Race for the Calder

[Dr Jan Itor]

Am I bothered or is it the people who constantly get mad that someone else doesn’t buy into the faulty and contrived narratives about their team’s player that is always very conveniently timed? There should be no reason that like 4-5 different fans of the same team have to attack me for posting my opinion here. Whose the bothered one(s) again?

I think everyone should be educated about where this award stands. I’m trying to give my opinion, and I hope it helps inform the forum to push back on the narrative that one fan base is crafting. If we could all be transparent about the award race and the contenders that’d make everything easier. Unfortunately, this thread is only bumped to talk about one player, occasionally two, both playing for the same team.

Are you not the guy who was posting the stats leaders for all rookies every day or two until the Wild rookies started to go into slumps or is that someone else?

I was definitely not that guy.

It is unfortunate that the thread is only bumped for our guys. I wish other fans would bump it to update everybody on their guys. But they don't, and I can't control that.

By the way, this thread wasn't bumped tonight by a Minnesota fan, FYI.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It's the f***ing Calder. Are you confused? Are you lost? This isn't the thread for the Hart and the Art Ross.

You keep posting stats league wide among all players as they matter in this thread. He's 38th in PPG, great. Robertson is 77th. Stutzle is 177th. Lafreniere is 360th.

Come back when another rookie actually has a valid claim to the award in the future. As of now, he leads all relevant rookies in goals, assists, points, +/-, scoring per game, scoring per 60, even strength scoring. He leads in enough categories to be the clear front runner.

You have an issue with people saying the race is over and it's his to lose, I get it, but if that's the case, maybe you should work harder to show why anyone else deserves it more than Kaprizov at this point.

You partially made it for me. Robertson isn’t far off offensively. There are 2-3 goalies who are top 10 league wide statistically in most/all categories. There are some obvious contenders. There’s no reason to crown anyone. No one is dominating to an extent that it’d be over with 20 games to go, yet we hear this every time Kaprizov has one of his better games.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Please explain how it's Wild fans fault other fans of teams with rookies "somewhat" in contention for the race don't post in the calder thread because their rookies aren't in any real contention. This is HFBoards, if they thought they were in actual contention they'd say so.

Robertson has been coming on and his fans have been posting every good game he has.

It’s not a question of fault, but let’s be transparent about the award race and not claim it’s over when obviously it’s not.

 

[ItWasJustified]

Kaprizov deserves both the Calder and the Hart. He's basically turned the Wild around by himself.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

It’s not a question of fault, but let’s be transparent about the award race and not claim it’s over when obviously it’s not.

I think you’re taking those kinds of posts a little too seriously/literally.

 

[ThatGuy22]

It’s not a question of fault, but let’s be transparent about the award race and not claim it’s over when obviously it’s not.

What's not transparent? Is Kaprizov winning all relevant marks for Rookies or not?

You act like Kaprizov had a huge low point he disappeared. Hes had two three game stretches without a point and two 2 game stretches without a point. He's been a factor night in and night out. Heck I'd venture most of his 1 point games or games with only assists don't get mentioned here.

 

[AKL]

You partially made it for me. Robertson isn’t far off offensively. There are 2-3 goalies who are top 10 league wide statistically in most/all categories. There are some obvious contenders. There’s no reason to crown anyone. No one is dominating to an extent that it’d be over with 20 games to go, yet we hear this every time Kaprizov has one of his better games.

I would not make any argument for Robertson right now. If you want to try, go ahead. He's certainly made it more of a race than Stutzle has 30+ games in, but if they continue these rates, Kaprizov finishes ahead of Robertson handily. So your argument would be based on the possibility that Robertson gets even hotter, and Kaprizov goes ice cold. Like I said, if that's the argument you want to try to make, go ahead, but I think you're going to find that even Stars fans aren't holding their breath.

I'd love for you to actually watch him play for at least a few games. Most of anyone else that has, regardless of the team they otherwise cheer for, would probably tell you he's the best rookie.

You on the other hand seem to want to take the approach where you just look up the stats and say, well Robertson is "close" and there are still 20 games left so anything could happen. You're not technically wrong, but you've also contributed nothing of value to the thread either.

 

[AKL]

I guess in the name of hearing more about other teams rookies:

Tim Stutzle has 1 assist, is -6 in his last 5 games
Jason Robertson has 2 goals, 1 assist, is +3 in his last 5 games
Josh Norris has 2 goals, 1 assist, is -4 in his last 5 games
Eeli Tolvanen has 2 goals, 2 assists, is -4 in his last 5 games
Ty Smith has 1 assist, is -3 in his last 5 games

Does anyone want to talk about these players with me? Does anyone watch more of these players than I do that can tell me about the impact they have on the game every night outside of the score sheet?

 

[Nsjohnson]

Kapper will end up with it, barring injury. PP is heating up, he's getting more time with Fiala it seems too. And the Wild aren't even fully healthy.

He could go above PPG from tonight going forward tbh. Imagine him playing with a guy like Barkov or even an older but good center like Kopitar.

 

[ThatGuy22]

I was definitely not that guy.

