Superlative awards for the 2023-24 NHL season

Most of the NHL's official honors have already been awarded and, now that the 2023-24 campaign has officially wrapped up, we're going to dish out some superlative ones to reflect on the season that was.

Best fit with new team

Nominees: Gabe Vilardi (Jets), Jake Guentzel (Hurricanes), Gustav Nyquist (Predators)

Vilardi, the centerpiece of the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to Los Angeles, proved to be a terrific acquisition for the Jets. Although he battled injury, the 24-year-old notched 36 points in 47 games. Guentzel was the big fish on this season's trade deadline board, and he delivered exceptionally well in his brief tenure in Carolina. Nyquist had more points than any player who changed teams for 2023-24, quietly posting 75 points at 34 years old.

And the winner is: Guentzel. The Hurricanes and Guentzel seemed like a match made in heaven from the start - and they were. The former Penguin put up 25 points in 17 regular-season games, then added nine in 11 postseason contests. Guentzel brought the goal-scoring punch Carolina has been seeking for years and, although it didn't translate to a championship like the Canes hoped, the rest of the Metropolitan Division should be thankful a cap crunch in Raleigh will likely cause Guentzel to find another new home.

Worst fit with new team Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Nominees: Pierre-Luc Dubois (Kings), Tomas Tatar (Avalanche), John Klingberg (Maple Leafs)

Dubois dropped from 63 to 40 points after finally getting his wish to leave Winnipeg, and his ice time fell below 16 minutes per game in his debut campaign with Los Angeles. Tatar scored one goal in 27 games before Colorado shipped him to Seattle, and Klingberg was minus-7 in 14 appearances with the Maple Leafs before being shut down for the season due to injury.

And the winner is: Dubois. Getting traded after the first season of an eight-year deal is not normal. While Vilardi provided everything the Jets could have hoped for and more, Dubois had the opposite effect for the Kings. He didn't live up to the hype, and general manager Rob Blake moved Dubois to the Washington Capitals after denying rumors of a potential buyout. We'll leave a spot open for Dubois on this list next year in case D.C. is another bad fit.

Funnest trade

Nominees: Cutter Gauthier to Ducks, Tomas Hertl to Golden Knights, Erik Karlsson to Penguins

Gauthier, one of the Flyers' top prospects, was suddenly dealt to the Ducks for Jamie Drysdale in January, and it was quickly revealed that Gauthier didn't want to play in Philly. Second on the ballot, the Golden Knights shocked the hockey world on deadline day by landing Hertl - even with no cap space. Lastly, the winding Karlsson trade saga saw him land in Pittsburgh to team up with Sidney Crosby and Co.

And the winner is: Gauthier. It's extremely rare to see a player work his way out of an organization before ever playing a game there, let alone one as highly touted as Gauthier. The internet went berserk when the announcement dropped, and Philly fans were incensed about the 20-year-old's decision. Rumors about Gauthier's request out of the City of Brotherly Love became so farfetched that Flyers head coach John Tortorella lashed out at a reporter - and refused to answer his questions going forward - after he asked the bench boss about the validity of one of the stories circulating the hockeysphere. It was all top-notch entertainment.

Player most likely to regress Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / Getty

Nominees: Sam Reinhart (Panthers), Zach Hyman (Oilers), Nyquist

All three of these players had monstrous, unpredictable offensive seasons. Reinhart and Hyman finished second and third, respectively, in the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy race by breaking the 50-goal plateau, while Nyquist scored a career-high 75 points in his 12th NHL campaign. Surely this trio is bound to come back to earth in 2024-25, right?

And the winner is: Nyquist. Reinhart and Hyman may not be 50-goal guys again next year, but both play huge minutes on strong teams. They should be able to produce again. Nyquist, on the other hand, only hit 60 points once in his career before this year's outburst. Maybe he found a perfect role on Nashville's top line, but Nyquist is unlikely to have much leeway as a prominent player in the Predators' attack if he cools off at any point next season.

Most disappointing team

Nominees: Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres

The Penguins overhauled their front office, spent lavishly in free agency, and pulled off the biggest trade of the calendar year by landing Karlsson. But they still missed the playoffs and boasted an inexplicably terrible power play despite having three guaranteed Hall of Famers on it. The Senators and Sabres were popular picks to upheave the Eastern Conference playoff race, but both squads regressed in the standings and saw their lengthy postseason droughts live on for another year.

And the winner is: Pittsburgh. The Karlsson trade was supposed to turn back the clock for the Penguins, but it instead raised concerns about the future of the franchise as they battled for a wild-card spot all season.

Best online discourse Andrea Cardin / National Hockey League / Getty

Nominees: Ridly Greig's empty-net slapper, Golden Knights LTIR shenanigans, Rempemania

Hockey fans love to react on the internet in the wake of the sport's most viral events - and there was no shortage of them this year. Our first nominee rattled the league's biggest fanbase to its core, while Vegas caught so much flack for putting captain Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve that general manager Kelly McCrimmon had to come out and say his team isn't cheating. Lastly, Matt Rempe broke onto the scene in February with some enthralling fights, but his appeal quickly turned to angst among fans after a long list of dangerous hits.

And the winner is: Greig - and it's not close. When the Senators' forward ripped a slap shot in the open cage to seal an ultimately meaningless victory over the Maple Leafs in February, social media caught fire (and so did Morgan Rielly's temper). Toronto's defenseman drilled Greig in the face with a cross-check, which drew a five-game suspension. Leafs fans were incensed at player safety's verdict, and many pearl-clutchers believed Greig had it coming for breaking a chapter of the sport's unspoken "code." It was an unprecedented time of hot takes, and it reignited a Battle of Ontario that's gone mostly stale over the past several seasons.

Best platform year

Nominees: Sam Reinhart (Panthers), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins), Seth Jarvis (Hurricanes)

This hardware is for the player who set himself up for a handsome pay raise in a contract year. As mentioned above, Reinhart hit a new level with 57 goals this season, while Swayman established himself as the Bruins' clear No. 1 option in net with a strong regular season and a dominant playoff performance. Jarvis emerged as one of the Hurricanes' most important forwards with a career-high 33 goals and 67 points this season.

And the winner is: Reinhart. Swayman and Jarvis are both restricted free agents, while Reinhart has a ton of leverage against a cap-strapped Panthers squad or in the open market. The two sides seem to be keen on an extension, though the Cats can kiss Reinhart's team-friendly $6.5-million cap hit goodbye. No state tax will likely benefit Florida, though it'll be interesting to see where Reinhart ends up on the Panthers' hierarchy if a deal is struck. Captain Aleksander Barkov leads the squad at $10 million per season, while Matthew Tkachuk sits second at $9.5 million.

Worst Utah team name suggestion

Nominees: Squall, Powder, Ice

We get it, there's winter in Utah. Thankfully the league's newest club seems to be going in a different direction.

And the winner is: Powder. Back to Arizona if this was the choice.

Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.