Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Atlantic Division boasts significant high-end talent who could compete for NHL Awards come season’s end. Awards like the Hart Memorial, Art Ross, and Rocket Richard are Connor McDavid’s to lose until he proves otherwise, but hockey is one of the truly unpredictable sports, and as such, someone from the Atlantic could emerge as a candidate for any and all awards.
Hart Memorial Trophy
Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews is just two years removed from his own Hart Trophy campaign, and it’s surely possible for him to regain the 60-plus-goal, 100-plus-point status that earned him that award this season. With offseason additions Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a bit more higher-end scoring depth on the wings. Additionally, last season, Matthews spent more time apart from fellow stud Mitch Marner than with him, and it looks as though those two are going to be stapled to each other for this season. A bounce-back year from Matthews certainly means that he will be competitive for a few trophies, one of them being the Hart Memorial.
David Pastrňák
Last season, David Pastrňák finished 2nd behind Connor McDavid in Hart Trophy voting, after producing a 61-goal, 113-point season with the record-breaking Boston Bruins. With less of a supporting cast around him this year after Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, Pastrňák could be in the running for the Hart Trophy should the Bruins find success this season. This situation would be similar to that of Taylor Hall‘s MVP run with the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18, after Hall practically single-handedly dragged the Devils to the postseason. Pastrňák likely needs to do less work in Boston to garner MVP votes than Hall did, so certainly keep him on your radars for the Hart.
Matthew Tkachuk
Receiving 38.71% of total vote points, Matthew Tkachuk placed third in last year’s Hart race. He proved to be worth the high acquisition cost for the Florida Panthers, not only powering the team through the regular season but carrying them (alongside Sergei Bobrovsky) to a Stanley Cup Final berth — and he did it from the Panthers’ second line. He’s doing the same this year, lining up next to Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe when the Panthers are fully healthy. If he finds similar success to the last two seasons — around 40 goals and 110 points — he could, and should, be in the running for the trophy again.
Nikita Kucherov
When he’s healthy, Nikita Kucherov is a force to be reckoned with on the ice. He’s a three-time 100-point scorer, a previous Hart Trophy winner (2018-19), and finds himself as a contender to take home the award again this season. With news that star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is out for the first 2-3 months, the Tampa Bay Lightning might have to put more pucks in the back of the net in order to win games, as goaltending might end up being a source of pain for the team.
It’s also possible that the lack of adequate goaltending will leave the Lightning fighting for a playoff spot altogether — at least until Vasilevskiy comes back from his injury. Even then, he might not be the same netminder as he was. Should that be the case, Kucherov will need to step up to keep the Lightning afloat in their playoff candidacy, and if he does, he should undoubtedly be considered for the Hart.
Tage Thompson
Over the last two seasons, Tage Thompson‘s development took a sharp turn for the better, culminating in a 47-goal, 94-point season in 2022-23. Thompson is entering his age-26 season, so he is now in the peak years of his career, and there is no reason to assume that he couldn’t find yet another gear to his game this year. With the Buffalo Sabres looking to compete for a playoff spot, Thompson taking it a step further could not only push the Sabres into a postseason berth but boost the team’s best player in the ranks of MVP votes.
Dark Horse Candidates
Mitch Marner might not get the same recognition as co-star and linemate Auston Matthews, but he certainly deserves it. Marner has gone two seasons in a row scoring just under 100 points, and he’s one of the few players in the league who truly excels at 5-on-5 and on both sides of special teams. Chances are, if a Maple Leafs forward is in the Hart Trophy conversation, it’s Matthews. However, don’t count Marner out — his ceiling is astronomical.
Tim Stützle enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023-24, dropping a 39-goal, 90-point season with the Ottawa Senators. The franchise’s star center should continue to develop into a household name, and at 21, still has facets of his game to improve. Should he take another step and reach his potential, there’s no reason he won’t drag Ottawa into postseason contention, bringing with him some Hart votes.
