Daily Faceoff hands out 2022 NHL Midseason Awards

Hart Trophy

Winner: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Why: Alex Ovechkin edged out Jonathan Huberdeau for what would be the fourth Hart Trophy of his career and his first since 2013.

It’s truly incredible how the 36-year-old Ovechkin continues to defy father time. Through 45 games this season, the great eight has 29 goals and 58 points. He’s also the only member of the Capitals to not miss a single game this season.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Nazem Kadri

Chris Gear: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Connor McDavid

Jason Gregor: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Chris Kreider

Zach Laing: 1. Connor McDavid, 2. Cale Makar, 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Cam Lewis: 1. Alex Ovechkin 2. Jonathan Huberdeau 3. Igor Shesterkin 

Mike McKenna: 1. Jonathan Huberdeau, 2. Alex Ovechkin, 3. Cale Makar

Chris Peters: 1. Jonathan Huberdeau, 2. Alex Ovechkin, 3. Victor Hedman

David Quadrelli: 1. Connor McDavid, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Alex Ovechkin

Brock Seguin: 1. Igor Shesterkin, 2. Connor McDavid, 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Frank Seravalli: 1. Nazem Kadri, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Kirill Kaprizov

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Alex Ovechkin 2. Connor McDavid 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Norris Trophy

Winner: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Why: This was an extremely tight vote. All ballots save for one features the trio of Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, and Adam Fox. Makar and Hedman wound up tied for first place in terms of points but Makar had more first-place votes so he’s narrowly the winner here.

Makar is in the midst of an incredible season for the Avs in which he’s scored 44 points through 39 games. He was the runner-up behind Fox last season and it’s a good bet that Makar will take home his first Norris Trophy this summer.

Daily Faceoff’s Ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Adam Fox 3. Cale Makar

Chris Gear: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Adam Fox 3. Aaron Ekblad

Jason Gregor: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Cale Makar 3. Adam Fox

Zach Laing: 1. Cale Makar 2. Adam Fox 3. Victor Hedman

Cam Lewis: 1. Cale Makar 2. Adam Fox 3. Victor Hedman

Mike McKenna: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Chris Peters: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Cale Makar 3. Adam Fox

David Quadrelli: 1. Adam Fox 2. Victor Hedman 3. Cale Makar

Brock Seguin: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Frank Seravalli: 1. Cale Makar, 2. Victor Hedman, 3. Adam Fox

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Vezina Trophy

Winner: Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Why: Though it wasn’t unanimous, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers won our Vezina Trophy vote by a pretty hefty margin.

Shesterkin has been incredible for the Rangers thus far, as he owns a .937 save percentage through 28 games. The Rangers are 29-13-4 on the season thanks largely to Shesterkin’s play, as the team ranks in the league’s basement in terms of shot attempt differential.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Frederik Andersen 3. Igor Shesterkin

Chris Gear: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Jacob Markstrom

Jason Gregor: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Frederik Andersen

Zach Laing: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Jacob Markstrom

Cam Lewis: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Tristan Jarry

Mike McKenna: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Igor Shesterkin 3. Tristan Jarry

Chris Peters: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

David Quadrelli: 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy 2. Juuse Saros 3. Thatcher Demko

Brock Seguin: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Frederik Andersen

Frank Seravalli: 1. Igor Shesterkin, 2. Juuse Saros, 3. Tristan Jarry

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Frederik Andersen 3. Jacob Markstrom

Calder Trophy

Winner: Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks

Why: In yet another tight race, Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks beat out the duo from Detroit, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, for the Calder Trophy for the league’s top rookie.

Zegras has injected some new life into the Ducks this season. He has 12 goals and 32 points over the course of 41 games, impressive numbers for a 20-year-old, but Zegras’ true claim to fame this season has been his highlight-reel plays.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Chris Gear: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Lucas Raymond 3. Anton Lundell

Jason Gregor: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Zach Laing: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Tanner Jeannot

Cam Lewis: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Mike McKenna: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Chris Peters: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Lucas Raymond

David Quadrelli: 1. Lucas Raymond 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Moritz Seider

Brock Seguin: 1. Lucas Raymond 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Moritz Seider

Frank Seravalli: 1. Trevor Zegras, 2. Moritz Seider, 3. Anton Lundell

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Lucas Raymond

Jack Adams Award

Winner: Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins

Why: A lot of different coaches got some love in our Jack Adams Award vote but it was Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins who wound up with the hardware.

