The finalists for the 2025 NHL Awards have been released, and there have been some memorable names missing from the list of nominees.
The awards are determined by various voting systems, most of them based on votes from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Others are handed out based on ballots from either general managers, team broadcasters, or even the players themselves depending on the award.
All of these groups have a difficult task in picking out which players fit the qualifications for each trophy best -- there are usually far more than three players who are deserving of consideration for each award. But there are arguments to be made that certain skaters should have been included among the nominees, and here are three that didn't make the cut this time out.
Nico Hischier, Frank J. Selke Trophy
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is given every year “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” according to official NHL verbiage. The New Jersey Devils captain was overlooked this time around, despite a fantastic regular season.
Instead, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart from the Panthers are both getting recognition, as well as Anthony Cirelli from the Lightning. It's hard to argue against any of the nominees for any reason other than the fact that two of them play on the very same line.
It's rare to see two players from the same team nominated for the Selke. In fact, the last time this happened was in 2007-08, when Henrik Zetterberg was up for the award and Red Wings teammate Pavel Datsyuk wound up taking home the hardware.
In that context, Hischier is arguably relied upon more than almost any player on the Devils, especially during the absence of Jack Hughes in the final stretch of the season. During that time, Hischier played on the top unit at 5-on-5, penalty kill, and power play while finishing with a career-high average of 20:23 TOI per game.
Hischier not only led the team with 35 goals, but served as a cornerstone of the team's penalty kill that ranked second in the NHL at 82.7% behind only the Hurricanes. In total, he was on the ice for 44.6% of all Devils penalty kills, more than any forward on the team.
New Jersey also allowed 26.4 shots against per game, good for sixth place right behind the Panthers (26.2). With 2.71 goals against on average -- the fifth-best rate in the league -- Hischier's strong puck possession was a big factor in his squad's overall success defensively. The Devils recorded 55.6% of goals scored while Hischier was on the ice, and 56.6% of scoring chances.
Another reason why Hischier's performance was so impressive includes being matched up against tough opponents. He is relied upon to stave off the league's best skaters on a nightly basis -- and still finished the season with a solid 55.5% faceoff percentage. The only player to take more faceoffs this year was Sidney Crosby.
After losing to Patrice Bergeron and finishing as the runner-up for the Selke in 2022-23, Hischier's day of recognition is likely not too far off in the future. But he was certainly worthy of consideration for the award after this season.