NHL fans across the globe watched Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid become the first player in almost 30 years to score 150 points while winning the unofficial triple-crown of the NHL by tallying the most goals, assists, and points.
Although the Oilers did not win the Pacific Division crown or finish with the best record in the Western Conference, the team is setting itself up for a monster playoff run to help cement McDavid’s place amongst the greats.
However, now that the regular season is over, the debates will begin on who deserves to win hardware at the NHL award ceremony, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 26. Here’s a rundown of what we already know and what’s to be determined this award season.
Related: Top 2023 NHL MVP candidates
Presidents Trophy (Team with the Best Record)
- Boston Bruins (65-12-5 – 135 points)
The 2022-23 Boston Bruins became the greatest team in NHL history, setting the regular season records for wins (65) and points (135) and becoming one of four teams ever to amass 60 wins in a campaign. Although 12 teams finished with 100 or more points, no one was ever close to catching the Bruins, with the Carolina Hurricanes coming up 22 points short.
William M. Jennings Trophy (Team with the Fewest Goals Against)
- Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman – Boston Bruins (174)
The Bruins rode the success of their star goalies, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, to the best record and lowest goals-against totals in the league.
Statistically, the duo became the first to surrender less than 200 goals in a full-length campaign since the 2018-19 New York Islanders, who gave up 190 that year. Historically, this Jennings trophy win marks the fourth time the Bruins have won, with their last one coming in 2019-20.
Related: Top five goalies in the 2023 NHL Playoffs
Art Ross Trophy (Leading Scorer) & Maurice Richard Trophy (Most Goals)
- Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (64G – 89A – 153P)
As mentioned above, McDavid set the hockey world on fire this year, raking up 153 points in 82 games, becoming the first player to score 60 goals while setting up 89 additional ones. Moreover, he was the leading man on the league’s best power-play unit, 32.4%; dishing passes off to Leon Draisaitl, who led all players with 32-man advantage goals.
Although McDavid had competition from David Pastrnak (61 goals) and Nikita Kucherov (83 assists), he was never in danger of losing the scoring race, finishing 25 points ahead of Draisaitl. Interestingly, this year will mark his third Art Ross Trophy win and his first Maurice Richard Trophy victory.
Jack Adams Award (NHL Coach of the Year)
- Jim Montgomery – Boston Bruins (65-12-5 – 135 points)
Interestingly, the Jack Adams Award winner is not a foregone conclusion. Although Lindsay Ruff (New Jersey) and Jared Bednar (Colorado) had outstanding seasons with their clubs, Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery is the clear-cut favorite for this award.
Surprisingly, Montgomery will not get the unanimous vote since many writers believe other coaches deserve the recognition. However, there is little room for debate with this topic since, during the preseason, the Bruins were a fringe playoff team at best. Yet, in seven months, they went on to have the most remarkable regular season in league history.
Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie)
- Linus Ullmark – Boston Bruins (40-6-1 with 1.89 GAA and .938 SV%)
The Vezina Trophy is another award that has many fans engaged in debates about who deserves to be named the top goalie in the NHL for 2022-23. Nevertheless, Ullmark is the favorite to walk away with the award posting incredible numbers like a 1.89 goals-against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage (SV%) while becoming one of two netminders to earn 40 wins.
Interestingly, like McDavid, Ullmark became the first goalie since Carey Price (2014-15) to win the triple crown, leading the league in wins, GAA, and SV%. However, despite his chart-topping performance, many in the hockey community believe Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders) deserves to win the Vezina for posting a 33-22-7 record with a 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% to help the Islanders sneak into the playoffs.
Although several players deserve to be in the conversation, there is only one decisive winner of this award. Even though Ullmark played behind the league’s best team, he still had to keep the puck out of the net and be relied on to make key saves to help the Bruins win 65 games, which he did night in and night out.
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best Defenseman)
- Erik Karlsson – San Jose Sharks (25G – 76A – 101P)
Erik Karlsson became the first player since Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to score 100 points during the regular season, making him the favorite to win the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. However, many in the hockey community do not believe he is the best since he registered a minus-26 rating on the 29th-worst team in the league.
Many people feel the award should not go to the leading scorer at that position but to more deserving candidates like Josh Morrissey, Dougie Hamilton, and Hampus Lindholm, all of who had good seasons while assisting their clubs to playoff berths. Although qualifying for the postseason should not affect someone’s eligibility for the award, it is a tougher sell to the hockey world when nominees get rewarded for playing in mediocre organizations, despite spectacular individual seasons.
Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
- Stuart Skinner – Edmonton Oilers (24-14-5 with 2.75 GAA and .913 SV%)
The Oilers finished with one of their best regular season campaigns since the days of Wayne Gretzky in the late 1980s. Despite losing the Western Conference Final last season, the boys have the fans eager to see what kind of success they can achieve in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, which rest squarely on the shoulders of rookie Stuart Skinner.
Even though Matty Breiners had the best numbers of all first-year skaters, the argument is the Oilers would not have finished with 109 points and 50 wins if it wasn’t for Stuart stepping up in Jack Campbell’s absence. As a highly regarded free agent last summer, Campbell disappointed in his first year with the Oilers, opening the door for Skinner to earn his first All-Star Game selection in February. Ultimately, the native of Edmonton looks to achieve something no one else in Oil Country ever did: win the Calder Trophy.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct)
- Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings (28-46-74 with 4 PIM)
Anze Kopitar led the Los Angeles Kings in scoring for the 15th time in the past 16 seasons, collecting 74 points to finish as the NHL’s 45th-highest scoring. Although those numbers are not earth-shattering, Kopitar achieved his totals while being whistled for just two minor infractions in 82 games.
Usually, the Lady Bynge goes to one of the highest scorers with the least penalty minutes, which is an example of how Kopitar conducts himself on the ice. Despite the team stumbling towards the end of the season, he led the Kings to one of the best records in the Western Conference and within a few points and wins of franchise records. Ultimately, Kopitar’s performance in 2022-23 showcases his ability to produce offense while not getting caught up with infractions.
Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward)
- Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins (27G – 31A – 58P with plus-35 rating)
Although the Bruins were the best team in the league, Patrice Bergeron saw his offensive production drop from last year, dipping from 65 points to 58. However, one significant aspect of his game has always remained strong: thinking defense first, which attributes to his plus-35 rating, ranked fourth best on the team behind three defensemen.
Historically, Bergeron is the only player in NHL history to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy on five occasions, being the reigning winner from 2021-22. Even though his offensive numbers are down, he’s still one of the top faceoff men in the game, finishing the year with a 61.1% win percentage. Ultimately, teams can’t create offense without controlling the puck, and having Bergeron take draws is one of the best ways to gain possession. Yet, when the Bruins are chasing their opponents, their captain is usually one of the first men back, helping in any way he can.
Jim Gregory GM of the Year (NHL GM of the Year)
- Ron Francis – Seattle Kraken (46-28-8 – 100 points)
Last year the Seattle Kraken managed just 60 points to finish 30th overall in the league standings, falling short of the expectations for expansion clubs laid out by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018. Surprisingly, within one season, the Kraken were contenders for the Pacific Division while punching a ticket to the postseason with their first 100-point campaign.
When scouting around the league for who should win the GM award, most people would think powerhouse teams like the Bruins, Hurricanes, or even the Devils deserve recognition in this spot. However, most of those teams have built up their contending rosters over time, tweaking along the way, while in the summer of 2021, Ron Francis built the Kraken from scratch.
Interestingly, the Hall of Famer stumbled in other GM jobs in the league but found his place with the Kraken, who turned out to be an opponent no one wanted to face in the playoffs. Ultimately, the mastermind behind the success deserves all the recognition for his efforts to build a contender.
Hart Memorial Trophy (League’s Most Valuable Player)
- Connor McDavid (64G – 89A – 153P)
Realistically, at least ten players deserve recognition as professional hockey’s most valuable player. However, there is no denying McDavid from cleaning up at the awards ceremony, taking home both of the league’s top trophies. Ultimately, by achieving scoring totals unseen in almost three decades, it is safe to say McDavid cemented himself as one of the game’s greatest players, worthy of more MVP trophies.
Recently, McDavid won both awards in 2020-21 before finishing second in the Hart Trophy race last season. Furthermore, he looks to become only the third player to win the Ted Lindsay Award for a fourth time, joining Mario Lemieux and Gretzky, while becoming just one of eight players to win at least three Hart Trophies.
NHL award winners 2021-22
- Presidents’ Trophy: Florida Panthers
- Jack Adams Trophy: Darryl Sutter (Calgary Flames)
- Hart Memorial Trophy: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Ted Lindsay Award: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Calder Memorial Trophy: Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings)
- Vezina Trophy: Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers)
- James Norris Memorial Trophy: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
- Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
- Maurice Richard Trophy: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- William M. Jennings Trophy: Frederik Andersen & Antti Raanta (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Jim Gregory GM of the Year: Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche)
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