Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - With the lockout eating up a large portion
of the 2012-13 schedule and turning this season into a sprint, it's already
time to evaluate the first half.
In fact, with the Boston Bruins about to play their 24th game of the season on
Tuesday, the entire league will have reached the midway point of this
shortened campaign. Some teams, like the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks,
have thrived under the unusual circumstances, while other teams like the
Florida Panthers have failed to effectively adjust to the schedule's pace.
The second-half schedule will be just as busy, so what better time than now to
catch our breath and take a look at who's on their way to winning hardware
this spring.
HART TROPHY (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
With a career resume like Crosby's, it's hard to believe "Sid the Kid" only
has one Hart Trophy to his credit. Of course, injuries have stood in the way
of him adding to his MVP haul, but there's a good chance Crosby will double
that total in a few months if he keeps amassing points at his current rate.
After missing considerable time due to concussion issues in each of the past
two seasons, Crosby has played in every game for Pittsburgh in 2013 and is
leading the NHL with 45 points (12 goals, 33 assists) through 26 games. That
total places him eight points ahead of Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who could
have his MVP chances dashed since his Lightning are in danger of missing the
playoffs. Chicago's Patrick Kane and Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf are leading the
way for more impressive teams than the Penguins, but Crosby is once again
setting himself apart as the league's premier talent. If Crosby wins the award
this season, it'll mark the first time an NHL team has had different players
claim the Hart Trophy in consecutive years since Boston's Phil Esposito won the
award in 1968-69 and was followed by Bobby Orr the next season. Crosby's
teammate Evgeni Malkin won the Hart last year, of course.
Other finalists: Patrick Kane (Chicago), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim)
NORRIS TROPHY (BEST DEFENSEMAN)
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
When reigning winner Erik Karlsson of Ottawa went down with a season-ending
knee injury last month, the Norris Trophy field opened up considerably. The
dynamic defenseman had six goals in just 14 games this season and, a full
month since he's played a game, that total still has Karlsson tied for the
goal-scoring league among blueliners. Without Karlsson the race is robbed of
the NHL's best offensive defenseman and that's why maybe it's time to open the
door for a defense-first guy like Chara to get another look. Chara won the
award for Boston in 2008-09 when he scored a career-best 19 goals. He only has
four goals and six assists in 23 games this season, but the 6-foot-9 Slovak's
unique skill set is still the biggest reason Boston is one of the hardest
teams to play against. With Chara looming large in their own end, the Bruins
have made a seamless transition in goal this season from Tim Thomas, a two-
time Vezina Trophy winner, to Tuukka Rask, who assumed the No. 1 role when
Thomas announced he was taking the season off due to personal reasons. When
it's time to vote, folks may simply cast their ballots for the highest-scoring
defenseman, but Boston's captain is a always a strong choice.
Other finalists: Duncan Keith (Chicago), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Phoenix)
VEZINA TROPHY (BEST GOALTENDER)
Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators
Just like Karlsson in the Norris, an injured Ottawa player is clouding the
race for the Vezina. Anderson has been sidelined due to an ankle injury since
Feb. 21, but his numbers through 15 starts are too good to ignore. The
journeyman backstop leads the league in both goals against average (1.49) and
save percentage (.952) and has an 8-4-2 record through 15 starts. To put that
in perspective, Chicago's Corey Crawford, who has played in 16 games, is the
next eligible goalie on the GAA list and he is at 1.91. Meanwhile, Crawford
may not even been a finalist for the Vezina since teammate Ray Emery's 10-0-0
record in net could cause the Chicago duo to split the vote. As far as
Anderson is concerned, there will be a point when he could drop out of this
race if his injury continues to be a lingering problem. However, the injury
isn't considered to be serious, but Ottawa wants to make sure Anderson is
fully recovered before rushing him back. However, if the ankle problem gets
worse and causes Anderson to miss several more weeks, then the Vezina field
will be wide open one.
Other finalists: Henrik Lundqvist (New York), Antti Niemi (San Jose)
CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR)
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Unlike the Hart, the voting for the NHL's rookie of the year award doesn't
necessarily take how good your team was into consideration. That's certainly
good news for Huberdeau, who has been phenomenal this season despite playing
for a Florida team that is last in the NHL in wins (seven) and points (20).
Although Cory Conacher of Tampa Bay leads rookies in points with 20 (seven
goals, 13 assists), Huberdeau's 12 goals and 17 points make him a stronger
candidate. The centerman was the third overall pick by Florida in the
2011 NHL draft and has made a seamless jump to the NHL this season after
spending his previous three campaigns as a junior player with Saint John of
the QMJHL. In addition to putting the puck in the net Huberdeau also has
shown glimpses of Detroit star Pavel Datsyuk in his game, as the Florida
youngster is adept at swiping the puck on defense and taking it the other way.
Other finalists: Cory Conacher (Tampa Bay), Justin Schultz (Edmonton)
ADAMS TROPHY (COACH OF THE YEAR)
Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim Ducks
As is often the case, the coaching award appears to be the toughest race to
call. Boudreau has led a Anaheim team to an 18-3-3 record out of the gate,
putting a team that was supposed to struggle for a playoff spot way out in
front in perhaps the league's toughest division, the Pacific. But is that more
impressive than the job Michel Therrien has done with even lower expectations
in Montreal? Is it more impressive than Joel Quenneville helping Chicago
navigate the first half of the season without a regulation loss? There's also
the case of Ottawa's Paul MacLean, a finalist for the award in 2011-12, who is
somehow getting the Senators to play at a high level despite the loss of
Karlsson, Anderson and top centerman Jason Spezza. Still, Boudreau seems to be
the safest best to win the Adams since his Ducks have zoomed past this
season's expectations and only a full-scale implosion in the second half will
keep them from the postseason.
Other finalists: Joel Quenneville (Chicago), Paul MacLean (Ottawa)
The Sports Network