The NHL’s All-Decade Awards: MVP, finest and worst trades, and extra
Emily KaplanESPN
After the 2009-10 season, Ryan Miller received the Vezina Trophy in Buffalo, the Canucks’ Henrik Sedin received the Hart Trophy as league MVP whereas Pavel Datsyuk took house his third straight Selke Trophy.
Lots has modified previously decade. Then once more, quite a bit hasn’t.
We’re working down the very best gamers, groups, trades, lineups, developments and extra from 2009-10 to 2019-20.
• The All-Decade Staff for all 31 golf equipment
• All-Decade Awards: MVP, trades, extra
• The perfect (and worst) groups
• Aug. 21: How the NHL modified previously 10 years … and what’s subsequent
Because the 2010s come to an in depth, we recognized the gamers who would take house trophies for his or her our bodies of labor over the course of the previous 10 seasons. Because the decade was dominated by the Blackhawks, Penguins and Kings every profitable a number of Stanley Cups, loads of the person nominees mirror that success. Apparently, that did not apply to the goalies — our decade-long Vezina nominees are a bunch of men who carried the load for his or her staff in common seasons however could not win that elusive championship … but.
This is how our poll for all the decade-long main awards would shake out, in addition to some enjoyable, made-up awards like finest and worst commerce of the last decade, finest purpose, and finest ambassador for NHL hockey:
Hart Trophy
Winner: Sidney Crosby
Runners-up: Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane
No participant has accrued extra factors since 2009-10 than Sidney Crosby’s 922 (Alex Ovechkin is second, with 901). Maybe extra spectacular is Crosby’s 1.26 factors per recreation, which is topped by solely Connor McDavid’s 1.30. McDavid’s smaller pattern (simply 287 video games) retains him off the listing. Ovechkin has 100 extra targets than some other participant on this time, and it could possibly be argued that he’s maybe the one participant who helped buoy his staff by way of this decade — by way of President Trophies, playoff disappointments and, lastly, a Stanley Cup.
Vezina Trophy
Though the Stanley Cup has eluded Henrik Lundqvist, he has constantly been one of many league’s elite netminders for the previous 10 seasons. AP Photograph/Frank Franklin II
Winner: Henrik Lundqvist
Runners-up: Sergei Bobrovsky, Carey Value, Pekka Rinne
Henrik Lundqvist has began extra video games (654) and confronted extra photographs (19,492) than some other goalie on this span. Amongst all goalies who’ve performed at the least 300 video games, Lundqvist has the second-best save proportion (.919). The trio of Bobrovsky, Value and Rinne is so shut in stats — with .918, .918 and .919 save percentages, respectively, although Rinne leads with 55 shutouts — that it was onerous to distinguish our decide for No. 2 on the listing.
Norris Trophy
Winner: Erik Karlsson
Runners-up: Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty
We now have a pair of two-time Norris winners right here: Chicago’s Keith and (then) Ottawa’s Karlsson. Keith — with a 53.61 Corsi for proportion — has performed considerably extra minutes (roughly 21,000 to 17,500) whereas main Chicago to a few first-place Central Division finishes and, after all, two Stanley Cups. Doughty, the 2016 Norris winner, was constantly wonderful whereas placing up monster minutes for Los Angeles. However Karlsson embodies the shift on this decade towards smaller, puck-moving defensemen, so we’ll give him the nod.
Selke Trophy
Patrice Bergeron has been the gold customary amongst two-way forwards for the previous decade and has been a vital part of the Bruins’ success. Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire
Winner: Patrice Bergeron
Runners-up: Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Toews
This one is a no brainer. Boston’s Bergeron has received 4 out of 10 awards this decade and has set the usual for the elite two-way ahead within the recreation. Heck, he is even talked about for the award when he misses important time in a season. Bergeron owned this decade. Kopitar (two Selkes in three years) is a pure runner-up, and Toews will get the nod for third.
