Todd Cordell
Elias Pettersson.
He is a supremely skilled one-shot scorer who can also create quality looks for his teammates. I think he has the tools necessary to be an impact player right now and he should have ample opportunity to showcase them on a poor Vancouver team lacking offensive facilitators. Beyond Brock Boeser and, to a much lesser extent, Bo Horvat, they don't have much game-breaking ability in their lineup. Pettersson will provide that.
Calder trophies generally get awarded to forwards who put up a lot of points so it's hard not to like his chances.
Sean Maloughney Kailer Yamamoto?
In all seriousness, Dahlin is likely the obvious answer but I think sheer point production will win the Calder which is why Andrei Svechnikov is my pick. Svechnikov scored 40 goals in the OHL last season and prior to that scored 29 in the USHL.
The way Svechnikov scores (smart positioning and a quick release) are traits I see translating to the NHL quickly. Combine with this the fact he will likely see plenty of time with the likes of Aho or Terevainen, a 25+ goal season sounds reasonable.
Adam French Elias Pettersson
This year has the potential to be a bloodbath of a Calder competition. Dahlin, Svechnikov, Mittelstadt, Tolvanen, Heiskanen are just some of the very highly regarded players expected to make their full time NHL debuts. Let alone some of the more sleeper players like Chytil, L. Andersson, Cirelli, Necas, Vesalainen, Vilardi, Jokiharju, Borgström or Sikura.
Historically it has been hard for defensemen to win this award as they need to score like a forward to even get into the discussion. I think Heiskanen and Dahlin are the most NHL ready to put up those numbers, but I really don't think either can match what one of these forwards will. I think both will be great, I have both hitting 40 points if I was to predict it, but there's one player poised to win this.
Pettersson had the best U20 season in the Elitserien since Peter Forsberg. Arguably it was more impressive as he did it in a league that is much stronger and more international than when Foppa played. Historic. Rookie of the Year, Forward of the Year, Player of the Year, Playoff MVP, Most Points, Best Plus/Minus, Elitserien Champion, World Champion and U20 Silver Medal winner. All at 19. Inconceivable.
Pettersson has a mediocre team around him to play with and he will be given ALL the minutes to succeed. The Canucks don't have pressure this year, this will be their showcasing to the fans of the future. That should mean Pettersson will ride with Horvat and hopefully form a strong partnership and play tons of minutes.
I will put my chips on the table and say he ends the year with 27 goals and 70 points...with a bad +/-. He and Horvat will outscore the rest of their team by a significant margin and that will be the difference between he and his competitors.
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