Predicting major NHL award winners
Heading into the 2019-20 regular season, theScore's Mike Dickson, Josh Gold-Smith, John Matisz, Sean O'Leary, Matt Teague, and Josh Wegman make their picks for all major year-end NHL award recipients.
Calder Trophy
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | Jack Hughes |
| Gold-Smith | Kaapo Kakko |
| Matisz | Cale Makar |
| O'Leary | Kaapo Kakko |
| Teague | Jack Hughes |
| Wegman | Cale Makar |
We're torn between freshmen Hughes, Kakko, and Makar. The bottom line: A stellar crop of rookies will make things interesting this season, especially in the Metropolitan Division.
Jack Adams Award
Andy Marlin / National Hockey League / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | John Hynes |
| Gold-Smith | Joel Quenneville |
| Matisz | Joel Quenneville |
| O'Leary | John Hynes |
| Teague | John Hynes |
| Wegman | Rick Tocchet |
John Hynes enters his fifth season as head coach of the New Jersey Devils with a 141-146-41 record. But we believe he's going to say goodbye to a career sub-.500 record for good once 2019-20 is complete.
Selke Trophy
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | Patrice Bergeron |
| Gold-Smith | Aleksander Barkov |
| Matisz | Aleksander Barkov |
| O'Leary | Mark Stone |
| Teague | Sean Couturier |
| Wegman | Aleksander Barkov |
Aleksander Barkov earned 23.5% of the Selke vote last season, and that number is going to rise. Only 23 years old and with a Lady Byng and fifth-, fourth-, and sixth-place Selke finishes already to his name, Barkov could go on a Patrice Bergeron-esque run with this award and cement himself as the NHL's best defensive forward.
Norris Trophy
Kavin Mistry / National Hockey League / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | Seth Jones |
| Gold-Smith | Erik Karlsson |
| Matisz | Seth Jones |
| O'Leary | Erik Karlsson |
| Teague | Victor Hedman |
| Wegman | Erik Karlsson |
If you forgot how good Erik Karlsson is because he played only 53 games last season out west, you're about to be reminded. Another Norris Trophy will give him three, and will put the 29-year-old in a tie with Hall of Famers Chris Chelios, Paul Coffey, Pierre Pilote, and Denis Potvin.
Vezina Trophy
Jamie Sabau / National Hockey League / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Gold-Smith | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
| Matisz | Carey Price |
| O'Leary | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
| Teague | Ben Bishop |
| Wegman | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
It'll be two straight for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will make everyone forget about Tampa stunningly being swept in the 2019 playoffs.
Hart Trophy
Michael Martin / National Hockey League / Getty| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Dickson | Connor McDavid |
| Gold-Smith | Nikita Kucherov |
| Matisz | Nathan MacKinnon |
| O'Leary | Nathan MacKinnon |
| Teague | Nathan MacKinnon |
| Wegman | Auston Matthews |
Nathan MacKinnon was the Avalanche's first overall pick in 2013, and we have him winning his first Hart Trophy at 24 years old. His prime years will be something else.
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