With the regular season officially done, NHL awards ballots were sent out to voters, who must now make their selections. This means the voting will be done well before we know the ‘actual’ playoff teams who make it out of the play-in round. While this may confuse some in hockey media, I would hope that most people realize that skaters can have value independently of how good their teammates are.

The Hart Trophy looks like it’s Leon Draisaitl’s to lose. The German superstar lapped the field in points this year, and that’s what voters really seem to like, despite there being legitimate concerns about his defensive game.

Meanwhile, the Norris looks like it will go John Carlson’s way. A strong season saw him lead all defensemen in points, and voters tend to reward that, even though there are some issues with his play away from the puck.

The Calder is a two horse race. Quinn Hughes leads rookies in points, but Cale Makar leads rookies in points per game. Which way will the voters go? Only one way to find out!

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