Calder Trophy Race: Johnny Gaudreau v Filip Forsberg & Ekblad too

[Robbob]

If you want to go back to his draft year, players drafted from his draft class to present, only 2 players have scored more then he has in a single season (65 Landeskog from last year and Mackinnon 63, also last year).

Sitting at 56 right now with 11 games to go, he has a chance to beat both and this is still his rookie year. He potentially, as a rookie, can have a best single season point total against some players that have played a couple extra seasons. We are talking about players no longer on ELC's.

I agree that Ekblad has had a great season and to beat him you would need a special season. I think this season just may be enough.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by AcGold

You guys are nuts. No way Ekblad wins over Johnny if we make the playoffs and he has the points lead. A little bit of trying to be unbiased but Johnny has to be the frontrunner at the moment. If he keeps it up it's a lock.

Ekblad gets the third most minutes for defensemen on his team. No left wing on Calgary or Florida gets a many minutes as Gaudreau.

Over 25%of all of Calgary's goals are are either scored or assisted by Gaudreau.

Ekblad gets softer minutes and more offensive zone time. He also generally does not play pk (neither does Johnny, just showing he's not the defensive stud he's being made out to be).

Johnny is second on the team in points. He has more points than anyone on Florida.

The only two forwards with more ice time than Johnny are Monahan (leads both teams) and Hudler. Only Jagr gets more ice time on Florida than Johnny does and only by a few seconds.



Defense is the hardest position to play at 18, so what he's doing is spectacular. That doesn't mean he's been better than Gaudreau. We're not nuts.

[trublmaker]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

The Calder is supposed to be awarded to the best player playing his first year in the NHL. Age should only be used to determine eligibility.

But, as is the case for a bunch of the awards, it's not so clear cut. The Hart debate about whether it should go to the MVP of a team or the best player, whether a player on non-playoff team should be qualified. The Norris requirement of being extremely high end offensively at this point etc. There's apparently some wiggle room with the criteria.

The thing is, the media votes on the award and we've seen time and time again this year them (them being often times members of the PHWA who vote) bring up his age as a consideration. It may technically not suppose to matter, it will be a factor though.

This is what's wrong, the media shouldn't vote on any awards, they will ALWAYS have a bias.

[sec304]

From Puck Daddy:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nh...163145002.html

“Crazy thing about Gaudreau is he only had 3 points in first 9 games. Since then, he has scored at a 71 point pace.”

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Is Klingberg bad on defence compared to Ekblad then? I don't watch either player, but their TOI is pretty much the same (around 21-22 min). +/- is also about the same. So is Ekblad somehow far superior to Klingberg on defence that the stats aren't showing? Both teams are outside of the playoffs, so I would assume intangibles are about the same as well. Both players also don't have an all star dman they're partnered up with.

I would not say they are much different defensively. Ekblad, as is expected for nearly every 18 and 19 year old ever, has had a relatively sheltered first year. It's not like he's going up against top lines in the defensive zone every shift. He starts far more of his shifts in the offensive zone and leaves the shutdown role to the Mitchell pairing. He's not on the top two units for the penalty kill. He may not make a ton of mistakes defensively, but that's in part because of the weaker minutes he gets.

I think Ekblad is a prime candidate for a "sophomore slump." He wont be fed such easy minutes next year, they will start grooming him to being able to go up against other teams top lines so he can develop into a true #1. Harder minutes, less offensive zone starts, the need to be defensive, I would not at all be surprised to see his numbers falter next year. Although I think I said the same about Monahan.

As for why he looks to be ahead of Klinberg. Klinberg was late to the party, wasn't known and isn't doing something as rare as what Ekblad has done as an 18/19 year old and didn't keep his team in the playoff hunt. But based on just play this year, I would not argue against someone who thought Klinberg has been the better player.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by trublmaker

This is what's wrong, the media shouldn't vote on any awards, they will ALWAYS have a bias.

Who else that follows the games enough to vote would have less bias? GMs? Coaches? Agents? God forbid, fans? They might not be perfect, but out of all the options, media members are probably about as neutral as you can find.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Who else that follows the games enough to vote would have less bias? GMs? Coaches? Agents? God forbid, fans? They might not be perfect, but out of all the options, media members are probably about as neutral as you can find.

I think the NHLPA should vote for all awards. There would be some bias of course, but if they kept it anonymous, you'd probably get the bias offset by the sheer number of voters.

[Erick Estrada]

Gaudreau is the sexier pick for the league as he's small, flashy, and eastern American. As good as Ekblad has been you can argue Johnny's been the biggest name rookie.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Who else that follows the games enough to vote would have less bias? GMs? Coaches? Agents? God forbid, fans? They might not be perfect, but out of all the options, media members are probably about as neutral as you can find.

Neutral? Sure. Informed? Uh, these are the guys who voted Ovechkin into the All-Star team as left-wing and right-wing. And even with them bias is still a question. We've seen it with Iginla vs Theodore. They are media as well, so they want to have interesting articles for people to read about the awards. They want to be right about the guy they've been 'predicting' before the season even started. Etc.

Vezina is voted on by the GM's. The Vezina probably has the least controversial picks in its history. I wouldn't have an issue if they voted on more awards.

[Itse]

A large reason to have those trophies is to create media storylines.

[Jay Random]

Hell, a large reason to have the NHL in the first place was to create media storylines.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Neutral? Sure. Informed? Uh, these are the guys who voted Ovechkin into the All-Star team as left-wing and right-wing. And even with them bias is still a question. We've seen it with Iginla vs Theodore. They are media as well, so they want to have interesting articles for people to read about the awards. They want to be right about the guy they've been 'predicting' before the season even started. Etc.

