Avalanche Journal: A midseason check-in on NHL awards with Colorado contenders

There’s a common theme for the Colorado Avalanche at the midway point of the 2024-25 season: It’s a team that hasn’t been quite as good as expected, but the context might help some awards voters.

The Avs were 25-15-1 at the midpoint, a 102-point pace. They started the second half with a loss to 32nd-place Chicago, then blasted Minnesota, one of the two teams ahead of them in the Central Division.

Given all of the injury and availability issues, it was a successful first half. And while the rest of the roster has been a mess, the top guys have been healthy and productive. Being that productive, and helping the team to a lot of success despite the adversity, could help sway voters in a close race.

Which major awards could end up in Denver at the end of the season? Quite a few have someone from the Avalanche firmly in contention.

Art Ross Trophy

This is the obvious one. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 68 points, seven more than Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in second place. Also of note, he’s first in points per game at 1.58, narrowly ahead of the Art Ross winner last season, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov at 1.57.

Availability has become part of MacKinnon’s leap from star to playing like an all-time great, and it could play a huge role in who ends up as the NHL’s scoring leader. Connor McDavid has proven he can go nuclear for a few weeks at any time, and he’s still probably the greatest threat to MacKinnon collecting his first scoring title and the second in franchise history. (The first was Peter Forsberg in 2003.)

Favorite: MacKinnon

Contenders: McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov

Dark horses: Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner

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Maurice Richard Trophy

The Avs haven’t had the NHL’s leader in goals since Milan Hejduk did it with 50 in 2003.

Given the injuries to Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, it looks like there’s going to be a first-time winner of this award. Draisaitl has a nice lead, while Rantanen is tied for second. Both of them have scored 55 before, so they’re capable of keeping this up.

Rantanen making a push while in a contract year would be an intriguing storyline beyond Denver. Both guys have one of the two best players in the world trying to set them up. And the guy tied with Rantanen, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point, has Kucherov to feed him as well.

Favorite: Draisaitl

Contenders: Rantanen, Point

Dark horses: Ovechkin, Sam Reinhart

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Jack Adams Award 

Coaches on teams in the middle of a championship window rarely win this award. There are two exceptions: 1) The club is historically dominant. 2) There are a lot of injuries.

Jared Bednar has had to navigate a lot of injuries this season. And the Avs have not just survived; they’re actually still pretty good. There hasn’t been a lot of buzz for Bednar as a Coach of the Year candidate yet. Part of that might be because the Avs have still had their Big Three, and because Colorado is still in fourth place in its division.

He probably needs a narrative boost, which could be a late-season push for the Central title. If the voters can say “Wow, Bednar’s team had all those injuries and still won the division,” or “almost won the best division in the league,” then he is going to have a pretty strong case.

There will be plenty of strong competition, though, including an old friend from South Carolina.

Favorite: Spencer Carbery, Capitals

Contenders: John Hynes, Wild; Scott Arniel, Jets; Sheldon Keefe, Devils

Dark horses: Bednar; Dean Evason, Blue Jackets; Martin St. Louis, Canadiens

Norris Trophy

Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes missed four games, and Cale Makar might have missed an opening to create some separation. The Canucks are in shambles right now, but it’s still too early to tell how much that might affect Hughes’ case. There’s also a chance it actually helps.

Makar is, assuming good health, likely to lead all defensemen in points. He might lead in goals. He’s got a chance to lead in total time on ice, as well. That would be a tough triple crown to top, for a lot of voters.

Hughes could have better underlying numbers, like he did a year ago. The on/off numbers for the Canucks when Hughes is on the ice versus when he’s not are also comical. This isn’t a Most Valuable Player award, and this PHWA voter has always bristled at the idea that someone should win one of these types of awards just because his teammates aren’t good.

Zach Werenski has very much made this a three-way battle, and he’ll get a “He’s carrying the surprising Blue Jackets” narrative boost as well. Makar’s best bet might be to make a run at 100 points, and winning those other two categories wouldn’t hurt, either.

Favorite: None

Contenders: Makar, Hughes, Werenski

Dark horse: None

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Hart Trophy

Could MacKinnon repeat?