Mid-point: Blackhawks and those award things
Heading into the 2015-16 NHL season, Blackhawks fans didn’t have as much to look forward to as one would think coming off a third Stanley Cup win in six seasons. Trading Patrick Sharp was heartbreaking (especially for me), trading Brandon Saad was sad (pun kind of intended, and then the Patrick Kane sexual assault scandal.
Amid the two salary cap-driven trades and the 2013 Conn Smythe winner’s federal investigation, us fans went into the season with a bad taste in our mouths.
But, damn, the team sure hasn’t missed a step.
Entering the All-Star break with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, including a 12-game winning streak before dropping three-of-four, the Blackhawks have risen to 70 points in 53 games. The total is second in the league, still behind the Washington Capitals (74 points in 47 games).
Although the Caps have a +54 goal differential, they place one player in the top-12 in points – Evgeny Kuznetsov with 49. More of a team balance in points is great, but this article is more about those awards handed out at the end of the season. Sorry, Evgeny.
I know it can still be a sore subject for even Blackhawks fans, but Patrick Kane has been the NHL’s best player this year, and it hasn’t been that close.
Kane leads the league in points with 73 (15 more than the nexxt guy). He also paces the league in goals (30) and assists (43) – two more than Alexander Ovechkin and Jamie Benn for goals, and and two more than Erik Karlsson for assists. Benn is the closest to Kane in points at 58, with teammate Tyler Seguin is at 53, and Karlsson has totaled 52.
Barring something major happening, Kane will and should be handed the Hart Trophy at the end of the season, despite his off-the-ice issues in the off-season.
Changing course over to Artemi Panarin, who is the front-runner for the Calder Memorial Trophy for his performance.
Panarin leads the league among rookies with 46 points, 17 goals, and 29 assists. Right behind him in goals is Buffalo’s Jack Eichel with 16. Anaheim’s goaltender John Gibson is leading between the pipes with a 1.91 GAA and four shutouts. Gibson also has a .923 save percentage, only .004 points away from the rookie leader from Winnipeg in Connor Hellebuyck. Gibson has also won 11 games, two behind Montreal’s rookie net-minder Mike Condon.
Panarin only carries a +7 in +/-, but at this current time with how much space he has in a few major offensive categories, he deserves to be the leader for the award come season’s end.
Speaking of goalies, let’s talk about Corey Crawford. Although he may not be considered the “front-runner” as I type, he does lead the league in shutouts with seven. He ranks second in wins with 28, behind Washington’s Holtby (30), .002 points away from the save percentage leader Neuvirth of Philadelphia, and has a 2.14 GAA.
It will most likely be a race between Crow and Holtby for the rest of the season, similar to the one that team’s could be facing for the President’s Trophy. If Crow can keep it up between the pipes, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to take over in save percentage and GAA to become the clear winner of the Vezina come the end of the season.
Coach Joel Quenneville has been the mastermind behind this epic run the past six seasons for the Blackhawks. He has only been the recipient of the Jack Adams Award once (1999 with St. Louis), but this year could be the year that a coach receives the award for his second time in more than 13 seasons.
The obvious competitors are Washington’s Barry Trotz, Florida’s Gerard Gallant, and Dallas’s Lindy Ruff. An argument against Coach Q is his consistent nature in winning the past several years, but that’s barely an argument especially when the team traded two of its top players in the off-season. The Jack Adams’ winner is usually a toss-up as the league likes to give it to someone who has never won, but Coach Q definitely is at the front of the discussion.
This list doesn’t even include guys like (Captain) Jonathan Toews, (Alternate Captain) Duncan Keith, and (Alternate Captain) Brent Seabrook). Isn’t that kind of scary?
I’m not one to harp on regular reason awards such as the ones mentioned, as ultimately they don’t mean that much. I’ll gladly take a fourth Stanley Cup in seven seasons before any of these athletes (and coach) receive an award based on regular season performance, as I’m sure all of the other teams and individuals would.
But when you look hard at the numbers, the Blackhawks have a clear case for two of the major awards handed out at the end of the season, and two arguments for the other two. Let’s not forget these. The team wouldn’t be in the position they are in at the All-Star break without any of these guys.
*picture is courtesy of secondcityhockey.com
