The Montreal Canadiens currently occupy the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a nice six point cushion between them and their nearest competition. Montreal has four games remaining, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have four as well, who are tied with the New York Rangers with only three games remaining. Montreal’s odds to make it are over 99%. With the team likely heading to the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, there are some standouts in the organization who could be in NHL award discussions. Let’s take a look at which Montreal Canadiens could be headed to the NHL Awards in June.
Montreal Canadiens Award Candidates
Calder Trophy: Lane Hutson
The Canadiens success this season has been in large part due to the emergence of their young rookie. Defenceman Lane Hutson has burst onto the scene and is in the midst of a historic rookie year. Hutson has 64 points on this season, including 58 assists. His points total puts him atop the leaderboard for rookie blueliners in Canadiens history, surpassing Chris Chelios. His assist total also puts him three shy of the record for rookie defencemen in NHL history. He has quickly become the Canadiens number one defenceman, logging over 20 minutes a night. Hutson also quarterbacks the team’s power play and has turned the unit’s fortunes around this year. His dynamic play and superb vision have dazzled hockey fans all year long.
Hutson’s play puts him atop the Calder Trophy conversation. He sits ahead of both Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov in points. Michkov currently has 59, while a massive five-point night from Celebrini puts him at 62. Goaltender Dustin Wolf is also in the conversation, as his play has put the Flames in playoff contention. Despite the solid play from the other three players, Huston’s season as a 20-year-old defenceman cannot be overstated. He will certainly be one of the three nominees, it’s just a matter of whether or not he can hold off the other candidates. However, as it stands right now, Hutson should be considered the favourite for the Calder.
Potential Jack Adams Winner Martin St. Louis
The Jack Adams is typically given to either the coach of one of the NHL’s top teams or the coach of a surprise team. With the Canadiens on the verge of the playoffs, head coach Martin St. Louis fits that bill. He has been given much of the credit for the team’s quick turnaround. He has been great in the development of young players and has created a seemingly positive culture in the Canadiens room.
Other coaches like Spencer Carbery in Washington and Jim Montgomery in St. Louis should also get consideration for the award. However, if the Canadiens can hold onto the final wild card spot in the East, Martin St. Louis should also receive a lot of Jack Adams votes.
The Final NHL Awards Montreal Canadiens Candidate and the Lady Byng for Nick Suzuki
The Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has been Montreal’s most valuable player this season. His career-high 86 points put him in the top-15 leaguewide. It’s the best season offensively by a Canadiens player in this century. Suzuki’s dominance offensively has been huge for Montreal and his two-way play has also been impressive. However, that isn’t why Suzuki could be nominated for an award. Suzuki has a good chance at being nominated for the Lady Byng Award which is given to a player who demonstrates sportsmanship while also playing at a high level.
Suzuki certainly fits the awards criteria. Despite playing in all 78 games for Montreal, he has only six penalty minutes on the year. The only player among the top-100 point getters who las less penalty minutes than Suzuki is Anze Kopitar with four. Jack Eichel and Brayden Point are the only other players in that group who are in single digits. Suzuki’s play combined with his discipline this season should put him in the conversation to be this year’s Lady Byng recipient.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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