Rocket Richard Trophy
David Pastrňák
Finishing last season second in goals (61) behind McDavid, Pastrňák can reasonably be expected to pace the league once again. In 2022-23, his shooting percentage (S%) was barely above his career average, meaning that his 61-goal campaign might just be sustainable as long as he keeps shooting en masse. To top it off, Bergeron and Krejčí retiring likely means that Pastrňák will have to shoot more and provide more of the goalscoring talent that pushed the Bruins over the edge last season.
Through three games, the story has been much of the same: Pastrňák has four goals and is averaging five shots per game. He won’t keep up the goals-per-game rate he’s currently on, but the shot count is more than sustainable, considering his history. If his shooting percentage stays the same as it has throughout his career, he’ll find himself once again in a podium finish for the Rocket, considering his shot volume.
Auston Matthews
Matthews, unsurprisingly, will likely find himself in the Rocket Richard race as well. He’s only one year removed from a 60-goal season (when he took home the Richard Trophy) and has only scored below 40 goals twice — in his second and third seasons, neither of which he played more than 68 games. He’s widely regarded as one of, if not the best, goal scorers in the league. Matthews spent most of last season apart from Marner, who is inarguably one of the better playmakers in the NHL. He has been lining up beside Marner in the early stages of the season, and Matthews has already garnered more scoring chances to capitalize on, posting back-to-back hat tricks to open the campaign. Should this combination last the entire season, there’s no reason for Matthews to slow down. He’s obviously not going to continue on pace for over 150 goals, but he’s certainly a frontrunner for the Rocket.
Tage Thompson
Thompson is coming off of a 47-goal season, and there’s no reason for him to slow down. With another year of offseason development under his belt, and a more experienced core around him, it’s possible that he will reach another level of goal-scoring ability in 2023-24. Though he’s started the season slowly, his upper-echelon skill set should mean he’ll hit his stride sooner rather than later. He’s certainly got the tools to become a perennial Rocket Richard candidate, and should start that route this season.
Dark Horse Candidates
Cole Caufield, though injured for almost half of last season, scored at a 46-goal full-season pace. If his shoulder is 100%, given the development around him, it’s possible that he surpasses that pace. The Kirby Dach injury doesn’t bode particularly well for his odds at scoring at that pace again — the trio of Caufield, Dach, and Nick Suzuki performed the best of any of the Montreal Canadiens’ lines last season. At the same time, Dach had been centering the Canadiens’ second line, apart from Caufield and Suzuki, and Caufield has found some early season success with Suzuki and Josh Anderson, scoring two goals and three points in three games. It’s entirely possible that his current pace of 55 goals is somewhat sustainable if they continue on their path, though I doubt he scores that many.
Related: 3 Reasons Cole Caufield Is Great Value for the Canadiens
Brayden Point scored 51 goals last season with the Lightning, ranked 5th in the NHL. It might have been a fluke year — Point shot 3.7% above his career average — but if it’s not unsustainable, look for him to be in the mix once again for the Rocket Richard. He’s shooting more than he ever has in his career, so it could just be that he needed to shoot more to prove that he can put up those kinds of numbers.
Brady Tkachuk led the league in individual expected goals (ixG) with 50.19 (McDavid, for comparison, had an ixG of 43.97) last season, and yet only managed to score just over half of McDavid’s total. This is due to his playstyle — many of Tkachuk’s chances come right around the crease and have a much higher expected goals (xG) value than the average shot. Despite his lack of success in scoring as many goals as expected, there’s reason to believe Tkachuk can compete for the goal-scoring title if his on-ice production matches his underlying statistics.
Art Ross Trophy
Nikita Kucherov
Kucherov has won the Art Ross Trophy before — he boasted a 128-point campaign in 2018-19 — and has either scored or paced above 100-points in his last five seasons. To no one’s surprise, his linemates are Point and Steven Stamkos, two of the league’s best goalscorers. As a pass-first player, Kucherov finds himself in one of the best positions in the NHL to succeed in that role, and if everything goes right for him, he could find himself toting home the Art Ross — or at least being in the race come April.
