2014 NHL Picks and Predictions: Individual Award Winners

2014 NHL Picks and Predictions: Individual Award Winners: The 2013-14 NHL regular season is in the books, and while the postseason is already in full swing, I’ll take one last look at the season that was by making my predictions for the top individual awards. These selections are not necessarily the players that I would vote for to win, but rather, they are the players that I think will end up taking home top honors. With that in mind, here are my picks for the individual award winners for the 2013-14 NHL season.

Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

Despite a seemingly-endless string of injuries to many of its stars, Crosby has kept the Penguins near the top of the Eastern Conference all season with his incredible offensive play. His 104 points were the most in the NHL by a wide margin, and he also led the league with 68 assists. Even if the Penguins hadn’t been dealing with injuries all year, Crosby’s number would warrant the Hart Trophy. Throw in the fact that he had to be a one-man wrecking crew at times, and he should easily snag MVP honors for the second time in his career.

Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

The Vezina Trophy is one of the tougher calls this year. I would personally give the nod to Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov, but I think Rask will ultimately take home the hardware. The Boston netminder finished fifth in the NHL with 36 wins, and he led the league with seven shutouts and a .930 save percentage. He also ranked fourth with a 2.04 goals against average. Playing for a great Boston team certainly helps Rask, but at the end of the day, he dominant all-around numbers will land him the Vezina Trophy.

Norris Trophy: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

The 2010 winner of the Norris Trophy should be taking home the title a second time after a great 2013-14 campaign. His 61 total points were the second most among defensemen, and his 55 assists led all blueliners. Keith also ranked sixth among defensemen with a plus-22 rating. There were a few other defensemen that had better offensive numbers, but none of them had better numbers while also helping make their team a contender.

Calder Trophy: Nathan MacKinnon, Center, Colorado Avalanche

San Jose center Tomas Hertl would have likely been more of a factor had an injury not limited him to just 37 games. As it stands, MacKinnon should get the nod over Tampa Bay wing Ondrej Palat. After all, MacKinnon’s 63 points were the most among rookies, and he also led all rookies in shots and assists while tying for the lead in goals and power plays points. MacKinnon’s steady offense was a big factor in Colorado’s surprise emergence as a contender this year, and he should take home the Calder Trophy by a comfortable margin.

Jack Adams Award: Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche

He certainly didn’t look like a first year head coach this season as he helped the Avalanche win the Central Division and make the postseason for the first time in four years. Roy was able to get the most out of goalie Semyon Varlamov, and he introduced an intense, up-tempo style that his players seemed to embrace. Give Roy credit for knowing exactly what he needed to do to get his young team to be a contender in just his first year on the bench.

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