Daily Faceoff presents 2022 NHL Mid-Season Awards

Last week, the NHL officially passed the halfway mark of the 2021-22 season. It’s been a chore with a COVID-19 shutdown, over 100 games postponed, a canceled trip to the 2022 Beijing Olympics plus more than enough drama and scandal from Evander Kane, the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray.

But the NHL is halfway there, and the Daily Faceoff team is here to hand out the materials to mid-season award winners:

Hart Trophy

Winner: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Why: Alex Ovechkin edged out Jonathan Huberdeau for what would be the fourth Hart Trophy of his career and his first since 2013.

It’s truly amazing how 36-year-old Ovechkin continues to defy father time. In 45 games this season, the Big Dipper has 29 goals and 58 points. He is also the only Capitals member to not miss a game this season.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Nazem Kadri

Chris Gear: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Connor McDavid

Jason Gregor: 1. Alex Ovechkin, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Chris Kreider

Zach Laing: 1. Connor McDavid, 2. Cale Makar, 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Cam Lewis: 1. Alex Ovechkin 2. Jonathan Huberdeau 3. Igor Shesterkin

Mike McKenna: 1. Jonathan Huberdeau, 2. Alex Ovechkin, 3. Cale Makar

Chris Peters: 1. Jonathan Huberdeau, 2. Alex Ovechkin, 3. Victor Hedman

David Quadrelli: 1. Connor McDavid, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Alex Ovechkin

Brock Seguin: 1. Igor Shesterkin, 2. Connor McDavid, 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Frank Seravalli: 1. Nazem Kadri, 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, 3. Kirill Kaprizov

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Alex Ovechkin 2. Connor McDavid 3. Jonathan Huberdeau

Norris Trophy

Winner: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Why: It was an extremely close vote. All but one of the ballots feature the trio of Cale Makar, Victor Hedman and Adam Fox. Makar and Hedman tied for first place in terms of points, but Makar had more votes for first place, so he’s narrowly the winner here.

Makar is in the midst of an incredible season for the Avs in which he scored 43 points in 38 games. He was second to Fox last season and it’s a safe bet that Makar will win his first Norris Trophy this summer.

Daily Ballots

Scott Burnside: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Adam Fox 3. Cale Makar

Chris Gear: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Adam Fox 3. Aaron Ekblad

Jason Gregor: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Cale Makar 3. Adam Fox

Zach Laing: 1. Cale Makar 2. Adam Fox 3. Victor Hedman

Cam Lewis: 1. Cale Makar 2. Adam Fox 3. Victor Hedman

Mike McKenna: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Chris Peters: 1. Victor Hedman 2. Cale Makar 3. Adam Fox

David Quadrelli: 1. Adam Fox 2. Victor Hedman 3. Cale Makar

Brock Seguin: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Frank Seravalli: 1. Cale Makar, 2. Victor Hedman, 3. Adam Fox

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Cale Makar 2. Victor Hedman 3. Adam Fox

Vezina Trophy

Winner: Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Why: Although not unanimous, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers won our vote for the Vezina Trophy by a pretty good margin.

Shesterkin has been incredible for Rangers so far, boasting a .936 save percentage in 27 games. Rangers are 29-13-4 this season thanks in large part to Shesterkin’s play, as the team ranks in the league basement in shot attempt differential.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Frederik Andersen 3. Igor Shesterkin

Chris Gear: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Jacob Markstrom

Jason Gregor: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Frederik Andersen

Zach Laing: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Jacob Markström

Cam Lewis: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Tristan Jarry

Mike McKenna: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Igor Shesterkin 3. Tristan Jarry

Chris Peters: 1. Juuse Saros 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

David Quadrelli: 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy 2. Juuse Saros 3. Thatcher Demko

Brock Seguin: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Juuse Saros 3. Frederik Andersen

Frank Seravalli: 1. Igor Shesterkin, 2. Juuse Saros, 3. Tristan Jarry

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Igor Shesterkin 2. Frederik Andersen 3. Jacob Markstrom

Calder Trophy

Winner: Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks

Why: In another close race, Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks beat Detroit duo Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

Zegras breathed new life into the Ducks this season. He has 12 goals and 32 points in 41 games, impressive numbers for a 20-year-old, but Zegras’ real claim to fame this season has been his standout games.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Chris Gear: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Lucas Raymond 3. Anton Lundell

Jason Gregor: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Zach Laing: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Tanner Jeannot

Cam Lewis: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Mike McKenna: 1. Moritz Seider 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Lucas Raymond

Chris Peters: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Lucas Raymond

David Quadrelli: 1. Lucas Raymond 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Moritz Seider

Brock Seguin: 1. Lucas Raymond 2. Trevor Zegras 3. Moritz Seider

Frank Seravalli: 1. Trevor Zegras, 2. Moritz Seider, 3. Anton Lundell

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Trevor Zegras 2. Moritz Seider 3. Lucas Raymond

Jack Adams Award

Winner: Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins

Why: Many different coaches were liked in our vote for the Jack Adams Award, but it was Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins who ended up with the material.