Dark Horse Candidates
Matthews is known for his goal-scoring ability, but just two years ago he was on pace for 119 points. The previous season, Matthews paced for over 100 points as well. In a very down year, he paced for 94. All this is to say, don’t count him out when it comes to putting up numbers. In a full season next to Marner, his totals could skyrocket.
Matthew Tkachuk has put up over 100 points in each of the last two seasons, and there are no signs whatsoever of him slowing down. In fact, there’s reason to believe that he has more to give, should the Panthers’ lineup get moved around a bit. Nothing against Sam Bennett, but Tkachuk would be better off — at least points-wise — playing next to Aleksander Barkov. If that happens, I could absolutely see a 115+ point campaign for the star winger.
Pastrňák put up 113 points last season while mostly playing with Krejčí and Pavel Zacha. Of course, the Bruins had more depth last season, and without Bergeron, Pastrňák should theoretically have a harder time scoring in 2023-24. Still, it’s hard to discount the Czech winger. He’s a premier talent and could find himself in the same position as he was in 2022-23.
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin is widely regarded as a top-10 defenseman league-wide. Expect him to continue blossoming into a perennial Norris candidate. The former first-overall selection is just 23 years old, on an up-and-coming team, and has the underlying statistics to back up his dominant eye-test performance and stats. Should the Sabres take the step forward that so many are anticipating, Dahlin should once again find himself in a position to compete for the Norris.
Charlie McAvoy
Though he missed significant time last season, Charlie McAvoy still took home a vote for the Norris Trophy in 2022-23. The Bruins’ best defenseman is as sturdy as they come on both sides of the ice, manning their top pairing, top power-play unit, and top penalty kill. He’s never posted an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) below 54.95% and is showing no signs of slowing down. The 25-year-old American stud will rightfully earn a good chunk of Norris votes as long as he stays healthy, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him finish in the top five.
Moritz Seider
After a down year, Moritz Seider is already bouncing back to his rookie season form. At 22 years old, the German defenseman is known for his physical-first defensive play, but don’t discount his offensive game; Seider has three points in his first four games of the season after putting up a solid 92 points in his first two seasons in the NHL — without missing time to injury or illness.
It appears that Seider is beginning to hit his stride — something we saw in the back half of 2022-23. If the Red Wings’ top line and power play continue humming along at this rate, Seider’s point totals will match the caliber of play he’s been providing for Detroit, and as the bona fide number-one defenseman for the team, he should be able to find himself in the Norris conversation.
Dark Horse Candidates
Former Norris winner Victor Hedman (2017-18) took a bit of a step back last year, both analytically and in terms of getting overtaken by teammate Mikhail Sergachev on the depth chart. To start the new season, though, Hedman has shifted towards the defenseman we saw take home the title just six seasons ago. He’s retaken his spot on the Lightning’s top pair and top power-play unit and has looked every bit the two-way star that he was heralded for so many years.
Sergachev is no slouch, either. Both he and Hedman took home a couple of Norris votes last season, though the former of the two played much better in 2022-23. It’s still early, but were Hedman to take a step back to the player we saw last year — who was still good but not great — it’s possible that Sergachev would take another step forward with increased ice time. He looked right at home in a top-pair, top-power play role last season, and being that he’s entering the age in which defensemen hit their prime (25), it’s achievable for him to take another step forward and take home more votes for the best defenseman in the league.
Vezina Trophy
Linus Ullmark
With the news that Vasilevskiy is out after undergoing surgery on a herniated disc and that he is likely to miss at least the first two months of the season, reigning Vezina winner Linus Ullmark finds himself as the Atlantic Division’s premier candidate to take the trophy home. Last season, among goaltenders with at least 20 games played, Ullmark ranked first in wins (W) with 40, goals-against average (GAA) with 1.89, and save percentage (SV%) with a .938. According to MoneyPuck, Ullmark also ranked first in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) and second in overall GSAx. He faltered a bit in the playoffs due to injury, but if he is able to bounce back and regain that dominance from just one season ago, he should absolutely find himself in a similar position this season.
