With captain Nick Foligno collecting two leadership awards last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a chance at winning a combined six NHL awards for this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, rookie defenseman Zach Werenski, and head coach John Tortorella are all finalists for awards Wednesday evening. Bobrovsky is up for two of the most prestigious awards. He has the chance to be crowned both the league’s most valuable player and top goaltender. Werenski has a shot at being rookie of the year. Finally, Tortorella may be awarded coach of the year for the second time in his career.
Sergei Bobrovsky: Top Goalie & MVP?
A finalist for both the Hart Trophy and the Vezina Trophy, Sergei Bobrovsky is undoubtedly one of the premier players in the world. Bob unofficially became the best Columbus Blue Jackets goalie in franchise history this season while also proving that he’s one of the top netminders in the land.
Leading the league in save percentage, goals against average, and goalie point shares, it’s hard to argue that Bobrovsky shouldn’t return to Columbus with some hardware. Bob has already won a Vezina Trophy in his seven-year career and I think he should get another this year.
If I had a vote, I would definitely put Bobrovsky as the winner of the Vezina Trophy but not the Hart Trophy. Bob’s play for the most part was better than the other two Vezina finalists, Braden Holtby and Carey Price. Although Holtby does edge out Bobrovsky in some stats, Bob still dominates in most of the major categories while Price doesn’t even touch Bob.
In regards to the Hart Trophy, I would go with Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid had an incredible season at just 20 years old. He posted a 100-point season while leading the league in several categories. The other finalist, Sidney Crosby, is also very deserving and probably more so than Bobrovsky so I say he will finish second while Bob finishes third.
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Zach Werenski: Rookie of the Year?
19 year-old defenseman Zach Werenski is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, an award given to the league’s best rookie. The youngster broke a few CBJ scoring records in his first season while shutting down players on the defensive end.
I’m not going to beat around the bush; Werenski won’t and shouldn’t win the Calder. In most other years, he would have a legitimate shot but with the talent of the other finalists are just too much to overlook. Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine had incredible seasons, but I think Matthews wins.
Playing in all 82 games, Matthews had the most goals, assists, game winners, and point shares. If Laine hadn’t missed nine games, he probably would have a better shot. I think he still finishes second while Werenski gets third.
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John Tortorella: Best Coach?
Head coach John Tortorella is also up the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach of the year. He’s going up against Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mike Babcock and Todd McLellan of the Edmonton Oilers.
Torts coached his first full year in Columbus this past season, posting an incredible 50-24-8 record. Despite a poor postseason, Tortorella turned around a hopeless franchise into one of the league’s best.
All three coaches made the playoffs as Edmonton finished second in the Pacific Division (fourth in the Western Conference). The Maple Leafs grabbed the final Eastern Conference wild card spot. And the Blue Jackets finished third in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.
The coaches were tasked with coaching three of the youngest teams in the league. They all exceeded expectations by winning a boat load of games.
I think Torts should win it but I think Babcock will win it. Tortorella’s team had a 32-point swing from last season’s 76 points to this year’s 108 points. This is better than Babcock’s 26-point difference and McLellan’s 33-point swing.
I’d also argue that the talent is a little higher in Toronto and Edmonton than in Columbus. McDavid seems to be the next Crosby and Toronto has a plethora of young talent, even more than Columbus.
No matter the outcomes of all of these awards, it’s incredible that the Blue Jackets even have a shot at winning anything after nearly two decades of sorrow.