NHL Awards: PHWA releases list of 2020 Masterton Trophy candidates

The PHWA has announced the list of Masterton Trophy finalists for the 2019-20 NHL season.

Though the NHL season isn’t technically over yet, it’s still awards season. On Tuesday, June 9, the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) announced their list of the Masterton Memorial Trophy finalists.

Every year, the Masterton Memorial Trophy goes to the player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey”. The award is voted on by the PHWA. Each team has one candidate and those candidates are now known.

Let’s take a look at each of the finalists. They’ll be separated by division.

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Atlantic Division

• Boston Bruins – Kevan Miller
• Buffalo Sabres – Curtis Lazar
• Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri
• Florida Panthers – Noel Acciari
• Montreal Canadiens – Shea Weber
• Ottawa Senators – Bobby Ryan
• Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn
• Toronto Maple Leafs – Zach Hyman

Central Division

• Chicago Blackhawks – Corey Crawford
• Colorado Avalanche – Ryan Graves
• Dallas Stars – Stephen Johns
• Minnesota Wild – Alex Stalock
• Nashville Predators – Jarred Tinordi
• St. Louis Blues – Jay Bouwmeester
• Winnipeg Jets – Mark Letestu

Metropolitan Division

• Carolina Hurricanes – James Reimer
• Columbus Blue Jackets – Nathan Gerbe
• New Jersey Devils – Travis Zajac
• New York Islanders – Thomas Hickey
• New York Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist
• Philadelphia Flyers – Oskar Lindblom
• Pittsburgh Penguins – Evgeni Malkin
• Washington Capitals – Michal Kempny

Pacific Division

• Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Miller
• Arizona Coyotes – Conor Garland
• Calgary Flames – Mark Giordano
• Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid
• Los Angeles Kings – Jonathan Quick
• San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton
• Vancouver Canucks – Jacob Markstrom
• Vegas Golden Knights – Shea Theodore

Top Candidates

This is usually a pretty hard award to pick. However, this season, there are some clear front runners. The overwhelming favorite at this point has to be Oskar Lindblom of the Flyers. He was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma back in September and has recently completed treatment.

Shea Theodore of the Golden Knights also overcame a cancer diagnosis, fighting off testicular cancer prior to the 2019-20 season.

There’s also Jacob Markstrom of the Canucks. He has overcome some injuries this season, but he also overcame the loss of his Father, who Jacob was very close to. Markstrom has also worked hard to prove himself as a clear-cut NHL goaltender.

Stars defenseman Stephen Johns came back from concussion symptoms in January after missing the entire 2018-19 season. He was relentless in his attempt to come back and he has been able to give the Stars an unexpected boost.

Don’t overlook Jay Bouwmeester either. He got quite the scare earlier this season when he had a cardiac episode. Luckily, he was able to get the help he needed, though his playing career is in jeopardy. Bobby Ryan of the Senators is yet another fascinating candidate. He has overcome some personal battles with alcohol abuse.

As you can see, there are a lot of very strong candidates. Hockey players are strong and tough and this award is designed to go to the toughest one. This year’s Masterton nominees are impressive, but I’d be surprised if this award goes to anyone other than Lindblom.