Handing out NHL awards at season's quarter mark

We're now more than a quarter of the way through the NHL season, so it's safe to begin looking at some of the award favorites.

Some familiar names are the early bets to capture the hardware, while a couple of new candidates have emerged in their respective races.

Here's who deserves each of the six major individual awards through the opening quarter of the campaign.

Hart Trophy - Carey Price

Gold-Smith: We've seen what the Montreal Canadiens are without their franchise goaltender, and it's not pretty. Now, we're seeing once again just how dominant they can be when Price is healthy and locked in.

The 2015 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner is 13-1-1 with a 1.66 GAA, .946 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts in 15 games. He's helped Montreal post the best record in the league, and both he and the club have made some history in the process.

Connor McDavid is doing great things for the Edmonton Oilers and leads the league with 18 assists and 28 points, but he's had help from Jordan Eberle, Leon Draisaitl, and Milan Lucic.

McDavid is making a strong case, but Price has been the most valuable player to his team early on.

Vezina Trophy - Price

O'Leary: It's hardly a debate. The Vezina belongs to Price again.

While Tuukka Rask and Devan Dubnyk are putting up remarkable seasons of their own, it's impossible to ignore Price's impact in the Canadiens' crease.

It's not as if he isn't getting tested, either, as the Habs are allowing 31.5 shots per game - the sixth-highest mark in the league.

Price's Hart Trophy worthiness is debatable, but he's a lock for the Vezina if he continues to play at this level.

Norris Trophy - Brent Burns

Gold-Smith: The bearded one is tied with Canadiens blue-liner Shea Weber for the league lead among defensemen with eight goals, and he leads the NHL among players at his position with 20 points.

Incredibly, he also leads the league - among all skaters - in shots on goal with 91, five more than Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who's played one fewer game.

Burns has also generated more shot attempts than he's allowed, with a 52.39 even-strength Corsi For percentage through 22 games according to Corsica.hockey.

Weber and Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson have also been excellent in the early going, but Burns is separating himself from the field.

Calder Trophy - Zach Werenski

O'Leary: This season's race for rookie of the year may be the most intriguing we've ever seen.

Auston Matthews emerging from his drought puts him one point behind rookie leader Patrik Laine, but it's a 2015 draft pick that gets the nod right now.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has quietly been sublime in his initial pro campaign, registering five goals and 11 assists while logging 22:15 of ice-time - tops among rookies.

The race is wide open, however, as Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Matt Murray could easily thrust themselves into contention if they keep up their current paces.

Given Werenski's heavy workload and steady production from the back end, he has a legitimate chance to pull off an upset here.

Selke Trophy - Anze Kopitar

Gold-Smith: This award - given annually to the league's best defensive forward - is always the hardest to predict, by virtue of being a largely subjective honor.

One thing we can say is the NHL has a tendency to reward the same player multiple times, most notably with Bob Gainey (four) and more recently with Patrice Bergeron and Pavel Datsyuk (three apiece).

Kopitar was a deserving recipient last season, and he's once again a major reason the Los Angeles Kings have allowed the fewest shots on goal per game in the NHL.

Jack Adams Award - Joel Quenneville

O'Leary: The Chicago Blackhawks have faced question after question regarding their depth, and they've been hit with a slew of injuries, yet there they are sitting in first place.

Typically, coach of the year is given to whoever emerges out of the basement and into playoff contention, but the way Joel Quenneville has maximized the potential of a depleted lineup earns him the nod a quarter through the season.

Shockingly, three Stanley Cups and a Presidents' Trophy during his tenure in the Windy City hasn't warranted Quenneville - the second-winningest coach of all time - a previous Jack Adams Award, but if Chicago cruises to another playoff berth, he has to be considered.