NHL Awards 2012: Predicting the Winners of Each Postseason Award

The 2012 NHL Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday in Las Vegas, where the league will recognize the best players from the 2011-12 season.

The Hart Trophy might be the only award that has a clear-cut winner, so the excitement and uncertainty of who will win the other awards going into Wednesday will make for an awesome event.

Let's predict who will win each NHL award to be handed out in Las Vegas.

Hart Trophy: Evgeni Malkin

Finalists

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

The Hart Trophy will almost certainly be awarded to Evgeni Malkin because he kept the Penguins offense in high gear when superstar teammate Sidney Crosby was out for most of the season. He scored 50 goals and led the league in points with 109, which are two stats that are tough to ignore. It would be a shock to many if Malkin didn't win the Hart.

Stamkos had an amazing season, and while making the playoffs should never be a requirement to win this award, he just doesn't have a stronger case for the Hart than Malkin. In fact, Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux was far more deserving of a nomination for the Hart than Stamkos. The Lightning forward did lead the league with 60 goals this season, which was pretty impressive.

Lundqvist was phenomenal this season, but Jonathan Quick was the MVP goalie of the season. If not for Quick's amazing play, the Kings wouldn't have come close to a playoff berth. Without Lundqvist, the Rangers still make the playoffs.

Vezina Trophy: Jonathan Quick

Finalists

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Quick finished second in GAA and led the league with 10 shutouts. He was the most outstanding goalie on a team that needed him to be perfect almost every night to make the playoffs. His playoff performance, although it won't help him among the voters, further proved why he was the most outstanding goalie this year.

Lundqvist was absolutely fantastic throughout the year, but had an amazing defense that blocked a lot of shots in front of him. That shouldn't take away from his accomplishments, but it's worth mentioning. He had the fourth-best GAA, the third-best save percentage and had 10 shutouts. It certainly wouldn't surprise anyone if he won the award, however.

Rinne had a 2.39 GAA and a .923 save percentage in another great season for the Predators to prove that last season's Vezina Trophy nomination wasn't a fluke. Rinne likely won't win the award, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he's an elite goaltender. His ability to put up great stats despite playing a league-high 73 games is quite impressive.

Norris Trophy: Zdeno Chara

Finalists

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Zdeno Chara is the most difficult man to play against in the NHL. His size, physical strength and defensive skills are astonishing, and they are the reason why he's the best all-around defenseman. His ability to shut down and completely take out the opposing team's best forwards is evident every night, and his record-breaking slapshot is a big weapon on the Bruins power play. Chara even improved his offensive production from last year while still maintaining his high level of play on defense.

Weber had a great season and was an intimidating force for the Predators. His physical strength makes him a nightmare to play in the offensive zone, and his hard shot is one of the most difficult to stop for goaltenders. Weber was the most valuable skater on his team and led the Predators in ice time. He also scored 19 goals, which is impressive for a defenseman. It wouldn't be surprising if Weber won this award.

Karlsson had an amazing season offensively, but he should not even have been one of the finalists. His defensive abilities are subpar for someone on the Norris Trophy finalists list, and his lack of ice time on the penalty kill is a serious issue. There's no question that the Senators star was the best offensive defenseman this year, but to win this award you have to star defensively.

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron

Finalists

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

David Backes, St. Louis Blues

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

It's time that Patrice Bergeron gets the recognition he deserves after being one of the most underrated NHL players for the last few years. The Bruins center had the best plus/minus rating in hockey and was second in the league in faceoff percentage. Bergeron is a major part of why the Bruins play great defense nearly every night, and because the team has Chara and strong goaltending, we tend to forget how much of an impact Bergeron has on the ice. His ability to win important faceoffs and defend the entire ice is remarkable.

I normally don't like give players awards because "it's their turn," or something like that, but it's time for Bergeron to win the Selke Trophy.

The Blues were the best defensive team in the NHL this season, and while their strong goaltending deserves credit for that, the play of David Backes was a major reason for their defensive success. Backes is also a very underrated player and was great in the faceoff circle. He had a great season, but his resume isn't good enough to compete with Bergeron this year.

Datsyuk is a three-time winner of this award, and even though he didn't dominate defensively like he has in the past, he is still deserving of a nomination for the award. He led the Red Wings in takeaways and was a beast in the faceoff circle. Datsyuk remains one of the elite two-way players in hockey, but he won't win the Selke this season.

Calder Trophy: Gabriel Landeskog

Finalists

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche

Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

Landeskog led all rookie forwards with a plus-20 rating and tied with Nugent-Hopkins for the lead in points among rookies with 52. He didn't play with the same quality teammates that Henrique did on the Devils and was able to step right into the NHL and play consistently well. He also played in all 82 games. He should be the rookie of the year for 2012.

Nugent-Hopkins was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL draft, and as I mentioned above, tied for the league lead in points among rookies with 52. The Oilers forward was on track for an All-Star selection until an injury forced him to play only 62 games. Nugent-Hopkins has a bright future ahead of him, but he shouldn't beat Landeskog this season.

Henrique's performance in the playoffs for the Devils was outstanding, and his ability to score clutch goals will help him become a star for a long time. The New Jersey rookie finished third in rookie scoring and led all rookies with 35 assists. He should finish second behind Landeskog in the Calder Trophy voting.

Lady Byng: Matt Moulson

Finalists

Matt Moulson, New York Islanders

Brian Campbell, Florida Panthers

Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers

The Lady Byng award is pretty much a sportsmanship award. Matt Moulson is known for being a very professional player on the ice and is a great teammate. He only spent six minutes in the penalty box this season while scoring 36 goals, which is pretty impressive. He should win the award.

Bill Masterton Trophy: Daniel Alfredsson

Finalists

Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators

Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs

Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens

This is one of those cases where I will give a lifetime achievement award to a player. Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is one of the most respected players in the game, and that was evident during the All-Star Game festivities in Ottawa. He exhibited the sportsmanship and offensive production that you expect from a team captain.

Jack Adams Award: Ken Hitchcock

Finalists

Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis Blues

Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators

John Tortorella, New York Rangers

Ken Hitchcock took over a Blues team in November that no one thought would be a serious contender in the Western Conference and led them to the second-best record (tied with NYR) in the league. The team was fully committed to his coaching philosophy, and it showed on the ice. The Blues were one of the toughest teams to play against this year, and Hitchcock's defense-first style was the primary reason for that. He should win the award.

Paul MacLean helped lead the Ottawa Senators to the playoffs after many people, myself included, picked them to finish last in Northeast Division. He's one of the reasons why the Senators have a bright future ahead of them.

John Tortorella was a big reason why the Rangers finished tied for the second-best record in hockey and finished first in the Eastern Conference. He was able to get all the Rangers to mesh well and play a heavy, physical style of hockey. Tortorella's ability to motivate his players is the best in the NHL.