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Columbus Blue Jackets: 2019 Postseason Trophy Candidates

By Lansing Murphy

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as 'the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success' during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as 'the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success' during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets cleaned house at the 2017 NHL Awards. Who are some candidates for postseason awards this year?

The start of the regular season is just around the corner for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the team is primped for a huge season. Or a complete bust of a year. No team in the NHL has a larger range of possible finishes in my eyes.

If they have a huge season, several Jackets will likely be postseason finalist for some hardware. The only category the Jackets won’t have a clear candidate for is the Calder Trophy. There won’t be any rookies on this Jackets squad that make enough of an impact to gain Calder Trophy buzz.

Lets start with the trophy that will find a home in Columbus within three years. That would be the Norris Trophy.

Last year Seth Jones finished forth in voting for the top defenseman in the league in what was a huge snub in my eyes. Jones was a dominate all around defenseman who, if he played in Canada or New York, would have finished second in voting.

Jones, who is only 23, will be a top five finisher for the Norris for the next five to seven years and is bound to win it sooner or later. Unless his teammate, Zach Werenski, beats him to the punch. Even with a torn labrum that prevented his arm movement significantly, Z scored the second most goals in the league by a defenseman.

Werenski finished 17th in Norris Trophy voting his rookie year and will bounce back this season and finish in the top 10 of voting as long as he is healthy. Even if Jones or Z “split” votes in this category, Jones should still get enough to be a finalist at the end of the year.

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