Finest rookie season
Winner: Mathew Barzal
Runners-up: Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews
It may be onerous to match Barzal’s manufacturing (87 factors in 85 video games) for the Islanders in 2017-18. Each McDavid and Elias Petterson have been on comparable paces, although accidents derailed their freshman campaigns. Matthews is the one rookie 40-goal scorer, and his four-goal debut for a thirsty Toronto franchise was maybe the very best single recreation by a rookie this decade. Panarin’s 30-goal, 77-point debut with the Blackhawks — his first season in North America — was spectacular.
Jack Adams
Winner: Barry Trotz
Runners-up: Joel Quenneville, John Tortorella
Trotz started the last decade in Nashville however did his finest work guiding the Capitals to unprecedented regular-season success and a long-awaited Stanley Cup. His one-year turnaround for the New York Islanders in 2018-19 (particularly putting in sound defensive construction with restricted personnel) offers him the sting for our Jack Adams award of the last decade.
And now, for some enjoyable …
This one despatched shockwaves by way of the NHL: Two All-Star, top-pairing defensemen swapped in a one-for-one commerce for a change of surroundings. Nashville received the commerce early, making the Stanley Cup Remaining in 2017. Subban has since been traded once more (to New Jersey), whereas Weber stays with the Canadiens.
One way or the other, this commerce occurred on … the identical day: June 29, 2016, will stay on in NHL infamy.
Commerce is one for one: Adam Larsson for Taylor Corridor.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 29, 2016
This deal was additionally one-for-one and was completely one-sided. A disgruntled Corridor after all blossomed into an MVP for the Devils. Larsson, in the meantime, is toiling for an Oilers staff that has spiraled. A shout-out to 2013’s Filip Forsberg-for-Martin Erat and Michael Latta as a really shut runner-up on this class.
Finest purpose: Crosby’s golden purpose
Probably the most memorable purpose scored by an NHL participant this decade was Sidney Crosby’s gold-medal extra time winner within the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. It capped an epic recreation between Canada and the U.S. with a spectacular end. We’re not attempting to troll the NHL right here — it not sends gamers to the Olympics — but it surely was a very large purpose.
Highest Q ranking: Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
This must be a tie between Crosby and Ovechkin — no coincidence because the NHL and NBC advertising and marketing machine favored to play up their rivalry. Ask any random stranger over the previous 10 years to call an NHL participant, and these two guys had the very best probabilities of being recognized. Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews ought to surpass the duo over the subsequent decade, but it surely does not assist that they play in Canadian markets.
The Senators’ on-ice product hasn’t been unbelievable not too long ago. However these third jerseys are fairly sharp! Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire
The Bruins’ jerseys are by far essentially the most improved (from the bizarre Winnie the Pooh factor from the flip of the millennium to the present retro-style crest and extra distinguished bear on the prowl). Colorado’s are constantly good, however the winner right here is Ottawa. Sure, this is likely one of the issues the Senators have performed proper these days: a stately, throwback, striped look impressed by their unique jerseys. The sharp look debuted in 2011 and acquired a tweak for 2018.
Worst third jersey: New York Islanders (2011-14) and Buffalo Sabres (2013-15)
Whereas the development of a blue jersey with a circle within the heart that includes the emblem turned a bit drained — you, Blues, Blue Jackets and Panthers — these are literally superb jerseys and undoubtedly not the worst. That distinction ought to go to the Islanders from 2011-14 or Buffalo’s yellow catastrophe.
Finest ambassador for NHL hockey: Gritty
Gritty made it to Washington D.C. for the bipartisan Congressional Hockey Caucus briefing. AP Photograph/Cliff Owen
How might a mascot who debuted in late 2018 make such an influence that he lands on a “better of the last decade” listing? Witness the ability of Gritty.
The orange fuzzy creature has performed the late evening circuit, amassed a powerful social media presence, been reappropriated as a meme and usually performed a lot media that he has change into ubiquitous. Among the different 30 groups aren’t loopy about Gritty’s most well-liked remedy, however there is not any query that he has helped everybody up their recreation.