Every year, Pucks and Pitchforks does a prediction about who could win awards. Some years is more obvious than others. Last year looked like it was obvious. Nico Hischier was second for the Selke Award, and the winner (Patrice Bergeron) retired. There was legitimate hype around a Jack Hughes MVP campaign, and it seemed like he was a lock for the Lady Bing.
We all know what happened next. The season went to hell. Jack Hughes kept going to the penalty box. EVERYONE got injured. Even Luke Hughes didn't have exactly the right season to be in the Calder Trophy race (even though he was in the top three).
This year, the Devils have expectations, but they aren't sky high. With that, the Devils have an opportunity to somewhat surprise, and usually those teams and players get the awards. Quinn Hughes won the Norris. Aleksander Barkov won the Selke. He's been in that air before, but he wasn't the favorite by any means. Connor McDavid did win MVP, but he is the best player in the world. So, where can the Devils win awards?
Hart Trophy - Jack Hughes
Yeah, we're doing this again. Do we think Jack Hughes is truly a Hart Trophy candidate? We think the conversation around his candidacy would be more prominent than most think.
Connor McDavid is going to the be favorite, and it's likely he will outpace the world by dozens of points, but even if he suffers a slight injury, it would open the door to the rest of the league. Hughes could use his speed to skate right through that open door.
Hughes making "the jump" past 100 points for the first time in his career, being the first Devils player in franchise history to do it, would create all the narratives he needs to be an MVP candidate. He finished eighth in Hart Trophy voting in 2023. He's on the minds of voters. Now, Hughes just needs to have an insane season and blow the Devils franchise record for points out of the water. We're thinking 120 points. It will absolutely help if...