That's all well and good, but I was responding to a post stating that the media are a bad choice because they have a bias. Every single person involved in hockey has a bias, so it's a silly thing to discount the media with, since there is no alternative that's any less neutral. If you think a journalist would base their vote on wanting to be proven right, you don't think a GM would perhaps vote a way that makes them look smarter, or a competitor dumber? A GM could potentially vote for a guy just because it could raise/lower their value in negotiations (or with bonuses). A player might vote to support their line mates, or to screw with a rival. The dastardly scenarios are endless.

And for every idiot journalist, there's a Mike Milbury or Kevin Lowe in the GM ranks, so membership into Mensa is by no means a requirement there either.

[greentree]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

One of the Mtl voters didn't give Iginla a top 5 vote, which led to the tie. It was a fiasco.

Montreal...where even the sports hacks are corrupt.

[MissTeeks]

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/sports/...&click=dlvr.it

Nothing seems to faze him, and the chemistry he’s developed with Hudler and centre Sean Monahan means coach Bob Hartley has left the line intact for months now. In fact, against the Flyers, during an opportunity to play five-on-three, Hartley called his timeout to rest his top line. Ultimately, they responded to the opportunity with a goal, Gaudreau calmly tapping in a cross-crease feed from Hudler.

Interestingly though, it was the hit on Schenn – which earned him the sponsored “Crunch Of The Game” award – that had Hartley smiling.

“That was a clip on our video this morning,” said Hartley, after Friday’s practice. “That’s what we’re asking everyone. On our team, we want everyone playing the same way. Obviously, there are different roles, but our recipe is the same for everyone. We’re asking the same commitment. Look at Johnny, how many times he backchecked. Yesterday, two or three times, he backchecked back in our zone. He was the first one on the puck. There are very few rookies who can read this and who are willing to do this.

“This guy brings the entire package. Small package. Big game.”

“Look at the start of his season,” Hartley said. “Struggling, like any college kid of his size would do – but he found a way.

“He’s just focused on everything he does – whether it’s preparing his stick, or working in the gym. I’ve seen an unbelievable progression in every part of his game – because he wanted it. I remember this summer, at my hockey camp, I had dinner with him and I told him, ‘Johnny, we’re going to give you every opportunity to make the team.’ And he looked back at me and said, ‘That’s all I want.’ And he took charge of the rest.”

Hartley talked about “the killer instinct” he wants to establish on his hockey club.

“It starts with his maturity,” Hartley said. “Just look when we score a goal. Whether he’s on the ice, or on the bench, he’s like a kid at the circus. He’s having fun scoring goals. He’s so unselfish. I got on his case many months ago to shoot more. Now, I like the balance in his game. He reads the play. If his teammate is better placed than him, he’s going to give it there. If not, he’ll take the shot. That was the balance we wanted him to have in his game. This guy is so much fun to coach. He’s quite a competitor.

“To me, there’s a great race for the rookie of the year,” Hartley concluded, “but he’s pulling away.”

[T@T]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/sports/...&click=dlvr.it

Hartley's a smart coach and is pumping Johnny good, he knows he needs an extremely modivated Gaudreau for the next 11 games.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Ekblad gets the third most minutes for defensemen on his team. No left wing on Calgary or Florida gets a many minutes as Gaudreau.

Over 25%of all of Calgary's goals are are either scored or assisted by Gaudreau.

Ekblad gets softer minutes and more offensive zone time. He also generally does not play pk (neither does Johnny, just showing he's not the defensive stud he's being made out to be).

Johnny is second on the team in points. He has more points than anyone on Florida.

The only two forwards with more ice time than Johnny are Monahan (leads both teams) and Hudler. Only Jagr gets more ice time on Florida than Johnny does and only by a few seconds.



Defense is the hardest position to play at 18, so what he's doing is spectacular. That doesn't mean he's been better than Gaudreau. We're not nuts.

Ummm... what??? How is that a response to what I said?

[T@T]

I think the race is close, It may come down to team success, Florida isn't looking good now and that kid in Dallas(Klingberg) will take some votes from Ekblad, Nashville is in but not making any headlines lately.

If the Flames make it to the post season and Gaudreau is around the rookie points lead he should win.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by T@T

I think the race is close, It may come down to team success, Florida isn't looking good now and that kid in Dallas(Klingberg) will take some votes from Ekblad, Nashville is in but not making any headlines lately.

If the Flames make it to the post season and Gaudreau is around the rookie points lead he should win.

As Nashville have struggled recently so has Forsberg. Possibly an indicator he was a huge part of their success earlier in the season? If they get hot again Forsberg will be a big part of that.

Frankly I'm surprised Forsberg slowed down so much that Johnny could catch him. Am I surprised Johnny is heating up late in the season? Nothing surprises me with this kid anymore, other than the moves he can pull off out on the ice.

There's still a lot left to play for in the Calder race, but Gaudreau definitely has a good chance. If he finishes top of the rookie scoring chart and the Flames make the playoffs then I believe he has had enough exposure in the East-coast media to win the trophy. Go Johnny Go!

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Ummm... what??? How is that a response to what I said?

Lol. Sorry. Totally misread your post

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Lol. Sorry. Totally misread your post

I still liked what you said though. Good post SP! Maybe not relevant but still a good post.