Dark Horse Candidates
Yes, Vasilevskiy is injured. However, Vasilevskiy has historically started about 75% of the Lightning’s games and should he come back from injury in the 6-8 week range and hop right back in to his usual role, he surely can boast eligibility for the Vezina and could garner some votes. Ullmark won the Vezina last season despite starting only 48 games, and Vasilevskiy has much more of a track record of Vezina-caliber goaltending. Should his injury linger, or should he have any setbacks, though, his Vezina dreams go up in smoke.
Devon Levi has been subpar in Buffalo’s first four games this season, sporting a pedestrian 3.26 GAA and .890 SV%. However, he’s likely just getting his NHL legs sturdied, and it’s more likely that he’ll shake off this phase by the time it matters. With that said, there’s reason to believe that he’ll begin to put up very solid numbers, with his NCAA statistics mirroring the likes of Connor Hellebuyck and Ryan Miller, who both blossomed into capable starting goalies in their first seasons in the NHL. If he doesn’t shake this play, he’ll likely find himself splitting time with another goaltender down the stretch. If he does, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to garner a few Vezina votes should the Sabres stumble into a playoff berth.
Jeremy Swayman has long been underappreciated. Where Ullmark ranked first in the NHL last season in GSAx/60 and second in total GSAx, Swayman ranked third and eighth, respectively. His 2.27 GAA ranked fourth, as did his .920 SV%. Though he’s played just one game in 2023-24, he was just as dominant as he was last year. All this is to say, the Bruins have an unmatchable tandem in net, and if Ullmark were to get hurt or take a step back into a 1B role — or if Swayman were to earn the starter’s spot — it wouldn’t be surprising to see him compete for Vezina votes.
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Aleksander Barkov
Barkov has received Selke votes since his sophomore year in 2014-15 and has placed in the top 10 six times, bringing home the trophy in 2020-21. He’s an elite faceoff man, a takeaway guru, and has headlined the Panthers’ top penalty kill unit for much of his career. Playing only 68 games last season probably held him back from placing much higher than 8th in Selke voting, so if he plays a full season, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to become the frontrunner.
Mitch Marner
Classically, the Selke is a center-based award, being that a good face-off percentage is a legitimate factor in determining the winner. With that said, Marner was the only non-center who placed top-10 in voting last season, taking home third place. The speedy winger is known for being a takeaway machine, putting up an astounding 104 takeaways in 2022-23 — 12 more than second place, and is a staple on the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill. Look for him to continue being a perennial top-five Selke candidate.
Dark Horse Candidates
Brandon Hagel was that second-place finisher in takeaways, yet he surprisingly only received one fifth-place Selke vote last season. I wouldn’t expect too many votes to come his way, but he certainly deserves more recognition. His takeaways, paired with his legitimate success as a penalty killer in Tampa Bay, should be reason enough for him to gain more votes for the Selke Trophy.
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best rookie, is Connor Bedard‘s to lose. He’s widely regarded as one of the most talented prospects ever and has been given the position to succeed on Chicago’s top line and top power-play unit. However, as we saw with the Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky, injury to a premier rookie is always a possibility. Moreover, players can storm onto the scene — like Stuart Skinner last year — and find themselves in the midst of the Calder conversation.
Devon Levi
Levi finds himself as the Atlantic’s premier Calder candidate as the Sabres’ supposed starting goaltender. As it stands, he boasts the third-best betting odds to win the trophy at +1450, behind Bedard and New Jersey Devils’ rookie Luke Hughes. However, as previously mentioned, Edmonton Oilers’ goaltender Stuart Skinner practically came out of nowhere and finished runner-up in Calder voting at the NHL Awards last season, and Levi is expected to come into his first full season as the Sabres’ starter, whereas Skinner was fighting with Jack Campbell for that role.
