The annual night of glad-handing and back-patting, the NHL Awards Gala, takes place in Las Vegas tonight, and it will be a big night for a trio of Ottawa Senators who find themselves as finalists for awards.
While it is nice to be nominated, will there be any hardware Ottawa-bound? The Senators have a decent but not overwhelming history of success when it comes to season ending awards, with Daniel Alfredsson being the most decorated Sen with the 1994 Calder Trophy as well as the 2012 King Clancy and 2013 Mark Messier Leadership award.
Two different Senators coaches have brought home the Jack Adams Award - Jacques Martin in 1999 and then Paul MacLean in 2013.
Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy in 2012, and finds himself nominated for that award again this year. Teammates Mark Stone and Andrew Hammond will also be at the show on edge as they are nominated for the Calder and Bill Masterton honors respectively.
So with 3 nominees, will there be reason for celebration or will the Sens reps come home with more than a bit of face time on the awards broadcast?
If there is one thing in common among all three nominees, it is that they are all guys that came from way behind in the race. At the turn of the calendar to 2015, You wouldn't have named any one of them among the favorites, but all three used pretty remarkable second halves (or quarters in Hammond's case) to force themselves into the conversation.
NORRIS
Karlsson probably has the best chance of the three to capture the award. He led all defensemen in scoring and was third in ice time. It was a tale of two seasons for Karlsson, and a big reason fro the was the fact that he got his stabilizing force back beside him in Marc Methot. His second half was incredible, scoring 41 points in his last 46 games and leading the club to an unlikely playoff spot. He was -11 before Jan 1, but ended up +7 on the season.
He is up against Habs rival P.K. Subban and Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, both worthy nominees as well.
This could be the closest vote of all of the awards, not just among the top 3 but the top 10. The depth of the elite defensemen has never been greater in the NHL, and there are easily 8 or 10 guys that could be nominated in place of any of these guys.
IF there is an east-coast bias to the awards, as some believe, it could be a matter of Subban and Karlsson splitting the vote, with Doughty being the beneficiary.
Karlsson's numbers are certainly Norris-worthy, but I think Doughty will get the nod and become the 6th different winner of the award in the last 7 years.
CALDER
Mark Stone wasn't just the best rookie in the NHL after January 1st, he was one of the best and highest scoring players in the league. His late-season kick knocked early-season front runner Philip Forsberg out of the group of finalists, and Stone joins Aaron Ekblad and Johnny Gaudreau as nominees.
Stone, like Karlsson had an incredible second half, scoring 47 points post-January 1st (46 games) after amassing just 17 points in 34 games before the calendar turned. Stone's all-around game and ability to steal the puck from unsuspecting opponents also turned heads and he tied for the league lead in takeaways.
However, as good as Stone's season was, it will be tough to get the award away from Ekblad, who did things as an 18 year old defenseman that haven't been done since a guy named Orr. Ekblad was very consistent through most of the season, and the poise he showed was beyond his years and was an instant leader and go-to guy for the Panthers.
MASTERTON
Hammond burst on the scene out of necessity after injuries to Anderson and Lehner. His record of 20-1-2 was remarkable, and the story is well known now.
But this is an award for perseverance and dedication, and I am not sure Hammond, in just his second pro season, has the track record to be in the running for this distinction and I was surprised to see him among the finalists.
Fellow nominee Devan Dubnyk had a second half for the Wild that equalled Hammond, and Dubnyk finally found some consistency after toiling in Edmonton and then going on a journey that saw the Wild be his fifth team in the past two seasons.
But, the award will go to Kris Letang. When you get back into NHL action less than 10 months after suffering a stroke and go on to set career highs in every offensive category, you should be the only nominee for the award.
So while Karlsson will be close, and could come home with the Norris, there is a pretty good chance that the trio comes home empty handed (unless one of them wins big at the tables!).