2014 NHL Awards: Predicting the Winners

Apr 12, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at the face-off circle against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2013-14′ season officially over, with a new champion crowned, it’s time to recognize some of the outstanding performances from this past regular season at the 2014 NHL Awards Show.

Set to take place Tuesday night, June 24th, at 7pm EST inside Las Vegas’s Encore Theater, you may recognize some names (Sidney Crosby, anyone?) while others will be experiencing this “star treatment” for the first time. Two organizations in particular stand out, as both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche sent four finalists out west. Other teams represented well include last season’s Stanley Cup champion, Chicago Blackhawks, this season’s champion in the Los Angeles Kings and the 2014 Presidents Trophy-winning Boston Bruins.

The only question left to be answered is who will take home which piece of hardware? A somewhat difficult decision in some categories, I’ll attempt to give you all my best predictions. If you’re looking for complete accuracy, however, I suggest you watch the ceremony itself, broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network and TSN.

Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Difficult as it may be for me and lots of other NHL fans to swallow, Crosby hands-down deserves this award. His 104 points were 17 more than his nearest competitor, Ryan Getzlaf, and the 68 assists he compiled led the league. More than that, he helped lead an injury-ravaged Pittsburgh Penguins team to first place in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division. Granted, that’s not saying much considering the Atlantic Division’s top 3 teams ended up with more points than the Metro’s 2nd and 3rd place team.

Crosby’s ability to produce when needed most was incredibly evident this season, as he pretty much single-handedly kept the Penguins rolling toward a playoff berth despite dry spells and injuries to Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Kris Letang. Combine that with sometimes stellar, sometimes shaky performances out of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, plus no experienced backup, and what Sid the Kid managed to do became even more impressive.

Ted Lindsay Award: Claude Giroux

This is by far one of the more difficult awards to predict. I choose Giroux for two reasons.

First, the players vote on this, and I don’t see Crosby as being well-liked among other NHL players. While beneficial to his team, the whining and antics he pulls with league referees doesn’t strike me as a way to gain respect among peers.

Secondly, Giroux led the Philadelphia Flyers to the playoffs after a horrific start that saw head coach Peter Laviolette get canned just a few games into the season. His 58 assists ranked fourth, and his 86 points were far-and-away better than the Flyers next leading scorer.

Put it this way. The Flyers, who had to scratch and claw their way into the Metropolitan Division’s third seed, very likely would have missed the playoffs completely if it weren’t for Giroux’ outstanding play throughout much of the season. That’s how close the wild card Columbus Blue Jackets and outside-looking-in Washington Capitals were to them as the season wound to a close.

Getzlaf was impressive and should be proud of the season he had, both individually and leading the Anaheim Ducks to the Pacific Division’s best record, but Giroux is my pick for this particular award.

Apr 22, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux (28) skates on the ice against the New York Rangers during the third period in game three of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. The Rangers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Norris Trophy: Duncan Keith

Given to the best defenseman in the league, this was another tough one. I’ve chosen Keith because his 61 points rank second, and 55 assists lead all NHL blueliners. He also plays nearly 25 minutes per game, while posting an outstanding plus-22 rating on one of the Western Conference’s best teams in the Chicago Blackhawks.

What he accomplished cannot be understated, as any of Zdeno Chara’s mistakes can be easily covered up by potential Hall of Fame netminder and Vezina finalist Tuukka Rask and Shea Weber’s Nashville Predators team failed to make the postseason.