It is unfortunate that the thread is only bumped for our guys. I wish other fans would bump it to update everybody on their guys. But they don't, and I can't control that.

By the way, this thread wasn't bumped tonight by a Minnesota fan, FYI.

I'm always thatguy(22)

 

[Bruce Granville]

I guess in the name of hearing more about other teams rookies:

Tim Stutzle has 1 assist, is -6 in his last 5 games
Jason Robertson has 2 goals, 1 assist, is +3 in his last 5 games
Josh Norris has 2 goals, 1 assist, is -4 in his last 5 games
Eeli Tolvanen has 2 goals, 2 assists, is -4 in his last 5 games
Ty Smith has 1 assist, is -3 in his last 5 games

Does anyone want to talk about these players with me? Does anyone watch more of these players than I do that can tell me about the impact they have on the game every night outside of the score sheet?

Tolvanen is one of the main reasons the Preds are in the playoff race at all after their horrible start (besides Saros).
He is a PP monster with a shot like Fiala tonight.
It won‘t be enough for the Calder but he is pulling the Preds out of their slump atm like Kaprizov did the whole season. #hottake

 

[AKL]

Tolvanen is one of the main reasons the Preds are in the playoff race at all after their horrible start (besides Saros).
He is a PP monster with a shot like Fiala tonight.
It won‘t be enough for the Calder but he is pulling the Preds out of their slump atm like Kaprizov did the whole season. #hottake

Yeah it looks like since February 23rd he has 18 points in 23 games. 11 of his 19 points have come on the PP so he's certainly taking advantage of that opportunity. Also good to see him finally break out in the NHL.

 

[ThatGuy22]

You partially made it for me. Robertson isn’t far off offensively. There are 2-3 goalies who are top 10 league wide statistically in most/all categories. There are some obvious contenders. There’s no reason to crown anyone. No one is dominating to an extent that it’d be over with 20 games to go, yet we hear this every time Kaprizov has one of his better games.

Robertson is 10 points back with 15 remaining. Their being 3or4 goalies with good stats hurts all of them (in my opinion) as they don't stand out among Rookies.

At the end of the day, you can review the thread. Ty smith got talked about early and lately, because he was hot at both times. Robertson got talked about lately, because he was hot. Kapponen got talked about when he won 9 in a row, shockingky because he was hot. Stutzle is all over this thread in late Feb, early March because he was streaking.

Players get talked about when they are hot. Kaprizov happens to have been hot all but one week of the season.

 

[AKL]

Players get talked about when they are hot. Kaprizov happens to have been hot all but one week of the season.

Yeah that's exactly what it comes down to. Kaprizov has been the front runner since game one, while Stutzle, Norris, Smith, Robertson and others haven't been as consistent throughout the entire season, and have had their names rotated in and out of the top 3. That's why he leads all relevant rookies in most relevant statistical metrics, and it's why he's the favorite for the trophy.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I love watching Kaprizov play, his skating is fantastic, just amazing edges and so smart. His vision is outstanding and he has that ability to find people that are open without forcing passes.

Nah, he's overrated and not a gamebreaker, and he's too old as well... according to Colorado fans.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I’m merely pushing back on the faulty narratives. Kaprizov has done nothing to have locked this race up, yet the thread is quiet when he doesn’t score and then when he does apparently he’s won the award. The updates we were getting from a Wild fan for the statistical leaders have stopped, and this thread is bumped almost every time when Kaprizov or Kahkonen plays well. Others aren’t bumping it for their team’s players.

Kaprizov is 38th in PPG, T28 in total points. Second on his team in PPG. It’s a good season, but award locked up? You’d think he’s one of the top scorers in the league the way some discuss his position compared to everyone else. There’s still a long way to go. Many players who can win it. No reason for this faulty narrative to be spread. While some try to push it, we should at least be transparent about what’s going on.

he doesn't have it "locked" ... guaranteed, but it's being willfully ignorant to ignore the fact that it would be a long shot for anyone to come back to beat him out. he's dominated and is clearly the front runner by a wide margin.

other ppl aren't bumping it for other players because it's insignificant.

 

[MuckOG]

I’m merely pushing back on the faulty narratives. Kaprizov has done nothing to have locked this race up, yet the thread is quiet when he doesn’t score and then when he does apparently he’s won the award. The updates we were getting from a Wild fan for the statistical leaders have stopped, and this thread is bumped almost every time when Kaprizov or Kahkonen plays well. Others aren’t bumping it for their team’s players.

Kaprizov is 38th in PPG, T28 in total points. Second on his team in PPG. It’s a good season, but award locked up? You’d think he’s one of the top scorers in the league the way some discuss his position compared to everyone else. There’s still a long way to go. Many players who can win it. No reason for this faulty narrative to be spread. While some try to push it, we should at least be transparent about what’s going on.

Maybe you're referring to me?

I just returned from a much-needed beach holiday, so I haven't been posting much lately....but since you missed me:

Skaters
1. Kaprizov, 38 GP, 34 points
2. Robertson 32 GP, 24 points
3. Norris, 40 GP, 21 points
4. Stutzle, 37 GP, 20 points
5. Tolvanen, 31 GP, 19 points

I'm giving up on trying to rank goalies. Take your pick of Shesterkin, Lankinen, Oettinger, Vanecek or Kahkonen. They're all in the same group..... and I don't think any of them have done enough to separate themselves from each other to warrant serious Calder consideration.

