Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
The 2016-17 season was not kind to the New Jersey Devils, a team that won just 19 times over the final 65 games after starting 9-3-3, but there were still a few positives.
Some of those will be highlighted below as I take a stab at handing out season awards.
Art Ross: Taylor Hall/Kyle Palmieri
Both players managed a respectable 53 points and were the only two players consistently able to find the scoresheet. Hall missing 10 games opened the door for Palmieri, who was really good in the 2nd half, to tie him for the team-lead.
Rocket Richard Trophy: Kyle Palmieri
For the second season in a row, no player on the Devils scored more goals than Palmieri. The 26-year-old was brought in to boost the offense and he has certainly done that scoring 56 goals over his first two seasons with the team.
Hart Trophy: Taylor Hall
This is a no-brainer for me. Hall finished tied for the team-lead in scoring despite missing 10 games. He also led the team in 5v5 points, points per game, shots per game, Scoring Chance For%, scoring chances per 60 minutes and was the team's 2nd best player in possession. He managed to put up those numbers despite playing for a low-scoring team, posting the worst shooting percentage of his career and fighting through a knee injury for 10+ games. Hall was a constant ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark season.
Vezina Trophy: Keith Kinkaid
I think the world of Cory Schneider, and fully expect him to bounce back, but I had to go with Kinkaid here. He posted a better save percentage, goals against average, and put forth a quality start in a higher percentage of his games.
Calder Trophy: Pavel Zacha
Zacha started the season extremely slowly but showed improvement as the season went on. He had just seven points in his first 30 games but posted 17 in his final 40, which equates to 35 over 82 games. That's solid production for a 19-year-old rookie playing middle-6 minutes on a low-scoring team.
Norris Trophy: Damon Severson
Severson led the defense in points and every player he spent meaningful minutes with fared better in possession with Severson than without him. Note: sorted from most minutes together to least rather than largest differential.
Selke Trophy: Travis Zajac
I don't think there can be much debate on this one. Zajac finished 3rd on the team in scoring and, as per usual, more than held his own while taking on the toughest defensive assignments on a nightly basis. The Devils need to figure things out and start making strides soon because they're wasting the last of Zajac's good years on bottom-feeders.
Recent Posts
Notes on quotes from Shero and Hynes on break-up day
Eastern Conference playoff predictions
Western Conference playoff predictions
Stanley Cup predictions
Notes on Hall, Hynes, a lack of 'killer instinct' and more
Setting the table for the Devils' off-season
Could the Devils take a run at Shattenkirk in free agency?
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»