It’s awards time people. Just as the NHL Playoffs are still about two weeks away from wrapping up, it’s time to start projecting the winner of the league’s individual trophies for performances during the regular season. Huge performances in the playoffs by players like Henrik Lundgvist have done a lot to solidify our beliefs already, while other candidates are still trying to stay in memory.
Lundqvist has his team just a game away from reaching the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1993-94 and is favored to go home with a handful of trophies in June. He’s became the first goaltender in franchise history to go seven-straight years with 30 or more wins, and is way due to win something. He came in third for the Vezina Trophy from 2006-08 but is the odds-on favorite to finally win it this year over Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne.
In fact, Bovada’s NHL Postseason Awards Betting Lines are favoring him to win two or more trophies on the night. That mean’s he will also need to take home the Hart Trophy over Evgeni Malkin and Steven Stampkos.
Zdeno Chara is the favorite on Bovada’s NHL Betting Lines page to win the Norris Trophy, edging out Erik Karlsson and Shea Weber. It’s his fourth nomination in five years and fifth overall. He won it in 2009, but wasn’t as good as he was this year. Chara scored a career-high 52 points, good enough for fourth among defenseman.
Odds are on David Backes to win the Selke Trophy. He had the highest-average ice time among forwards on a team that surrendered the fewest goals. For an award given to “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” few were better than Backes. He’s the first St. Louis rep for the award since 2000 after leading his team in face offs and blocking 72 shots.
Florida’s Brian Campbell is gunning to become the first defenseman since 1954 to win the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the player who exudes the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly play.
“It’s obviously a great honor. Not many defensemen get it, and I don’t know why,” Campbell told the Miami Herald two weeks ago. “You look at some of the 
things going on in the playoffs. This game can be played hard and played the right way. It’s good to see guys play hard, and it’s starting to clear up in the playoffs.”
Campbell is one of just three Panthers to play in all 82 games and averaged nearly 27 minutes per. He was penalized three times the whole year, once on a delay of game when he shot the puck into the stands, and had the fewest penalty minutes of any of the top 30 defenseman in ice time.