The NHL is officially back! Many teams made impressive moves to acquire high-end talent and bolster their rosters, and now the league is about to unfold as the 2026-2027 campaign gets underway. Here are the award predictions for the NHL season.
MORE: NHL power rankings entering 2026-2027 season
Hart Trophy: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
Macklin Celebrini had a monster season for the Sharks last year, and this offseason, the team added more talent around their best player to help him out. Celebrini put up over 100 points last season, and I expect him to have another incredible season for San Jose.
Calder Trophy: Ivar Stenberg, San Jose Sharks
Ivar Stenberg is arguably the best player in his draft class, and he is going to be a very impactful player. This Sharks team has plenty of young talent and should be at the head of the table for award discussions. These young players are that good.
Rocket Richard: Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Jason Robertson almost wasn’t a Dallas Star heading into this season, but he ultimately got a one-year prove-it-type deal. If he wants to get paid, it would be very good if he was able to score lots of goals for the Stars and lead them to a promising playoff run. He has all the talent to become one of the best scorers in this league, and I think he gets it done this season.
Art Ross: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is going to lead the league in points once again. He is too dominant for this era not to, and at this point, the award might as well just be named after him because of just how good he is. He doesn’t have much support around him besides Draisaitl, and the team is going to have to rely on him to bring them success.
Vezina: Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
Logan Thompson put up stellar numbers for the Washington Capitals last season, and with improvements to their team, I expect him to be dominant in the net once again, leading him to his first Vezina Trophy in his career.
Norris: Adam Fox, New York Rangers
When Adam Fox is healthy, he is as good as any defenseman in the league. He has faced some injuries since his last Norris, but this team improved this offseason, and he should be able to be an offensive force while playing above-average defense.
Selke: Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Eichel’s two-way play doesn’t get talked about enough, and this is the year to finally give him the award. Some other names that will be in that conversation are Nick Suzuki and Alexander Barkov, but if Eichel plays the full year, he should be in the conversation to win the award.
Lady Byng: Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
Matthew Schaefer plays at a super high level and is already one of the most respected players in this league. He has all the talent in the world and shows very good sportsmanship. He should have another impressive year for the Islanders.
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