NHL Awards Watch: Holtby pulls away in Vezina Trophy race

The award races are still far from being decided, but the upcoming holiday break and not-too-distant halfway point in the schedule are good reasons to take another look.

A certain netminder in the nation's capital has begun to separate himself from the pack, while some of the other awards are still up for debate.

Here are the favorites for the five major honors if they were determined today:

Hart Trophy - Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

There's not much debate about this one. Kane leads the league with 29 assists, 50 points, and 17 power-play points, and he sits in second with 21 goals in 35 games and 11 power-play goals.

The Blackhawks have scored 95 goals as a team, meaning Kane has accounted for 22 percent of the club's offense.

His average ice time of 21:16 is second to Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly among NHL forwards, and he's on a three-game point streak after having his 26-game run snapped last week.

Honorable mentions: Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn regained the league goal-scoring lead with a two-goal performance Saturday night, and he's been in the conversation for this award all season. Vladimir Tarasenko has kept the St. Louis Blues afloat without as much of a supporting cast as his contemporaries.

Vezina Trophy - Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Holtby is a major reason the Capitals have the best record in the NHL. He leads all qualified goaltenders with 21 wins and a 1.96 GAA, while his .931 save percentage is tops among goalies with at least 17 games played.

He's 13-0-1 in his last 14 games, and he's allowed more than three goals in a game only once in 27 contests.

Honorable mentions: Blues goaltender Jake Allen continues to demonstrate that he's more than capable as a No. 1 goalie. He's tied for second among qualified starters with a .927 save percentage, ranks third with a 2.06 GAA, and his 15 wins are fourth-best in the NHL.

Corey Crawford is right there with him. He's three wins shy of Holtby for the league lead, and the Blackhawks netminder is tied with Allen and Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop for the second-best save percentage.

Norris Trophy - Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Karlsson is picking up where he left off last season, and the 2015 recipient of this award could win it for a third time if he continues to play at this level.

He leads the NHL in points among defensemen (37), while logging the second-most average time-on-ice at nearly 28 minutes.

That's three minutes more than 2013 winner, Montreal Canadiens blue-liner P.K. Subban, and over two minutes more than the 2014 recipient, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith.

Honorable mentions: Ryan Suter is the only player at his position playing more than Karlsson, logging 28:17 per contest. He's fifth in assists and sixth in points, providing stability on the back end for the Minnesota Wild.

Drew Doughty has gone over 30 minutes a game seven times this season, including a stretch of five such contests in a row earlier this month. He'll be in the mix for a nomination as long as he continues to produce while taking on such a heavy workload.

Calder Trophy - Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks

Panarin started the season on a tear, the 24-year-old just keeps producing on the Blackhawks' second line with Kane and Artem Anisimov.

He leads all rookies with 21 assists and 31 points in 35 contests, and has eight points in his last 10 games. Panarin leads all rookie forwards in average ice time at 19:13, and has more power-play points (eight) than anyone in the 2015-16 class.

Honorable mentions: Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin scored again Sunday and leads all rookies with 12 goals. Max Domi (10) is tied with Panarin in that category, and the Arizona Coyotes winger is bringing excitement back to the desert.

Jack Adams Award - Gerard Gallant, Florida Panthers

Gallant's Panthers (18-12-4) are sitting in an Eastern Conference wild-card spot in a season when many expected them to once again be on, or below, the playoff bubble.

Florida has allowed only 2.32 goals per game, good for fifth in the NHL. The Panthers have reeled off seven wins in their last 10 games, including victories over the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and Vancouver Canucks.

Honorable mentions: Dave Cameron's Senators score at a high clip (ranking fifth with 2.97 goals per game) and lead the league with nearly 34 shot attempts per contest. They're clinging to the second wild-card slot in the East, ahead of the inconsistent Lightning.

Jeff Blashill has made a smooth transition to the NHL, guiding the Red Wings (17-9-7) to third place in the Atlantic Division.