The NHL recently released the list of finalists for their individual awards for this season. What follows is the listing and my prediction as to which players will win.

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Penguins; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Stastny, Colorado
Avalanche.

Staal is the best all-around player of the three, and Stastny, son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, proved the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with a strong rookie campaign, but Malkin will likely get the nod.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour,
Carolina Hurricanes; Samuel Pahlsson, Anaheim Ducks; Jay Pandolfo, New
Jersey Devils.

Pandolfo and Pahlsson have both be very good defensive forwards and as valuable to their team's success as their more talented, better-known star teammates, but Brind'amour not only has always played a strong two-way game, he's also the only one of the three with a plus-minus rating on the happy side of plus, and in the end that tips it in his favour.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Martin Brodeur,
New Jersey Devils; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Roberto Luongo,
Vancouver Canucks.

Brodeur and Luongo are THE stars of their respective teams and invaluable to their club's respective successes, but let’s face it, they played for teams that going into this season had the talent to make the playoffs. No one other than die-hard Penguins fans expected Pittsburgh to clinch a berth, let alone finish the season with over 100 points. The player directly responsible for that is 19-year-old Sidney Crosby, who also won the Art Ross as the league’s leading point-getter.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres; Michel
Therrien, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks.

Therrien and Vigneault both did very good jobs with their respective clubs, but their teams still suffered from deficiencies (defensive for the Penguins, offensive for the Canucks). Ruff turned the Sabres into the best team in the NHL, with no real weaknesses. He gets the nod.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom,
Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks; Chris Pronger, Anaheim
Ducks.

Niedermayer led all defensemen in assists and points and Pronger logs more ice time, but Lidstrom finished the season with a plus-minus of +40, better than Niedermayer and Pronger, had fewer penalty minutes and finished the season with 62 points. I think that makes him the better all-around blueliner.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel
Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

Datsyuk and St. Louis both play well without putting their teams in penalty trouble, but no one has the respect of NHL players or plays with more class than Burnaby Joe. Sakic will likely win this one.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members
of the NHLPA): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Vincent Lecavalier,
Tampa Bay Lightning; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

I think Crosby should win this, but I get the sense that because of his age that his peers may not believe he’s fully matured enough to deserve this award. It’s a tough call between Luongo and Lecavalier, but I think Lecavalier will win this.

VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils;
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers;
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

No offense to Lundqvist and Kiprusoff, but this one comes down to Brodeur and Luongo, and if one compares their stats for this season, it’s no contest. Brodeur led Luongo in wins, shutouts, goals-against average, save percentage, saves made and shots-against. Luongo will one day win this award, but not today.