New players enter the NHL fresh and excited to conquer the biggest stage there is. Only a select few will stand above the rest. Which one will be the best?
Every year, a new crop of talent enters the NHL. They are rookies who desire nothing more than to make their mark and help their team win it all. At the end of the year, the best will be decided. Let’s talk about the Calder Trophy, for best rookie.
As of October 1st, the odds to win the Calder Trophy according to sportsbettingdsime.com has Jack Hughes as the best bet, followed by Kaapo Kakko and Cale Makar. Vegas odds are often correct, but not always. Here’s my prediction for the Calder Trophy in 2019-20.
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Runner Up: Kaapo Kakko – New York Rangers
New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko has been absolutely brilliant in his young career thus far. It can be difficult to ascertain whether a European player will succeed in North America. It may be the same game, but the setup and rules aren’t quite the same. If you were to gamble on Kakko succeeding, however, it would be a pretty good bet.
He has already played in Finland in the biggest league there is, in SM-Liiga. At only 17 years old, he was only six goals off the league lead, despite playing 15 games less than the full schedule. I might have chosen him to win, but he still has some climbing to do in the Rangers depth chart. If Pavel Buchnevich moves away from Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, it’s a different story.
Runner Up: Quinn Hughes – Vancouver Canucks
The “other Hughes brother”, Quinn Hughes will be leaned on heavily by the Vancouver Canucks. The best roster they’ve had in quite some time, Hughes is exactly what the team wants and needs. While his brother will be fighting for ice time, the minutes will be handed out a little easier for Quinn than Jack.
He smashed the division while he was in college and he does have a little experience with the Canucks last season. The development of an NHL defenseman is trickier than a forward, which is why more forwards seem to win. If he’s able to put on a few pounds, it’s only a matter of time until he finds himself on the top pairing. He’s just got to get there first.
Wild Card: Alexander Nylander – Chicago Blackhawks
It is a little tricky of me to put him in here, but despite being drafted over three years ago and playing parts of three seasons, he still technically qualifies for Calder consideration. Alexander Nylander begins the season playing on a line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. If that’s not enough reason to put him on here, I don’t know what is. And, remember, he was drafted eighth overall for a reason.
Despite his talent and family name, it begs the question: why trade him then? If the Sabres have moved on, what’s to stop Chicago? Although I am sure he’ll do immensely well on a line with Kane and Toews, I do wonder if the Chicago Blackhawks will keep him there for the entire season. He’s definitely worth watching, and if he does stay, I say he wins the award.
Winner: Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche
After losing Tyson Barrie to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Colorado Avalanche have a screaming, burning need on defense that only Cale Makar can fulfill. A decent size, tons of speed and great vision, it’s no wonder that in his short stay with the team last season, he scored six points in 10 games in the playoffs, despite playing less than 18 minutes per game.
In his two full seasons in the juniors, he scored 1.2 points per game and his team won the title both times. Last season, in the NCAA, he led the league in scoring, despite being a defenseman and took home the Hobey Baker Award. He has simply been dynamite at every level.
Now in, arguably, the best team in the division, Makar will have all the opportunity he needs to succeed. Unlike most of the other rookies this year, he has no veteran to climb over. The award is his for the taking if he can simply grab it. Watch out for Makar this season. Seriously.