Nashville Predators: If A Predator Won Every NHL Award

Nashville Predators have had an improved season this year. Many players are having their best season. Who would have the best chance winning each NHL award?

The Nashville Predators have arguably the most talented roster in franchise history. At the midway point in the season, the Predators sit two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division, while having three games in hand. The Predators have never won a division title before. Many of their players are on pace to set career numbers. With so many players elevating their game, it’s no wonder the Nashville Predators are having the success they are having.

The NHL hands out 15 individual awards for the regular season. Most seasons, you couldn’t even smell a Predators player in any of those award races, except for maybe the Norris or Vezina Trophies. No matter how successful the team has been, the Predators have always been too small to gain national recognition. Coming off of the heels of a Stanley Cup Final trip last season has propped up the Nashville Predators in the eyes of fans everywhere. The defending Western Conference Champions are more widely popular than ever before. With their newfound popularity, could this year be the year a Predators player finally wins a major award?

Check out which players (or coach/GM) have the best shot at winning each award. (Obviously, there will be awards that no player has a chance at winning, like leading goal scorer in the league. However, for the sake of argument, I will list the player who has the best resume on the team for each award.)

The Longshots

As I stated before, there are going to be some awards that no matter how hard or how well a player does, no Nashville Predators player will win. These, of course, are your MVP, Best Rookie, Goal Leader, and Most Outstanding Player awards. Even though there are Nashville Predators who are having career years, as well as some that are tops in the league in certain statistics, they almost don’t even qualify for these awards.

What I mean is, in order to win an MVP or Most Outstanding, one has to be the best overall player in the entire league. They have to be the sole reason a team achieves the success it does. The Nashville Predators have too deep of a roster. There is not just one player that is the reason for their success this season. You cannot say, unequivocally, that without one particular player, the Predators would be entrenched in the bottom of the Central Division. They have proven that this year by injuries alone. At times they have been without the likes of Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg, and Nick Bonino just to name a few. What happened? They continued to win. That is a good thing for Predators fans.

Nonetheless, here are the best candidates for the Hart, Calder, Rocket Richard, and Ted Lindsay Trophies:

Hart Memorial Trophy

This trophy is awarded to the most valuable player in the whole league. Like I said, no one on the Predators can even come close, because they are a deep team. However, P.K. Subban deserves this award. Had Forsberg not gotten injured and continued the pace he was on, I probably would have given it to him. However, the Predators have done just fine since his injury. A big part of that has been Subban’s play on both ends of the ice.

Subban now holds the team lead in points, while leading the entire NHL in goals by a defenseman. The strongest case for Subban is not his offensive production, but his defense. He is second on the team in 5v5 ice time and first in defensive zone starts. He has also spent the majority of the season paired with Alexei Emelin. That is a stark decrease in talent from Mattias Ekholm (Subban’s partner almost all of last season). Even though he won’t be considered for the Hart, he makes a strong case for another trophy we will discuss later.

Calder Memorial Trophy

The Calder Trophy goes out to the league’s most outstanding rookie. The Nashville Predators have had a few rookies make a strong impact in their first full season on the team. Perhaps the greatest rookie season for the Predators ever was Filip Forsberg’s. In that magical season, Forsberg amassed 26 goals and 37 assists for a point total of 63. The previous highest point total for a Predators rookie was Alexander Radulov‘s 39. As for this season, the Nashville Predators do not have any rookies playing full time. So, no player from the Predators can win.

Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy

The Rocket Richard Trophy is awarded to whoever scores the most goals in the NHL. Alex Ovechkin is the front-runner so far with 29 goals as of this writing. Craig Smith and Forsberg are tied for the team lead with 15.

Ted Lindsay Award

The Ted Lindsay Award is for the “most outstanding” player in the league. The difference between the Hart Trophy and this award is who votes on it. The members of the NHL Writers Association (NHLWA) vote on the Hart Trophy. The Ted Lindsay Award is voted on by members of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA). The reason the Hart is considered the official MVP award in the NHL is that the NHLWA carries more clout than the NHLPA in terms of bias. Writers are typically less bias than players are. Filip Forsberg gets my vote here. He had a hardy lead in points and goals for the Predators before he got hurt. He has had his best season of his career and does things on the ice no other Predator can do.

