Updated NHL Awards Predictions After the 2024-25 NHL Season

When the full schedule for the 2024-25 NHL season began on Oct. 8, the B/R NHL staff made their predictions for the major awards. That included the Stanley Cup, the Presidents' Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Maurice Richard Trophy.

As the regular season wraps up on Thursday, we are revisiting and updating those predictions. Three of those trophies have already been decided.

The Winnipeg Jets took home the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in franchise history with a league-leading 114 points.

For the second straight year and third time in his career, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is poised to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league's points leader with 121.

Meanwhile, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will win his first Maurice Richard Trophy as the goal-scoring leader with 52.

We'll be making our updated Stanley Cup predictions as the finalists are determined throughout the postseason. In the meantime, here's our updated projections for the other remaining notable individual awards.

Under the guidance of general manager Jim Nill, the Dallas Stars have been among the NHL's top teams since 2022-23. They reached the Western Conference Final in both seasons and are among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

The 67-year-old has won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in the last two seasons. His efforts in 2024-25 could see him take home this honor for an unprecedented third straight year.

Thanks to Nill's efforts, the Stars had the roster depth to adapt to the absence of core players Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen while finishing third overall in the Western Conference. Nevertheless, he also made two key moves to ensure his team remained competitive.

With Seguin and Heiskanen on long-term injury reserve, Nill used the cap savings to add a versatile forward and a veteran defenseman to his lineup. On Feb. 1, he acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft.

The Dallas GM followed up with a blockbuster deal at the March 7 trade deadline, acquiring winger Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Logan Stankoven, two conditional first-round picks and two third-rounders. He also signed the Finn to an eight-year contract extension.

Those moves took care of the Stars' short-term (Granlund and Ceci are unrestricted free agents on July 1) and the long-term (Rantanen extension) needs. They are prime examples of Nill's management savvy, ensuring his club remained among this season's best in the NHL.

The Washington Capitals were considered a team in transition entering this season. Adding younger players while moving out older ones, they barely made the playoffs in 2023-24 and were swept from the opening round by the New York Rangers.

Most of the focus was on Alex Ovechkin's quest to break the goal-scoring record. He's the only remaining core player of the Capitals' Stanley Cup-winning roster in 2017-18 and the team that won the Presidents' Trophy three times from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

However, a funny thing happened while the focus was on Ovechkin's chase for the goal record. Washington became the top team in the Eastern Conference, spending most of the season jockeying for first in the overall standings with the Winnipeg Jets.

Head coach Spencer Carbery played a significant role in that improvement. Since his hiring in 2023, he's taken a Capitals team thought to require several seasons of rebuilding back to their former heights and helped them accelerate that process.

Other factors matter, too, such as offseason additions Logan Thompson, Jakob Chychrun and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and the ongoing development of Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael.

However, it was Carbery's handling of those players that turned them into a strong cohesive team.

The Capitals have been a better team since the 43-year-old was hired. Guiding a team that was a marginal playoff club to the top of their conference in one year deserves recognition as the Coach of the Year.

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov won the Frank J. Selke Trophy last season as the league's top defensive forward. It was the second time he's received that honor since 2020-21.

Several players will be notable candidates in 2025. Cases can be made for Barkov's teammate, Sam Reinhart, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli. Others could include Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.

However, Barkov seems the most likely to win the Selke this season. Despite missing 14 games to injuries this season, the Panthers captain remained an invaluable two-way presence for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The 29-year-old sits second among the Panthers forwards in ice time (20:15), including an average of 1:31 per game on the penalty kill. He leads them in 5v5 puck possession percentage (59.1), faceoff win percentage (56.5) and shorthanded win percentage (46.2). He is also second among all his teammates with 34 takeaways.

The other forwards mentioned may have better stats in some areas than Barkov. However, he has established himself as the NHL's most recognizable defensive forward. His role as Panthers captain and years of reliability among the best two-way forwards should ensure he takes home the Selke Trophy again.

This year's race for the Calder Memorial Trophy honoring the Rookie of the Year has been closely contested among four candidates.

Montréal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov hold the top-three spots among rookie scorers. Meanwhile, Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf played a big role in keeping his club a playoff contender into the final week of the season.

Of this group, Hutson is the leading candidate for the Calder. He's the rookie leader with 59 assists, 65 points and 26 power-play points. He's also the leader in time on ice per game (22:48) among rookie skaters (with 20 or more games played), takeaways (56) and blocked shots (122).

Despite his 5'9”, 162-pound frame, the 21-year-old has already established himself as a skillful NHL defenseman in the mold of Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. He's taken on responsibilities well beyond those of a rookie blueliner, gaining confidence with each game.

Hutson has become an important part of the Canadiens' young core. It won't be long before he becomes a regular candidate for the James Norris Memorial Trophy.

The last goaltender to become a three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy was Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur. He took home the award for the third time in 2006-07 and won it again in 2007-08 for the fourth time in five years.

Connor Hellebuyck is poised to become the first goalie since Brodeur to accomplish this feat. He won it in 2019-20 and 2023-24, joining Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers as the only active two-time Vezina winners.

This season, Hellebuyck has dominated at his position. His outstanding play was a key reason why the Jets won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in franchise history.

The 31-year-old leads all goaltenders this season with 46 wins, becoming only the seventh goaltender in league history to exceed the 45-win plateau. He also leads with eight shutouts, is tied with Los Angeles' Darcy Kuemper with the best goals-against average (2.02), and he is second in save percentage (.924).

The Jets need Hellebuyck to maintain that outstanding form in the playoffs to improve their chances of becoming the first Presidents' Trophy winner since the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks to claim the Stanley Cup.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has had several notable accomplishments in his six NHL seasons. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in his rookie campaign (2019-20) and the Conn Smythe Trophy after helping his team win the Stanley Cup in 2022.

The 26-year-old won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the top defenseman in 2021-22 and was a finalist in 2020-21, 2022-03 and 2023-24. Based on his performance this season, we expect he'll take home this honor for the second time.

The leader in total points (428) among NHL defensemen since his debut, the Canadian established career highs this season with 30 goals, 62 assists and 92 points, leading all blueliners in those categories. His plus-minus (plus-28) sits 11th among defensemen.

Makar ranks third among all blueliners in time on ice per game (25:43) and second in power-play ice time (3:39). He also averages 2:08 of shorthanded ice time. He ranks third in 5v5 puck possession among defensemen with 18 or more minutes of even-strength ice time and is second in takeaways with 60.

The lynchpin of the Avalanche defense corps, Makar was again a key factor in the team finishing with over 100 points (102) for the fourth straight year. His impressive all-around skills and solid play at both ends of the rink make him the favorite for the Norris.

Only seven goaltenders in NHL history have won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player to their team, with the last being Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15.

However, we predict Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets will become the eighth netminder to achieve that honor.

Forwards Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning could also be considered serious candidates.

However, Hellebuyck's goaltending was the key reason the Jets won their first-ever Presidents' Trophy.

Hellebuyck is our choice for the Vezina Trophy this season. He leads all goaltenders with 46 wins in 62 games and eight shutouts, is tied for the league lead in goals-against average (2.02) and is second in save percentage (.924). Those stats are also single-season franchise records.

The Jets are a talented team, with proven scorers such as Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers and a solid defense led by Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk, as well as budding stars like Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg.

Nevertheless, Hellebuyck is their superstar and the best goaltender in the game today. He dominates his position in a way few other netminders have while carrying one of the heaviest workloads among his peers.

Stats and standings (as of Apr.16, 2025) via NHL.com and StatMuse.com.