With the end of the season upon us, Mike's already given us his picks for the Hart, Selke, Norris, Vezina, and Calder. Now let's see what the rest of the FTR crew thinks.
Hart (MVP)
Derek - Jimmy Howard - As I said in my article on Howard, Osgood's even strength save percentage was a not-so-good .902. To put that in perspective, both Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Deslauriers have been better at even strength. Howard stepped up and has delivered .927 at even strength and he's been one of the three best goalies in the league on the penalty kill.
Cory Lavalette: Sidney Crosby - With Pittsburgh more and more squeezed by the salary cap implications of having two superstars, Crosby upped his game to new levels. With Evgeni Malkin's goal scoring declining (47 to 35 to just 24 heading in to the weekend), Crosby has become an elite scorer. Sure, his assists are down, but with fewer weapons surrounding him, he realized he needed to be the one to score.
Joe F: I will have to go with Alexander Ovechkin. I really don't think that there is a player more important to his sire than Ovechkin. I would also argue that Crosby would be a great choice, but I give Ovechkin the edge.
Bob: Ilya Bryzgalov ---- The Caps continued to do well without Ovechkin this year. The Pens have other major weapons besides Crosby. Bryz has 8 shutouts, a better save percentage than Marty Brodeur, and he plays on a team that few thought would have success. Where would Phoenix be without him? Not in the playoffs, that's where.
Selke (Defensive forward)Bob: Ilya Bryzgalov ---- The Caps continued to do well without Ovechkin this year. The Pens have other major weapons besides Crosby. Bryz has 8 shutouts, a better save percentage than Marty Brodeur, and he plays on a team that few thought would have success. Where would Phoenix be without him? Not in the playoffs, that's where.
Derek - Jay McClement of the St. Louis Blues is about as under-the-radar as a player can be. He's played the tough minutes at center for the Blues in the brutal Western Conference and he's played them to a draw. He's been outstanding on one of the best penalty kills in the league. He's only won 49% of his faceoffs, but he's taken 59% of his non-neutral zone faceoffs in the defensive zone, the 19th highest percentage out of 235 qualifying forwards. He's starting in his own end time and time again, he's playing the best in the west night in and night out and he's played them to a draw, and he's one of the best in the league on the penalty kill this year. He might be unsung, but he's not undeserving.
Cory Lavalette: Ryan Kesler - Kesler not only continues to improve offensively, but his already air-tight defense has improved. It will also be good to have him win while hovering around even in plus/minus, so people will start to realize that a good plus/minus doesn't necessarily mean a good defensive player.
Joe F: Blair Betts. I have had the opportunity to watch this guys play on the Rangers for years, but there isn't a better penalty killer I've ever seen and as much as it pains me to say it, hes having a wonderful year for the flyers.
Bob: Jordan Staal - There are several good candidates, but this is one tough kid to play against.
Norris (Defenseman)
Derek - I'm going to split my vote between Zbynek Michalek and Mike Green in a polar opposite top two. Michalek and Ed Jovanovski have been hard-matched against the top opponents all year and have been taking the lion's share of defensive zone faceoffs. Michalek has also been a workhorse on the penalty kill all year long.
Green is the opposite -- an offensive force, driving the play and outscoring opponents at an amazing rate. His power play work has been top shelf and both of these are leading to his point-per-game average this season.
Bob: Jordan Staal - There are several good candidates, but this is one tough kid to play against.
Norris (Defenseman)
Derek - I'm going to split my vote between Zbynek Michalek and Mike Green in a polar opposite top two. Michalek and Ed Jovanovski have been hard-matched against the top opponents all year and have been taking the lion's share of defensive zone faceoffs. Michalek has also been a workhorse on the penalty kill all year long.
Green is the opposite -- an offensive force, driving the play and outscoring opponents at an amazing rate. His power play work has been top shelf and both of these are leading to his point-per-game average this season.
Cory Lavalette: Duncan Keith — He has put up points at a Mike Green pace but is also a rock-solid defender. For my money, only Drew Doughty deserves consideration alongside Keith this year.
Joe F: Wade Redden (note Rangers fan sarcasm). His 2 goals as 12 assists are ... well that's about all I can stand. I would also give the nod to Duncan Keith, there aren't many defensemen like him in the league ... aside from guys like Redden.
Bob: Mike Green ----- Green has the points and the plus/minus. He has the powerplay goals. I don't think any other blueliner has had a more complete year.
Vezina (Goalie)
Derek - Tomas Vokoun has posted a .926 save percentage, third in the league. His even strength save percentage is a sparkling .939 and this in front of the sieve known as the Panthers defense. Vokoun has faced the second-most shots in the league this year and in Curtis Joseph-like has been a stalwart in net. It's a shame that Florida is wasting him and it's a shame that Vokoun is stuck in Sunrise. If Vokoun were in Toronto, there would be a story about Vokoun's Hall Of Fame induction at least once a week.
Bob: Mike Green ----- Green has the points and the plus/minus. He has the powerplay goals. I don't think any other blueliner has had a more complete year.
Vezina (Goalie)
Derek - Tomas Vokoun has posted a .926 save percentage, third in the league. His even strength save percentage is a sparkling .939 and this in front of the sieve known as the Panthers defense. Vokoun has faced the second-most shots in the league this year and in Curtis Joseph-like has been a stalwart in net. It's a shame that Florida is wasting him and it's a shame that Vokoun is stuck in Sunrise. If Vokoun were in Toronto, there would be a story about Vokoun's Hall Of Fame induction at least once a week.
Cory Lavalette: Ryan Miller - Miller has carried an otherwise average Sabres team this season. Many of Buffalo's forwards — most notably Thomas Vanek — have had down years, and the defense outside of Tyler Myers has been serviceable, but by no means great. The stats all point in his favor, as do the standings.
Joe F: If the Rangers were better this year, Henrik Lundqvist would have run away with this. His numbers are already impressive, even with the Rangers poor play. I will also give the nod to Ryan Miller, who has also been vital to his side.
Bob: Ryan Miller - Miller has the best save percentage of any of the top goalies in the league. That seals the deal for me.
Bob: Ryan Miller - Miller has the best save percentage of any of the top goalies in the league. That seals the deal for me.
Calder (Rookie)
Derek - Jimmy Howard has saved the Wings and has the entire Western Conference checking the standings, hoping that they are going to see the Wings in the first round.
Derek - Jimmy Howard has saved the Wings and has the entire Western Conference checking the standings, hoping that they are going to see the Wings in the first round.
Cory Lavalette: Tyler Myers — How it pains me to name two Sabres for awards! But Myers has been not only a workhorse for Buffalo, but a surprising offensive contributor. If he adds a little snarl to his game, he could be better than Zdeno Chara.
Bob: Tyler Myers ---- This kid has done it all for Buffalo. He almost has as many points as Tavares and Duchene and it's much tougher for young defensemen to come into this league and perform well. I think he has been the best rookie overall this year.
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