Beckett Sennecke not a Calder Trophy favorite: The Athletic

In a recent article posted on December 6th, The Athletic staff made revised NHL season predictions. The Anaheim Ducks were rightfully and highly represented, as their surprising start to the season caught most NHL pundits off guard. The Ducks were the leader for surprise playoff team, a 92% lock to make the Western Conference playoffs, and Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville led as the Jack Adams favorite. However, when the article circled around to the Calder Trophy (best NHL rookie), one name was notably absent: Beckett Sennecke.

According to the Athletic's staff, defenseman Mattew Schaefer of the New York Islanders, was the odds-on favorite to win the Calder at 92%. In a tie for second place with 4% each were goalies Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild and Yaroslav Askarov of the San Jose Sharks. No mention of Sennecke or even Ivan Demidov from the Montreal Canadiens.

The case for Sennecke

From being a surprise addition to the opening night roster, after pre-season injuries created a lineup opportunity, to becoming a fixture in the top six forward group of the Anaheim Ducks, Sennecke has steadily become the offensive playmaker the Ducks had hoped he would become, when he was drafted 3rd overall. Sennecke is currently fourth on the Ducks in scoring, behind Troy Terry, Cutter Gauthier, and Leo Carlsson, but is ahead of Mason McTavish and Chris Kreider. While Sennecke can be prone to defensive miscues, which happen less frequently as of late, and could stand to use his big frame a bit more, he is listed at 6' 3" and 206 pounds, the Ducks have not a had a rookie with this much hype since Trevor Zegras or Bobby Ryan.

Even amongst his rookie peers, Sennecke has comparable statistics.

Sennecke leads all NHL rookies in scoring and plays more minutes than every other rookie skater other than Schaefer, who is a defenseman. While Schaefer's role for the Islanders is inherently more important by default, Sennecke's impact for the Ducks cannot be minimized either. On a team that has struggled to generate offense for years, Sennecke has been a top six staple and a power play contributor, both of which are necessary for a team to compete for a playoff spot.

The case against Sennecke

Other than the previously mentioned Schaefer putting up comparable numbers in more ice time, the rookie goalies are stealing the spotlight as well.

In the hierarchy of most important roles on the ice, goalie might be the single most important position, as many a good team has been undone by poor goaltending. And if Schaefer's role is more important than Sennecke's, than Askarov's or Wallstedt's is even more so.

The real-world betting odds also offer a reflection too, as who should be the Calder Trophy favorite. Schaefer currently leads the pack, followed by Demidov, Wallstedt, and then Sennecke, according to Sportsbook Review.

When the bettors and the media align behind a choice, Schaefer in this case, odds are is that will be the selection at the end of the season.

Probably won't win, but...

Unless production tails off for Schaefer or Askarov and/or Wallstedt become sieves in net, Sennecke probably will not win the Calder. And at a respectable 0.79 points per game played, Sennecke cannot do much more to generate more offense other than get on a hot streak for a week or two. While his numbers are fantastic, Sennecke is not yet on the level of a Carlsson or Gauthier either. However, in a very competitive rookie class, Sennecke deserves to be mentioned more prominently, instead of being omitted entirely.