Sullivan has done an impressive job this year helping the Penguins navigate without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin due to injuries. The Pens are 27-10-7, which puts them on pace for their third-best season in franchise history.

Although he won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins twice, it would be the first Jack Adams of Sullivan’s career.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Jared Bednar 3. Gerard Gallant

Chris Gear: 1. Dean Evason 2. Jared Bednar 3. John Hynes

Jason Gregor: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Rod Brind’Amour 3. Dean Evason

Zach Laing: 1. Gerard Gallant 2. Andrew Burnette 3. Rod Brind’Amour

Cam Lewis: 1. Andrew Brunette 2. Jared Bednar 3. Mike Sullivan

Mike McKenna: 1. Rod Brind’Amour 2. John Hynes 3. Mike Sullivan

Chris Peters: 1. John Hynes 2. Dean Evason 3. Andrew Brunette

David Quadrelli: 1. Rod Brind’Amour 2. Jon Cooper 3. Bruce Boudreau

Brock Seguin: 1. John Hynes 2. Mike Sullivan 3. Dean Evason

Frank Seravalli: 1. Jared Bednar, 2. Rod Brind’Amour, 3. Mike Sullivan

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Mike Sullivan 2. Rod Brind’Amour 3. Gerard Gallant

Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award

Winner:Bill Zito, Florida Panthers

Why: The Florida Panthers went from perennial bottom feeder to legitimate contender thanks to some impressive moves by general manager Bill Zito.

Zito was hired to retool the Panthers in the fall of 2020 and he navigated a tight salary cap situation to help the Panthers build a strong, deep roster. Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe are under-the-radar players Zito found and helped contribute to arguably hockey’s most potent offense.

Zito was a finalist for the Jim Gregory Award last year, but if the Panthers keep rolling like they were in the first half, he’ll win this time around.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Doug Armstrong 2. Don Waddell 3. Bill Zito

Chris Gear: 1. Rob Blake 2. Joe Sakic 3. Steve Yzerman

Jason Gregor: 1. Joe Sakic 2. Don Waddell 3. Bill Zito

Zach Laing: 1. Bill Zito 2. Steve Yzerman 3. Joe Sakic

Cam Lewis: 1. Bill Zito 2. Don Waddell 3. Kyle Dubas

Mike McKenna: 1. Bill Zito 2. Chris Drury 3. Brad Treliving

Chris Peters: 1. Joe Sakic 2. Bill Zito 3. Rob Blake

David Quadrelli: 1. Steve Yzerman 2. Doug Armstrong 3. Don Sweeney

Brock Seguin: 1. Bill Zito 2. Don Waddell 3. Steve Yzerman

Frank Seravalli: 1. Don Waddell, 2. Bill Guerin, 3. Bill Zito

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Bill Zito 2. Joe Sakic 3. Don Waddell

DFO Returning Player of the Year Award

Winner: Vladimiar Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

Why: The criteria for this invented award are simple: it serves to recognize a player who has returned not only from serious injury, illness or personal disruption, but also a player who may have simply rebounded from a season (or series of seasons) of sub-par performance.

There are several players who have fought back in varying circumstances in 2021-22, but the one who stands out is Vladimir Tarasenko.

Tarasenko only played 34 games between 2019-20 and 2021 and it looked like he would never be the same again. But after undergoing his third shoulder surgery this offseason, Tarasenko has come back strong.

In 40 games with the Blues, Tarasenko has 40 points, the highest points-per-game pace of his career.

Daily Faceoff votes

Scott Burnside: 1. Matt Duchene 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. William Nylander

Chris Gear: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Jason Gregor: 1. Timo Meier 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Zach Laing: 1. Sergei Bobrovsky 2. Matt Duchene 3. Tony DeAngelo

Cam Lewis: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Jonathan Drouin 3. Sam Bennett

Mike McKenna: 1. Nazem Kadri 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. Matt Duchene

Chris Peters: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Evgeny Kuznetsov

David Quadrelli: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko 2. Matt Duchene 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Brock Seguin: 1. Timo Meier 2. Vladimir Tarasenko 3. Tony DeAngelo

Frank Seravalli: 1. Sergei Bobrovsky, 2. Vladimir Tarasenko, 3. Matt Duchene

Tyler Yaremchuk: 1. Matt Duchene 2. Evgeny Kuznetsov 3. Sergei Bobrovsky

Editor’s note: We used a 3-2-1 scoring system.