 

[thethinglonger]

They should.

I don't think any reasonable person thinks that the race was over after 10, 15 or 20 games. A lot of it has hyperbole to it.

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm having a bit more difficult of a time following teams outside of our division this season, so I appreciate these updates.

As for the Devils, Ty Smith is doing everything we could have hoped for and more. The points may come and go, but he's setting himself up as an invaluable piece on the blueline for the foreseeable future.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Faulty and contrived narratives, huh?

Greg Wyshynski - ESPN 4/7/21

“Kaprizov has this (Calder) pretty much locked up at this point.”

Vegas Insider - Calder odds - today

Kaprizov 1/3
Robertson 13/2
Stutzle, Smith, Norris, Suter 8/1
Everyone else quite a bit lower

The Hockey Writers - 3/19

Regarding Kaprizov, “Given how dominant his play has been, he is hands down the favorite for the Calder.”

If I actually cared too, I could keep going for quite a while. Maybe some people just aren’t willing to hear the narrative in front of them?

 

[Dickie Dunn]

And I whole heartedly encourage fans of the other potential finalists to keep posting updates as it is tough to see the other rookies play this year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

What's not transparent?

The status of the race. Kaprizov might win. He also might not win. This is not the Hart where McDavid is so far ahead of everyone else, and no one disagrees who has been the best. Some people will prefer others players due to how they assess the importance of different factors that go into winning the award, as has been shown reading the last 5-10 pages. Not everyone believes Kaprizov has had the best season. And then there are also players who are in the same range as him that you cannot say he's going to end the season better when the season's only about 2/3 over. Calling it over is simply not true.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

he doesn't have it "locked" ... guaranteed, but it's being willfully ignorant to ignore the fact that it would be a long shot for anyone to come back to beat him out. he's dominated and is clearly the front runner by a wide margin.

other ppl aren't bumping it for other players because it's insignificant.

It's willfully ignorant to believe that everyone thinks Kaprizov is in first place. Read the last 5-10 pages. There are plenty of people who've voiced other opinions, and then this isn't a season where a lot of fan-bases are pumping up their players that have arguments for the award. One has, which I think is confusing a lot who haven't looked close into the contenders.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Players get talked about when they are hot. Kaprizov happens to have been hot all but one week of the season.

You know thats not true.

How much has Tolvanen been talked about? 15 points in 19 games since the start of March, and he had 14 points in 16 games in March

How much has Nedeljkovic been talked about? He played 9 games in March. He had a .935 SV%, and took 17 points out of 18 during the month.

How much has Robertson been talked about? He had 16 points in 17 games in March. He has 18 points in 21 games since the start of March.

How much has Shestyorkin been talked about? He's 5th in SV% and 5th in GSAA/60 among goalies who've played 1000 minutes (36 goalies).

As I said, let's just be transparent. One group reports heavily on how their team's player is playing, usually only mentioning the positive. The others don't report very much on how their team's players are performing. That shouldn't confuse anyone about the status of the race. There are other players who could win the award. Others, depending on how one views what's important in deciding the award, might have a better case for it than Kaprizov. It's simply not being voiced in this thread, so some are of the belief that there aren't other rookies having good seasons.

The only times players were being talked about was Stuetzle because he was a very high pick. Smith was being talked about because he's a first round pick. Some were excited about Lafreniere's chances before the season because he was the first overall pick. You simply haven't gotten much reporting on some of the other contenders that weren't high picks or weren't even drafted. The only exception has been Kaprizov because of how excited Wild fans were that he joined their team this season.

 

[TaLoN]

It's willfully ignorant to believe that everyone thinks Kaprizov is in first place. Read the last 5-10 pages. There are plenty of people who've voiced other opinions, and then this isn't a season where a lot of fan-bases are pumping up their players that have arguments for the award. One has, which I think is confusing a lot who haven't looked close into the contenders.

Trophy Tracker: Calder

Kaprizov is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, according to a panel of 17 NHL.com writers, receiving 16 first-place votes and 84 points in the poll. He was third with 51 points (five first-place votes) in NHL.com's preseason poll in January.

Looks like it's not just the fanbase.

Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle is second in the poll with 37 points, followed by Chicago Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen with 32 points (one first-place vote), Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen with 32 points and Washington Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek with 16 points.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Maybe you're referring to me?

I just returned from a much-needed beach holiday, so I haven't been posting much lately....

Convenient.

I'm giving up on trying to rank goalies. Take your pick of Shesterkin, Lankinen, Oettinger, Vanecek or Kahkonen. They're all in the same group..... and I don't think any of them have done enough to separate themselves from each other to warrant serious Calder consideration.

Also very convenient. It was important while Kahkonen was having his best stretch, but only four games in the last month, a stretch where he has a .909 SV%, and now its not important to include them because Kahkonen is no longer as relevant, and thus not worth adding goalies into the competitors for Kaprizov.