Updated NHL Awards Predictions After the 2023-24 Regular Season

At the start of the 2023-24 NHL regular season, our NHL staff made their predictions for the major awards, including the Stanley Cup.

Now that we've seen how the regular season unfolded, it's time to update those predictions.

We're excluding the Art Ross Trophy, the Maurice Richard Trophy and the Presidents' Trophy as the winners of those awards have already been decided.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov wins the Art Ross with 144 points. The Richard Trophy goes to Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews as he finished with a career-best 69 goals. The New York Rangers take home the Presidents' Trophy with 114 points.

With the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs about to begin, our NHL staff made their first-round predictions on Apr. 19. Follow along throughout the postseason before each round for their prognostications in the march to hockey's holy grail.

Instead, we're focusing on the other major awards. They include the Hart Memorial Trophy, Calder Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy and the James Norris Memorial Trophy.

If you agree or disagree with our picks let us know why in the app comments below.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin was one of this season's busiest NHL executives. Working with Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, Allvin made a series of moves that contributed to his club's 26-point rise in the standings into a top-10 team this season.

Allvin was active in this season's trade market. Starting with his preseason acquisition of goaltender Casey DeSmith on Sept. 19, he brought in winger Sam Lafferty and defenseman Nikita Zadorov last fall. He also shipped out winger Anthony Beauviller to Chicago to clear cap space for Zadorov.

His biggest move occurred on Jan. 30, trading winger Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a conditional first-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder in this year's draft to the Calgary Flames for center Elias Lindholm.

DeSmith provided much-needed goaltending depth after a knee injury down the stretch sidelined starter Thatcher Demko. Zadorov brought his size and physical play to their blue line while Lindholm added two-way skills and experience at center.

Allvin also wrapped up a key piece of business by signing first-line center Elias Pettersson to an eight-year, $92.8 million contract extension.

Pettersson seemed to be dragging his feet on signing a new deal with the Canucks. That soon changed after Allvin reportedly had trade talks with the Carolina Hurricanes prompting the 25-year-old to return to the bargaining table.

Allvin took care of his club's immediate roster needs for this season, contributing to his team's improvement. He also ensured some long-term stability by getting his top center signed to an extension. That should earn him the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

Hired by the Vancouver Canucks as head coach midway through last season, Rick Tocchet was also the club's third head coach since 2021-22. He took over a team that struggled with consistency, getting off to poor starts and then scrambling to catch up with their Western Conference rivals.

Tocchet joined the Canucks following stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes. Team president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin knew him from their time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where Tocchet was an assistant coach during the Penguins' Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017.

The Canucks showed improvement under Tocchet last season, sporting a record of 20-12-4 in 36 games but still finishing outside the playoff picture. The jury was out over how they'd perform during a full schedule under his coaching.

This season, the Canucks bolted from the gate with a 12-3-1 start and never looked back. They finished with a 26-point improvement over last season, finishing sixth overall and clinching a playoff berth. Sixth-overall was also where they finished goals per game (3.42) while their 2.74 goals-against per game was the sixth-best.

The Jack Adams Award is presented annually by the NHL Broadcasters Association to the head coach adjudged to have contributed the most to their team's success." Tocchet is this season's most deserving candidate given the Canucks impressive improvement.

Entering this season, Chicago center Connor Bedard was considered a lock for the Calder Memorial Trophy. The award is handed out to the top rookie at the end of the season as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Chosen first overall in last year's draft, Bedard is considered a generational talent. He played up to his billing during the first half of the season, being named Rookie of the Month in November and December. The 18-year-old became the youngest player in NHL history selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Game.

A fractured jaw suffered during a Jan. 5 game against the New Jersey Devils sidelined Bedard for six weeks. He picked up where he left off on Feb. 15 and was named Rookie of the Month for March 2024.

Bedard finished the season leading Chicago scorers and all NHL rookies with 22 goals and 61 points. If not for his injury, those numbers would've been higher.

The case can also be made for Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber, who sits third in rookie scoring with 47 points and is among the league leaders in time on ice per game (24:58), Still, Bedard's impressive performance despite a serious injury will earn him the Calder nod.