Sullivan has done an impressive job this year helping the Penguins navigate missing both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin due to injury. The Pens are 27-11-7, putting them on pace for their third-best season in franchise history.

Though he’s won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins twice, this would the first Jack Adams of Sullivan’s career.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Jared Bednar 3. Gerard Gallant

Chris Gear: 1. Dean Evason 2. Jared Bednar 3. John Hynes

Jason Gregor: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Rod Brind’Amour 3. Dean Evason

Zach Laing: 1. Gerard Gallant 2. Andrew Burnette 3. Rod Brind’Amour

Cam Lewis: 1. Andrew Brunette 2. Jared Bednar 3. Mike Sullivan

Mike McKenna: 1. Rod Brind’Amour 2. John Hynes 3. Mike Sullivan

Chris Peters: 1. John Hynes 2. Dean Evason 3. Andrew Brunette

David Quadrelli: 1. Rod Brind’Amour 2. Jon Cooper 3. Bruce Boudreau

Brock Seguin: 1. John Hynes 2. Mike Sullivan 3. Dean Evason

Frank Seravalli: 1. Jared Bednar, 2. Rod Brind’Amour, 3. Mike Sullivan

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Rod Brind’Amour 3. Gerard Gallant

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

Winner: Bill Zito, Florida Panthers

Why: The Florida Panthers have transformed from a perennial bottom-feeder into a legitimate contender thanks to some impressive maneuvering from general manager Bill Zito.

Zito was hired to retool the Panthers back in the fall of 2020 and he’s navigated a difficult salary cap situation to help the Panthers build a strong, deep roster. Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair, and Carter Verhaeghe are under-the-radar players that Zito found who have helped contribute to arguably the most potent offense in hockey.

Zito was a runner-up for the Jim Gregory Award last year, but if the Panthers keep rolling as they have been in the first half, he’ll win this time around.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Doug Armstrong 2. Don Waddell 3. Bill Zito

Chris Gear: 1. Rob Blake 2. Joe Sakic 3. Steve Yzerman

Jason Gregor: 1. Joe Sakic 2. Don Waddell 3. Bill Zito

Zach Laing: 1. Bill Zito 2. Steve Yzerman 3. Joe Sakic

Cam Lewis: 1. Bill Zito 2. Don Waddell 3. Kyle Dubas

Mike McKenna: 1. Bill Zito 2. Chris Drury 3. Brad Treliving

Chris Peters: 1. Joe Sakic 2. Bill Zito 3. Rob Blake

David Quadrelli: 1. Steve Yzerman 2. Doug Armstrong 3. Don Sweeney

Brock Seguin: 1. Bill Zito 2. Don Waddell 3. Steve Yzerman

Frank Seravalli: 1. Don Waddell, 2. Bill Guerin, 3. Bill Zito

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Bill Zito 2. Joe Sakic 3. Don Waddell

DFO Comeback Player of the Year Award

Winner: Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

Why: The criteria for this invented award is simple: it serves to recognize a player that has returned not only from a serious injury, illness or personal disruption, but also a player who may have simply rebounded from a season (or string of seasons) of subpar performance.

There are multiple players who have battled back from varying circumstances in 2021-22 but the one that stands out is Vladimir Tarasenko.

Tarasenko played only 34 games between 2019-20 and 2021 and it looked like he was never going to be the same again. But after getting his third different shoulder operation done over the offseason, Tarasenko has come roaring back.

Through 40 games with the Blues, Tarasenko has 40 points, the highest points-per-game pace of his career.

Daily Faceoff’s ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Matt Duchene 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. William Nylander

Chris Gear: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Jason Gregor: 1. Timo Meier 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Zach Laing: 1. Sergei Bobrovsky 2. Matt Duchene 3. Tony DeAngelo

Cam Lewis: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Jonathan Drouin 3. Sam Bennett

Mike McKenna: 1. Nazem Kadri 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. Matt Duchene

Chris Peters: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Evgeny Kuznetsov

David Quadrelli: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Brock Seguin: 1. Timo Meier 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. Tony DeAngelo

Frank Seravalli: 1. Sergei Bobrovsky, 2. Vladimir Tarasenko, 3. Matt Duchene

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Matt Duchene 2. Evgeny Kuznetsov 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Scores calculated using a 3-2-1 points scoring system.