Nashville Predators: Handing out player awards on the season so far

Selke Trophy

Usually, the Selke Trophy goes to the best defensive forward who also puts up points. But I’m going to make it a bit more interesting. I don’t care about points, as I’m literally not even going to factor them into the equation. Basically, I’m going to reward the Predators’ best defensive forward.

Finalists: Colton Sissons, Nick Bonino, Filip Forsberg

Winner: Sissons

This race got a bit interesting. The case for Sissons is based on his strong overall numbers, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Bonino’s the only forward who spent more time per game killing penalties, yet he was also one of their most effective penalty killers. While Sissons is undeniably a liability on offense, his defensive wizardry is quite impressive.

Bonino’s had a fascinating season. He remade his game, turning himself into a surprisingly effective defensive forward while also improving his offense. But remember, offense doesn’t matter here. Despite being the Predators’ most-used forward while shorthanded, he still managed to post middle of the pack underlying stats.

The Predators struggle to find Forsberg playing time on the penalty kill since he’s such an asset at even strength and on the power play. However, Forsberg’s very effective whenever he’s out on the ice, and yes, that includes when he’s killing penalties.