Awarded to the NHL's top defensive forward at the end of the regular season as chosen by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Frank J. Selke Trophy has been won six times since 2012 by Patrice Bergeron. With the former Boston Bruins center now retired, the nod should go to Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov.

Barkov won the Selke Trophy in 2020-21. A win this season would make the 28-year-old Florida Panthers captain the 10th player to win the award at least twice.

A gifted offensive player, Barkov has regularly finished among the Panthers' top-three scorers since 2015-16, leading them in 2017-18 and 2018-19. However, it's his all-around game that has garnered the respect of his peers. In a recent NHLPA poll, Barkov finished second to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby as the league's most complete player.

Barkov leads the Panthers this season in 5v5 puck possession (58.1), faceoff win percentage (57.3) and takeaways (61). He's second among their forwards in time on ice per game (19:38), often going up against his opponent's best lines while averaging nearly two minutes of shorthanded ice time per game.

Playing heavy minutes in all situations has made Barkov among the league's best all-around forwards. His two-way skills have played a big role in the Florida Panthers' perch among this season's top-10 teams.

Connor Hellebuyck has been among the NHL's top goaltenders since his breakout performance in 2017-18, winning a league-leading 44 games. His solid play this season ensured the Winnipeg Jets a playoff spot, making him our candidate to win the Vezina Trophy.

Awarded at the end of each season to the NHL's top goaltender as voted by the league's general managers, the Vezina Trophy earned a place in Hellebuyck's trophy cabinet in 2019-20. He was also a finalist for the award in 2017-18 and 2022-23.

Hellebuyck's performance has been outstanding this season. A workhorse between the pipes for the Jets, he's third this season among all goalies with 60 games played and sits second with 37 wins.

The Jets goaltender's .921 save percentage is the second-best in the league while his 2.40 goals-against average is the fourth-best. He's among the top 10 in shutouts with five and faced the third-most shots-against with 1,798.

Hellebuyck is also this season's winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy, awarded annually to the goaltender who played a minimum of 25 games and whose team allowed the fewest goals. That will help his chances of joining the Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky as the only active multiple winners of the Vezina Trophy.

Since his full-time NHL debut in 2019-20, Quinn Hughes has been the linchpin of the Vancouver Canucks' blue line. With a career-best 92 points this season, the 24-year-old Canucks captain is considered the favorite to win the James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Awarded each year to the NHL's top defenseman selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of each season, the Norris Trophy has never before been awarded to a Canucks defenseman. Hughes' performance this season makes him worthy of becoming the first to do so.

Hughes played a major role in the Canucks becoming a top-10 team in 2023-24 after missing the playoffs over the previous three seasons. His stats this season put him firmly among the league's elite defensemen.

Leading all NHL defensemen this season in points, Hughes also led them with 75 assists and 54 even-strength points. He sits second in power-play points (38), fourth in plus-minus (plus-38) and 11th in time on ice per game (24:41).

A smooth skater with tremendous offensive skills, Hughes has improved his defensive game since his rookie season. He leads the Canucks in 5v5 puck possession (56.4) and sits third in takeaways with 43. His speed and puck control enable him to play a solid game at both ends of the rink.

The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the player adjudged the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected by a Professional Hockey Writers Poll conducted at the end of the regular season.

Several players could be considered worthy candidates for the Hart this season. They include such notables as Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, Boston Bruins winger David Pastrňák, and three-time Hart winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

This season, however, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon should get the nod for the Hart.

As Sara Civian observed in her Apr. 5 evaluation of the top Hart candidates, MacKinnon recorded a point per game in the first 35 home games this season. The 28-year-old center jockeyed most of the season with Kucherov for the Art Ross Trophy.

MacKinnon finished first with even-strength points (90) and second in even-strength goals (41), power-play points (48) and time on ice per game for forwards (22:56). He also had nine game-winning goals.

A powerful, skillful player, MacKinnon took over games seemingly at will. He has also filled the leadership role with team captain Gabriel Landeskog out for the season with a knee injury. Without MacKinnon, the Avalanche wouldn't have finished among this season's top-10 clubs.

Stats and trophy info via NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com.