Free washer | Ultimate NHL rookie: Bedard or Faber?

The debate has raged for several weeks and now extends beyond Minnesota’s borders.

In the right corner you have the darling of the NHL, only 18 years old, first overall pick in 2023, first scorer among rookies. In the left corner, a 21-year-old right-handed defenseman, second-round pick, already traded by his original organization, but already number one defenseman for his new club.

Will the journalists assigned to cover the activities of the National Hockey League have the courage to snub Connor Bedard in favor of Brock Faber in their vote for the Calder Trophy awarded to the most outstanding rookie?

Bedard, one of the youngest players in the 2023 vintage, is still 18 years old. He will be 19 in July alone. Despite everything, he amassed 56 points in 58 games, including thirteen in his last eight games, with a moribund club, the Chicago Blackhawks.

This young man is very poorly surrounded. He has Ryan Donato and Philipp Kurashev as wingers. Donato, 27, has never amassed more than 31 points in a season. Kurashev, 24, had 47 points this winter. He had never had a season with more than 25 points in the previous three years.

Chicago’s second line consists of Tyler Johnson, Nick Foligno and Taylor Raddysh. Needless to say, against whom the opponent pits his best defensive trio.

Bedard, on the other hand, doesn’t have the pressure to make the Hawks win in the short term. Chicago is in the bottom of the standings with San Jose, as expected. Not much is made of this boy’s record of -37, the worst in the club after Kurashev.

Faber is three years older. He received three additional seasons of development at the University of Minnesota after being drafted 45th overall.^e rank by the Los Angeles Kings in 2020.

Traded by the Kings in June 2022 with a first-round pick, 19^e in total, in 2022 (Liam Öhgren) for Kevin Fiala, Faber achieved a rare feat: establishing himself as number one defender in his first season in the National League within a team in the race for a place in series.

Minnesota will come up short, already nine points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, the last qualifying club, but the Wild have played meaningful games for most of the season.

Faber had 40 points in 71 games, a pace of 46 points over a full season. But also, above all, he plays on average 25:05 per game, nine seconds more than Cale Makar in Colorado. Only Drew Doughty, John Carlson, Rasmus Dahlin, Seth Jones, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson play more. Dahlin, 24 in two weeks, Dobson, 24, and Faber are the only ones under 29 in the group.

Rob Blake of the Kings will have achieved the sad feat of trading two possible number one defensemen for short-term solutions, Faber and Sean Durzi, sold to the Arizona Coyotes to free up some payroll. Durzi has 35 points in 66 games and is averaging 22:36 for the Coyotes.

Unfortunately for Faber, the Calder Trophy is very rarely awarded to a defenseman. Only five have earned the honor over the past twenty seasons.

It was hard to ignore Moritz Seider in 2022 with his 50-point season and role as Detroit’s number one defenseman. Trevor Zegras did amass 61 points in Anaheim, but only 11 more than a defender of the same age, and far from the reputation of a Bedard.

Cale Makar had no competition in 2020. One of the top offensive candidates, Dominik Kubalik, was a nearly 25-year-old winger, 46 points in 68 games, four fewer than Makar in 11 more games. Quinn Hughes also finished second in the voting.

Aaron Ekblad pipped Mark Stone and Johnny Gaudreau in 2015, but he had just been drafted first overall by the Florida Panthers and had amassed an impressive 39 points at just 18 years old.

In short, unless you are drafted into the top 5 and, or, producing offensively or finding himself in a weak offensive cohort, a defender has very little chance of winning the Calder. Good luck to Brock Faber!

New brand for Slafkovsky

With an assist Tuesday in Colorado, Juraj Slafkovsky became the first player under 20 in Canadian history to amass 40 points. Mario Tremblay held the record for most points at age 19 or younger, 39, in 1974-1975. Alex Galchenyuk would undoubtedly have broken this mark in 2012, had it not been for the lockout with 27 points in 48 games, a pace of 46 points over a full season. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had 34 points at 18 years old in 2018-2019.

At this rate, Slafkovsky could finish the season with 46 points. But if we take into account his current pace, 20 points in 24 games since January 25, that would give him nine points in his last eleven games for an overall production of 49 points. But if he produces like more recently, nine points in eight games, he will reach 50 points.