NHL Awards Watch: Kane, Karlsson eyeing historic seasons

The second half of the NHL season is setting up to be an eventful one with All-Star weekend, the trade deadline, and an increasingly tight playoff race all approaching.

The NHL awards race will also continue to heat up as the season winds down, so here are five favorites for major awards if they were decided today:

Hart Trophy - Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Though he leads the league in goals (30) and assists (43) by just two, his 73 points are an incredible 16 more than his nearest competitor in Dallas Stars captain and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn.

Not only is he on pace for the highest-scoring season since Joe Thornton racked up 125 points in the post-lockout 2005-06 campaign, he's also in line to be the first player to win the Art Ross by a 20-point margin since Jaromir Jagr topped Teemu Selanne by 20 points in 1999.

In a league desperate for more scoring, Kane has been held off the scoresheet just eight times for the Western Conference leaders, making him the clear-cut favorite for the Hart.

Honorable mentions: Braden Holtby's numbers for the NHL-leading Capitals continue to look a lot like Carey Price's from a year ago that earned the Canadiens netminder both the Vezina and a Hart, but a teammate of Kane's is beginning to make a similar case.

Vezina Trophy - Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks

Long overshadowed by the Blackhawks' firepower up front and helped to a pair of Jennings Trophies thanks to a star-studded defense, Crawford has responded in a huge way in 2016.

The 31-year-old has a 9-1-0 record so far in the new year, and has added two more shutouts to his league-leading seven. With his recent run of outstanding play, Holtby is now far from a runaway for the league's best goaltender.

It can't be ignored that Holtby has only one regulation loss since Nov. 10, but only Martin Brodeur has won a Vezina with under five shutouts since 2000 - recording four in 2008 when he took the award for a fourth and final time.

Honorable Mention: Outside the two-man race, Cory Schneider sits in the top 10 of every major goaltending category and would receive serious consideration if he guides the Devils into the playoffs.

Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson - Ottawa Senators

With two Norris wins already under his belt, the 25-year-old is in the midst of a career-best season, and like Kane, could hit a milestone reached just once since the 2005 lockout by joining fellow Swede Nicklas Lidstrom as the only defensemen to hit the 80-point mark in the last 10 years.

His campaign isn't being helped as Ottawa has allowed the second-most goals in the league (148), but Karlsson helps the Senators a lot more than he hurts them, and a playoff appearance could even push his name into Hart discussions.

Honorable Mentions: Drew Doughty's outstanding two-way play could finally earn him a well-deserved Norris this season, while Aaron Ekblad could be a dark horse as the Panthers are winners of 14 straight games with the 19-year-old in the lineup.

Calder Trophy: Dylan Larkin - Detroit Red Wings

While Kane's linemate Artemi Panarin is running away with the rookie scoring lead, only one first-year player currently leads his own team in points and that distinction belongs to Larkin.

Sporting a rookie-best plus-23 rating, the 19-year-old leads the Wings with 15 goals and is tied with captain Henrik Zetterberg at 32 points. With his team currently sitting in a playoff position, the Michigan native might just be "The Next Jonathan Toews" after all.

Honorable Mentions: After Panarin, John Gibson's level of play should put him in the Calder discussion whether the Ducks make the playoffs or not, while big second halves from Max Domi, Jack Eichel, Shayne Gostisbehere, or even Connor McDavid should make this race intriguing to the end.

Jack Adams Trophy: Barry Trotz - Washington Capitals

Known for leading great defensive teams in Nashville, Trotz was never able to advance past the second round in seven playoff appearances with the Predators. This year, while the rest of the East scrambles for playoff position, the Capitals look very comfortable atop the league standings as they eye a deep postseason run.

Career years from Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and John Carlson have definitely played their part in the team's success, but it's time Trotz gets the respect he deserves after a number of recent Adams winners have failed to carry their success from year to year.

Honorable Mentions: Gerard Gallant's Panthers are still sitting first in the Atlantic, while Devils rookie coach John Hynes, like his goaltender, will see his stock rise significantly with a playoff berth.