As the end of the regular season draws near, it’s time for an annual tradition: voting for the Vancouver Canucks team awards.
There are seven awards, four of which are decided by fan vote. Voting is now open for fans to vote for four of the seven team awards, naming the Canucks’ Most Valuable Player, Best Defenseman, Most Exciting Player and Unsung Hero.
Fans can vote for whoever they want. Or alternatively, you can vote for the suggestions below.
It’s not that I’m trying to unduly influence your vote. I’m trying to duly influence your vote. It is entirely appropriate that you listen to my arguments and vote the way I suggest.
Cyclone Taylor Trophy for Most Valuable Player
This is a tough question that ultimately comes down to two highly deserving candidates: JT Miller and Thatcher Demko.
Miller is the team’s top scorer, with 30 goals and 93 points so far this season, playing in all situations. He has been a key player on the ice and a vocal leader off the ice. He would be the obvious choice for team MVP if it weren’t for a certain starting goalie.
Demko is the main reason the Canucks have been able to charge up the rankings from the depths they sank to earlier in the season. His .917 save percentage doesn’t tell the whole story: He leads the entire NHL in goals saved above average (GSAA) at 5-on-5. according to Natural Stat Trickwith only the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck facing more high-danger opportunities than Demko.
As a result of Demko’s brilliance, the Canucks actually lead the entire NHL in fewest goals at 5-on-5. Given the body of defense in front of him, that’s amazing. Actually delete that: that’s valuable.
Pavel Bure Award for Most Exciting Player
There’s an argument for Demko taking this award as well, given some of the power stops he’s made this season, but I’ve already given him MVP and I can’t let Miller go unrewarded.
Honestly, Miller was exciting this season, with the potential to create something out of nothing every time he played the record. He, too, was exciting for the wrong reasons at times with his turnovers on the defensive end, but it’s all part of Miller’s quest to make a difference on the ice, constantly looking to turn the puck into ice to create offense.
Miller’s incredible coast-to-coast goal against the Arizona Coyotes in February shows exactly why he deserves the Pavel Bure Award.
Walter “Babe” Pratt Trophy for Best Canucks Defenseman
Is there any doubt? For the third year in a row and likely for years to come, the Canucks’ best defenseman was Quinn Hughes.
It’s not just that Hughes is chasing a franchise record for most points by a defenseman, sitting just two points behind Doug Lidster with five games remaining. It’s that he has produced those points while he was making big strides on the defensive end and while playing with teammates who are definitely not high-caliber defenders.
Hughes has even added penalty kill to his repertoire with Bruce Boudreau and has shown himself to be decidedly good at it too, with his quick feet, sure hands and smart reads making him ideal for penalty kill duty. He has become a true number one defenseman and is currently ranked 12th in the NHL in average ice time, averaging 25:10 per game.
The most exciting part of Hughes is that there is still room to grow. Hughes has the potential to add more goals to his game, and Boudreau wants to see him activate more often. If Hughes breaks Lidster’s record this season, he’ll likely break his own record next season.
Fred J. Hume Award for Unsung Hero
This is a strange award to put up for a fan vote because if a player has a significant portion of the fanbase singing their praises, then they’re not exactly forgotten. Consider that JT Miller won this award in the 2019-20 season when he led the Canucks in scoring and was universally praised for his play in his first season as a Canuck.
It’s tempting to give this award to a player who has been unfairly criticized this season, like Brock Boeser, but isn’t quite as unknown yet.
Conor Garland would be a good choice. He was highly praised early in the season, but his still-solid game began to slip under the radar when some of his scoring dried up.
Even with some of his scoring droughts, Garland is second on the Canucks at 5-on-5 behind Miller with 15 goals and 40 points. If he had played on the first power play unit all season, he probably would have scored 20 goals and 50 points. He even leads the Canucks in Evolution of wins stat above hockey replacement thanks to a solid two-way game and his ability to take penalties without taking many himself.
But for my actual vote, I pick Tanner Pearson, who was a constant presence alongside JT Miller on the top lane for most of the season and has largely flown under the radar. He is fourth with the Canucks in 5-on-5 scoring and has also been one of the best penalty takers on the team. All of that sounds like unsung hero stuff to me.
An injury against the Coyotes earlier this month has kept him out of the lineup of late, but he deserves credit for his full season of contributing up and down the lineup and contributing some key secondary scoring with 14 goals and 34 points in 68 games. .
Awards without voting rights
There are three Canucks team awards that are not put to a fan vote.
There’s the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy for most points, which obviously goes to JT Miller, barring a 30-point explosion in the next five games from Elias Pettersson.
There is also the Three Star Award, which is given to the player with the most three-star selections over the course of the season. Goalies usually have the upper hand in this award, but my hunch is that Miller has more three-star nods in all of his multi-point games.
Finally, there is the most recent award, the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Award for community leadership. This award is voted on by a panel from Canucks Sports & Entertainment. It’s hard to say who might get the nod for this award, particularly with many of the community’s in-person appearances curtailed by COVID-19 restrictions.
I lean towards Elias Pettersson, who made a $50,000 donation to the Canucks for Kids Fund in November — the largest single cash donation by any Canucks player in franchise history.
“When I signed my new contract, I knew I wanted to put some of that money towards charity and give back to the community,” Pettersson said at the time. “I’m glad I can do it in the city.” I have come to know and love them, and the recipients who mean so much to our team.”
Pettersson also has a ticket program called EP40 Crew where he hosts families of Canucks for Kids Fund recipients at home games, giving kids and their families the opportunity to attend a Canucks game when they might not otherwise be able to go.
Other contenders for this award could be Bo Horvat, who hosts children and families at Ronald McDonald House with his Horvat’s Heroes program, or Brock Boeser, who hosts BC Children’s Hospital kids at play with his Boeser’s Beauties program and donates $1,000 to Parkinson’s Parkinson’s BC and Minnesota for every goal he scores.
Reference-www.vancouverisawesome.com