It’s quite the feat for a goaltender to win the Calder, but it isn’t unheard of — three goaltenders have taken home the trophy since 2000, and Skinner placed second last season. If the Sabres make the playoffs, and Levi performs as well as he could, he should compete with Bedard. A 50+ game season, with a solid statistical profile, could give voters reason to choose Levi over the Blackhawks’ franchise center. In all likelihood, Levi will at least place in the top five, assuming he is a league-average goaltender being thrust into the starter role in his first full year.
Dark Horse Candidates
Matthew Knies entered the season in what should be a middle-six role, being promoted to the second line next to John Tavares and William Nylander in recent games. He already has a few NHL games under his belt — he had one assist in three regular-season games, and one goal and four points in seven postseason appearances last year — so he’s coming into the Calder conversation with a tiny bit of an advantage over some of the other candidates. He’s almost certainly playing in the top nine in Toronto, so he should be playing with some combination of Tavares, Marner, Matthews, and Nylander no matter how the lines are shuffled, and seeing time on the second power-play unit will give him the opportunity to put up some solid numbers.
There was a time when Red Wings’ rookie Simon Edvinsson was touted as the best defensive prospect in the NHL, though over the past couple of seasons, his spotlight has faded a bit — our prospects rankings have Edvinsson at fourth among defensive prospects in the league and 11th overall. Even still, he boasts some remarkable physical attributes that contribute to a sky-high ceiling. He’s 6-foot-6 and 209 pounds, yet extremely mobile. He’s been skating on the Red Wings’ second pairing, alongside newcomer Jeff Petry, so he is in a position to see 20+ minutes of tough competition. If he finds success in the regular season, which he did in the preseason, he could be a sleeper pick for the Calder.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Brayden Point
To be able to play at an extremely quick pace while being effective at both ends of the ice, and having the discipline to keep your stick in check is an incredible skill that not enough people appreciate. Point is one of the best examples in the NHL, and he proved it last season by placing in the top three in Lady Byng voting after a 95-point, 7-PIM season. It’s not his first time earning Lady Byng votes, nor will it be his last. Look for him to be a frontrunner for the trophy once again.
Aleksander Barkov
While most fans know that Barkov has taken home a Selke Trophy before, not many know he also has a Lady Byng to his name, which he won in 2018-19. His career high in penalty minutes is 18, which, in combination with his elite skill and production, has earned him top-10 Lady Byng finishes in seven of the last eight seasons. There shouldn’t be a difference in his play this year, so keep an eye on him to compete for the title again in 2023-24.
Auston Matthews
Known for his goal-scoring abilities rather than his gentlemanliness on the ice, Matthews should also compete for the title. Last season, he placed outside of the top 10 in voting for the first time in his career. It’s obviously very early in the season, but as the only player on this list to have yet to take a trip to the box — and with six goals in four games — he might be the Atlantic Division’s frontrunner until he proves otherwise.
Dark Horse Candidates
Mitch Marner has taken home Lady Byng votes in all of the last five seasons, including a fourth-place finish just two years ago. Like Point, Marner’s lack of penalization is more impressive due to the speed at which he operates — whereas Barkov plays at a slower, more controlled pace. He does take a few more penalties than the other two candidates, but it would be a surprise if Marner didn’t take home some votes for the gentlemanly trophy.
The Atlantic Division Boasts Immense Talent
Some of these trophies are McDavid’s to lose — the Hart and Art Ross in particular, though he’s probably considered the frontrunner for the Rocket Richard as well. Should he miss time, though, or should a player step up to MVP level play, the Atlantic Division is one of the stronger divisions in terms of individual talent. Players like Matthews, Pastrňák, Kucherov, and Barkov have legitimate chances at bringing home multiple trophies, something that very, very few players can do. Look for Atlantic Division players to be headlining NHL Award conversations throughout the season.