Still Longshots

These next awards are still pretty unlikely for any Predator to win. But, there’s always a chance, right? Here is who could win the Art Ross, Bill Masterton, and Selke Trophies.

Art Ross Trophy

The Art Ross Trophy is given to the player that leads the NHL in scoring points in the regular season. The current front-runner for this award is Nakita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He currently has 61 points. P.K. Subban currently leads the Nashville Predators with 37 points. Filip Forsberg had a very outside chance if he had stayed healthy. He was on pace for 80ish points.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

The Bill Masterton Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The player who wins this award usually missed an extensive amount of time due to injury or illness and then came back and had a solid season. Steve Sullivan won this award in 2009 as a member of the Nashville Predators. He had come back to play a full season with the Predators after missing 22 months due to injury. If I had to take a guess, New Jersey Devils Brian Boyle after going through treatments for cancer earlier this season. If Ryan Ellis can continue the production he has had since returning from long-term injury, he would be a serious candidate for the Masterton.

Frank J. Selke Trophy

The Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game. The Predators signed a former Selke finalist, Nick Bonino, this offseason. But, it is Austin Watson who should seriously be considered for the Selke this year. Watson has taken his overall game to the next level this season. He has improved in every part of his game and head coach, Peter Laviolette, has taken notice. Laviolette has deployed Watson in crucial defensive situations every single game. Watson ranks 15th in hits amongst all forwards in the league. He also leads all forwards in blocked shots. On top of that, he starts 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Nashville Predators fans show him the love he deserves. Will the voters?

One Could Hope

These next few awards are those Predators players are not far from being finalists for. They need a little help from the frontrunners falling back to earth a little bit. Nonetheless, be on the lookout for some Predators to make the final cut for the Jack Adams, Vezina, GM of the Year, and William M. Jennings Trophies.

Jack Adams Award

The Jack Adams Award is for the head coach who is judged to have contributed most to his team’s success. Ex-Predators coach, Barry Trotz was a finalist for this award twice as the bench boss for Nashville. Current coach, Laviolette, has been nominated for his contributions to the Philidelphia Flyers as well as the Predators. In recent years, Laviolette easily should have been considered for this award. This year is a little different due to how deep of a roster Nashville has. Either way, he is Nashville’s only head coach, so he gets the nod.

Vezina Trophy

Considered one of the biggest awards, the Vezina goes to the best goalie in the league. Pekka Rinne is a three-time finalist for the award. He is having arguably his most proficient and consistent season of his career. He undoubtedly carried his confidence from his epic playoff performance into the new season. Unfortunately, Corey Crawford is having his best year as well. I would say Crawford should win the award, especially since his team has played so poorly this season. All things considered, Rinne is definitely having a Vezina-worthy year.

General Manager of the Year

The name says it all. Nashville Predators GM, David Poile, can be considered for this award almost every year. He is one of the more aggressive general managers in the league. This year was no different when he traded prospects, Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev, in a three-team trade that landed Kyle Turris for the Predators. Since that trade, the Predators have been towards the tops in the league in offense and have the third highest point total. Unfortunately, if the Las Vegas Golden Knights continue their success, GM George McPhee is a virtual lock for the award.

William M. Jennings Trophy

The William M. Jennings Trophy is awarded to the goaltender who started at least 25 games for the team that allowed the least goals against all season. The Nashville Predators have allowed the second fewest goals this season. If the Predators can keep it up, they might actually have two goalies win the award. Obviously, Rinne will meet the qualifications, but Jusse Saros might end up playing 25 games this year as well. After a slow start to the season for Saros, Laviolette has shown his willingness to play Saros more frequently. Laviolette is on board with the idea of keeping Rinne rested for the playoffs. It doesn’t hurt that Saros has been playing lights out all year long. Saros would need a little help from Laviolette, though. Saros is currently on pace to start 21 games.