ESPN has announced their annual nominations for the ESPY Awards and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was nominated for the ‘Best NHL Player’ award.
Sergei Bobrovsky has a chance to add to his trophy collection after winning his second Vezina Trophy last week.
Along with Bobrovsky, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, and Patrick Kane were nominated for an ESPY for ‘Best NHL Player’ of 2016-2017. Bobrovsky was the only goalie that was nominated for the award.
Related Story: Bobrovsky joins elite company with second Vezina Trophy
The Columbus Blue Jackets netminder had a wonderful regular season. Bobrovsky posted a 41-17-5 record. Along with this outstanding record, Bobrovsky had a 2.06 GAA, .931 save percentage, and 7 shutouts.
Bobrovsky hands down had the best season for any goaltender in the league, but it will be hard to win the ESPY. The favorite has to be league MVP Connor McDavid. While Bobrovsky is the favorite in Columbus, McDavid has the hype from winning the Hart Trophy with him.
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Along with McDavid, Sidney Crosby will also be tough to beat. Crosby has been the face of the league for years. Sid is also coming off a second straight Stanley Cup, which will only help his numbers.
Matthews and Kane are also tough competition for Bobrovsky. They will get votes in their own markets, but it does not seem that either American will really have much of a shot to claim the award.
One of the negatives on Bobrovsky’s resume was his playoff stint. He posted a 1-4 record with a 3.88 GAA and .882 save percentage. This negative is gaping, but he should be back next season to improve his playoff resume.
While an award at the ESPYS would be nice, Bobrovsky’s best accolade would be a Stanley Cup. Columbus’ future is bright and Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the main reasons why.
If you would like to vote for Bobrovsky you can do so here.