Fearlessly forecasting the NHL's top individual awards - Faceoff

Hockey Digest, Dec, 2003 by Alex Gordon

IN THIS SPACE LAST YEAR, I MADE four predictions for individual awards for the 2002-03 season. I'm happy to report that I had a 50% success rate, correctly guessing, err, deducing that Peter Forsberg would win the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP and that Nicklas Lidstrom would capture the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.

As for my other two predictions, well, an acrimonious holdout derailed any hopes Evgeni Nabokov might have had of winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie. And rather than win the Adams Trophy as the league's top coach, Bryan Trottier got a pink slip from the New York Rangers before the season even ended.

Still, 50%, ain't bad, so I think I've earned the right to go out on a limb again. Here, then, are my picks for roar of the NHL's top awards for the 2003-04 season.

Hart Trophy (MVP) Paul Kariya, Colorado

Teaming with Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, and Milan Hejduk should mean the former Mighty Duck will get plenty of scoring opportunities. Couple that with the fact that Kariya is playing on a severely deflated, one-year contract, which will put him on the open market next summer, and you have a recipe for a monster season. With Colorado expected to contend for the President's Trophy as the regular season's top team, someone from this squad will be a natural for MVP honors, and my bet is Kariya will keep the Avalanche stranglehold on the Hart, following in the footsteps of Forsberg (2003) and Sakic (2001).

Vezina Trophy (NHL's top goalie) Marry Turco, Dallas

In his first full season as a starter, Tarco had a 1.72 GAA, which just happens to be the lowest mark in the NHL's modern era.

He also led the league with a .932 save percentage. If not for an ankle injury, which sidelined him for 18 games, Turco very well could have won this award last season. While it's hard to believe that he could top last year's numbers, with a nice new three-year, $12 million deal in his briefcase, Turco is now under pressure to prove that he's no one-season wonder.

Adams Trophy (coach of the year) Doug MacLean, Columbus

Call it a hunch, but the Blue Jackets look like they are ready to make the leap this season, a la the Minnesota Wild. MacLean, the club's GM, took over head coaching duties last January and he's instilled a new sense of urgency. The Jackets have some nice pieces in place, but getting this club to the playoffs is going to require some savvy benchwork. It says here that MacLean is up to the task.

Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) Tuomo Ruutu, Chicago

The parsimonious Blackhawks took a long time to sign their 2001 first-round pick, but now that the Finnish forward is in the fold, look for him to leave the label of "best player not in the NHL" behind and give depressed Chicago fans a reason to fill the United Center again, The speedy center is already drawing comparisons to Peter Forsberg.