Handing out NHL awards at season's halfway mark
We're coming down the home stretch.
With just about half of the 2016-17 season in the bag, NHL awards talk is bound to heat up. Since the quarter mark of the season, there has been a lot of reshuffling as far as the favorites to bring home the hardware goes.
Here are the six individuals most deserving of the game's six major awards at the halfway mark of the season.
Hart Trophy - Connor McDavid
Who else?
Connor McDavid has made the transition from rookie to arguably the most talented player in the league in just one season. He's on his way to picking up the Art Ross Trophy for likely the first of many times.
With the award's recipient being defined as "the player judged most valuable to his team," it's no question McDavid fits the bill for the Hart, as the Oilers have their young phenom to thank for what should be their first trip to the playoffs in 11 years.
Vezina Trophy- Devan Dubnyk
The Minnesota Wild netminder is doing it all. He paces all goalies with a .939 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average, while his five shutouts are tied for tops in the league.
Above all, he has his club within striking distance of the Central Division lead after claiming a wild-card berth last season.
Norris Trophy - Brent Burns
The Norris Trophy will be heading back to California, this time washing up in San Jose.
Brent Burns is crushing the competition in the defenseman scoring race with 16 goals and 42 points. He's put up a league-leading 163 shots and is on pace to hit the 30-goal plateau - a mark that has been a rarity for any d-man.
Related: Burns on pace to hit illustrious 30-goal mark
He's the only blue-liner with more than 10 games played averaging at least a point per game, and has done so while remaining defensively sound in his own end of the rink.
Calder Trophy - Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews is well on his way to breaking multiple Toronto Maple Leafs rookie records. As far as the rookie scoring race is concerned, the 19-year-old currently shares the lead with Patrik Laine at 21 goals and is just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets sniper with three games in hand.
He's quickly becoming the Maple Leafs' best player and with Laine now sidelined with a concussion, Matthews could very well run away with the Calder.
Selke Trophy - Brad Marchand
He's a pest among pests, but you can't deny the value that Brad Marchand brings with his impeccable two-way game.
The Boston Bruins forward has transformed into a player that can torch clubs at both ends of the rink. He holds the second-best Corsi-for rating in the league at 61.3% and is always a threat to score shorthanded.
Jack Adams Award - John Tortorella
It's hard to argue that any coach is more worthy of the Jack Adams than John Tortorella. The Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss has morphed his team from a 27th-place club to a first-place powerhouse in one season.
He's made strategic moves that have certainly paid off, such as removing the club's game-day skates, and for the first time in a long time, the colorful head coach appears to have kept his temper in check. Winning will do that.