Calder Trophy Finalists – Nail Yakupov & Justin Schultz

One could make the argument that Schultz should be in the conversation for the NHL Calder Trophy after putting up 8 goals and 19 assists in 48 games.  After discussing how Yakupov was snubbed from the Calder finalists, both he and Schultz provided plenty of spark all season long and certainly lived up the hype that they brought during the summer.

But in the end there can only be one winner and when looking at the plus/minus, the winner is Yakupov after finishing with a minus-4 compared to Schultz’s minus-17.  Schultz actually had the lowest rating on the club, meaning he will need to brush up on his defense for next season.

Norris Trophy Finalists – Justin Schultz, Ladislav Smid & Jeff Petry

It’s easy to mention Schultz in this category given  he led the Oilers blue-liners in points but his minus-17 is cause for concern.  We’re talking about the top defenseman who should be held accountable in his own end and it’s hard to make that argument for Schultz.

Meanwhile Smid and Petry had solid seasons from their own respects.  Smid was his usual stubborn self, blocking shots and often pairing up against the opposing team’s top players.

Petry’s numbers were impressive, 3 goals and 9 assists in 48 games while posting a respectable plus-1 on the season.  He also finished second on the team with 112 hits to Smid’s 151 and had 86 blocked shots to Smid’s 119.

Winner – Ladislav Smid, for the reason’s just mentioned.  He’s as steady as they come and despite not putting up a lot of points, he was the best defender on this club.

Vezina Trophy 

Given there are only two netminders worth talking about, there’s no point in having them listed as nominees.  As a matter of fact, the race for the top goalie isn’t that close either with Devan Dubnyk taking it in a landslide.

He played more than three times as many minutes than Nikolai Khabibulin while putting up almost identical numbers in GAA 2.57 to 2.54 (Khaby) and a .920 save percentage to Khaby’s .923%.  Not to mention that Dubnyk started in 37 games to Khabibulin’s 11 while picking up a record of 14-16-6 with two shutouts.

Hart Trophy Finalists – Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle & Sam Gagner

Given it’s Gagner’s contract year it’s not surprising he turned a lot of heads this year with his 14 goals and 38 points in 48 games.  Eberle also had a solid season, scoring 16 times en route to 37 points, good enough for third on the team.

But this award belongs to Taylor Hall this year.  Not only did he lead the team in points with 50 in 45 games (good for 9th in league scoring) but his 34 assists alone would rank him third on the team in scoring.  He was a solid plus-5 and had 4 powerplay goals and 4 game winning goals, the most on the team.

He continues to play with reckless abandon which is cause for concern to some.  I say it’s what makes him so successful.  He plays hard and leads by example.  He wants to win and will go a long way in leading this club to the playoffs, which could be next year.  Depending on how the off-season goes of course.

Here are the top three selections…

First! Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

1) Sam Gagner (55%).  A pretty good choice is Sam Gagner, who led the team in points through 24 games and continues to do so now.  Sam Gagner had averaged 44 points through his first five NHL seasons, he might hit that number in 48 games this year.  Sam Gagner will have had six years of experience by the time October comes around, and he’ll be just 24 years of age.  Gagner is a restricted free agent at the end of this year and surely will do well on his next deal.

Second! Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2) Taylor Hall (27%).  Taylor Hall received 27% of the votes for team MVP, and he’s got proper credentials.  No other Oiler is as dominant on the ice as Taylor Hall with the puck, and it’s shown by every number possible.  Hall is currently second on the team in points, and he’s only getting better with time.  With Taylor Hall goes the Oilers.

Third! Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

3)  Devan Dubnyk (12%) placed third in our vote.  Dubnyk was signed to a two year contract before this season began, and there were plenty of questions as to whether or not he’d be able to seize the number one goaltender position.  In short, he’s done better than expected.  At teh midway point, Dubnyk had compiled a 5-9-4 record (and had allowed a particularly bad goal in Phoenix), but his SV% was .914 on a team that routinely gets housed in the shots against department.  Like Taylor Hall, the Oilers will only go as far as Dubnyk will take them.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Two votes for Jordan Eberle, one for Justin Schultz, and two for “other”.  I will assume the other votes were for split for Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk.

So, thanks for participating.  Soon we hope to have polls about which 2013 Oilers Playoff Game was your favourite.

Maybe.

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