52) in 1992-93. He also played an impressive 23:03 per night and displayed a bruising physical presence.
There will be criticism over Bunting’s inclusion, since he played 26 games over parts of two seasons in Arizona before arriving in Toronto.
But the rules are the rules — and Bunting was eligible for selection. To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played 25 games in any one previous season, or six or more in any of the previous two seasons combined.
Bunting, 26, was right on the edge of both qualifications with five games played in 2018-19 and 21 games played in 2020-21. He was a Group VI UFA and signed with the Maple Leafs last summer, making him one of the best offseason pickups in the league. He paced all rookies in points (63) and chipped in 23 goals for the Leafs in 79 games.
Zegras, 21, might not win the Calder with 23 goals and 61 points, but there is no doubt he’d win the NHL award for creativity — which was on full display in his first full season with the Ducks. Like Bunting, Zegras was one game shy of not being considered a rookie this season, having played 24 last year in Anaheim.
His casual alley-oop flip of the puck to teammate Sonny Milano in a December game against Buffalo was imitated by kids and hockey fans all over the world in the days that followed. He also wowed with a "Michigan"-style lacrosse goal in Montreal and owned the Skills Competition at the All-Star Weekend in Vegas with a blindfolded goal.
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