Pucks of a Feather’s NHL Awards Ballot Part One
By Ed Stein
Our cousins at Puck Prose asked us for our NHL Awards ballot. The Staff here at Pucks of a Feather got together and voted. We wanted to share our results with our readers. First off are the Non Official Awards
Comeback Player of the Year
This NHL Award doesn’t exist. We think it should. We will award it to the player who for one reason or another fell on hard times, but turned it around in 2017-18.
3rd Place – Anze Kopitar. For most NHL players 52 points is a career year. In 2016-17, the 52 Kopitar put up was the lowest full-season total of his career. He rebounded this season with career highs in goals (35), assists (57), and points (92). It seems odd that Kopitar for all his past success never broke the 90 point mark in his 12 years as an LA King.
2nd Place – Eric Staal. For years Staal was the face of the Carolina Hurricanes. He was their top scorer and on-ice leader. Until this year his point totals have been in steady decline. Things did a 180 for the former Carolina captain this year. In 2017-18, he helped bring the Minnesota Wild back to the post-season with a team-leading 42 goals (tied for fourth in the NHL).
1st Place – Steven Stamkos. Here is a sentence many thought unlikely, “Steven Stamkos is our NHL Comeback Player of the Year.” Lest we forget, “Stevie Wonder” missed all but 17 games last season with a knee injury. Now healthy, Stamkos proved once again that he is a top-five player in the league.
He no longer needs to be the main scorer in Tampa, with Nikita Kucherov on the roster. Stamkos has become more of a passer than a scorer, recording 59 helpers. The Bolts had the best record in the east and Stamkos had 86 points, his best total since 2011-12.