B/R Experts' NHL Awards for the 2015-16 Season

It's NHL awards season again, time for the Bleacher Report panel of experts to officially hand out golden statuettes or, in some cases, a new car! No, not really, but it's the thought that counts.

The season went fast, didn't it? The NHL's 82-game regular season normally seems like three years, but for some reason, it seemed to fly by this time. Were there any wondrous statistical achievements? Well, we did get a 100-point scorer again (Patrick Kane) and a 50-goal scorer (Alex Ovechkin).

Otherwise, that was it. And we did see Braden Holtby tie a significant goaltending record with 48 wins, but let's keep in mind: Holtby was able to get wins in overtimes and shootouts, something the goalies of yesteryear, such as Bernie Parent, never could.

Anyway, there were some tough choices this year. The Norris Trophy, the Calder, the Vezina; there was some disagreement by our panel as to the players who deserved to win. In three other categories—the Hart, Selke and Jack Adams—there was unanimous agreement.

Our panel this year was composed of:

• Jonathan Willis
• Steve Macfarlane
• Allan Mitchell
• Carol Schram
• Lyle Richardson
• Adrian Dater

Do you agree with our winners? If so, tell us. Daily affirmation is good for hockey writers too. But if not, and as unlikely a scenario as that may be, tell us all about it too.

Our experts voted for B/R's award winners. Once a vote is cast for a player, it's assigned a value—five points for the top player in the rankings, four points for the second spot, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. The totals are then added up to create the results.

Vezina Trophy: Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Why he wins: This was our most contested trophy. In the end, Braden Holtby won it, and the statistical case for him deserving it is strong. On Saturday night, Holtby tied Martin Brodeur's all-time NHL record of 48 wins in a season. 

That was eight more wins than his nearest competitor, Jonathan Quick. Of course, wins alone don't best measure a goalie's value, but Holtby is strong in all the other stats categories. His save percentage after Saturday was .922 and his goals-against average was 2.20.

Ben Bishop, who finished second in the voting, had a better save percentage and GAA. But our panel felt Holtby deserved it by a nose. Holtby also faced more shots and made more saves than Bishop. 

Final voting: Braden Holtby (24), Ben Bishop (23), Corey Crawford (22), Cory Schneider (12), Jonathan Quick (4), Marc-Andre Fleury (2), Brian Elliott (2), Roberto Luongo (1).

Jack Adams Award: Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals

Sanford Myers/Getty Images

Barry Trotz (center)

Why he wins: It was unanimous: Barry Trotz is our coach of the year, and why not?

People forget the Capitals were an organization in chaos entering the 2014-15 season, a team that fired its general manager (George McPhee) and coach (Adam Oates). Enter Brian MacLellan as the GM, who made the wise choice of hiring Trotz after his 15 seasons in Nashville.

Trotz is a master of defensive systems. Essentially, he tries to cut the ice into thirds, fiercely contesting the puck each slice of the way. He gets his players to angle the puck off to the sides and the outside perimeters. It takes a lot of work, and sometimes players have to accept a lesser offensive role perhaps. But the results speak for themselves.

Trotz turned the Caps into a Presidents' Trophy team in just his second year on the job.

Final voting: Barry Trotz (30), Bruce Boudreau (15), Gerard Gallant (11), Pete DeBoer (10), Dave Hakstol (9), Lindy Ruff (7), Mike Sullivan (3), Joel Quenneville (3, Darryl Sutter (2)

Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images

Why he wins: It was a close vote, but Erik Karlsson just did beat out Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.

Karlsson finished in the top five in overall NHL scoring. As a defenseman, he became the first to do that since 1985-86, when Paul Coffey was third with 138 points. He also became the first player to lead the league in assists as a defenseman since Bobby Orr (89) in 1974-75.

Karlsson takes some grief for being just a one-way player, but that would be inaccurate. His play in the defensive end has gotten better in recent times. His Corsi-for percentage entering the final weekend was a fine 52.2. 

It was tough to relegate Doughty to the bridesmaid position after another strong season for the Kings. But Karlsson was just too dynamic a presence to overlook.

Final voting: Erik Karlsson (28), Drew Doughty (25), Brent Burns (9), John Klingberg (7), Roman Josi (7), Kris Letang (7), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (3), Victor Hedman (1)

Calder Trophy: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Codie McLachlan/Getty Images

Why he wins: Should a guy who missed nearly half the season with injuries still be eligible to win this kind of award? According to our panel, the answer was yes.

McDavid missed a large chunk of the season because of a broken collarbone. He finished way behind Artemi Panarin in total points. But Panarin apparently paid a price with our panel for being an older rookie (24 years old; McDavid is still only 19). And McDavid was the only rookie among the scoring leaders to average more than one point per game.

This figures to be a subject of further debate among our readers. 

Final voting: Connor McDavid (26), Artemi Panarin (22), Shayne Gostisbehere (21), Jack Eichel (9), Dylan Larkin (6), Colton Parayko (6)

Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Why he wins: Patrice Bergeron does it all at both ends.

He surpassed 30 goals for the second time in his career, but he didn't shirk his duties at the other end for any added offense. That's why he won in unanimous fashion with our panel. The fact that Bergeron is counted upon for his offense weighs in his favor for this award too. It's easier for some guys to just focus in on the defensive aspect of the game.

But Bergeron does both at a high level. He's arguably the smartest player in the NHL. How is that defined? He just always seems like he knows the right move, a second before he needs to act. Should he win, it would be his third Selke Trophy in a row (fourth in five seasons), and there will probably be more to come.

Final voting: Patrice Bergeron (30), Anze Kopitar (24), Jonathan Toews (8), Ryan Kesler (6), Joe Thornton (6), Sean Couturier (4), Sidney Crosby (3), Mark Stone (2), David Backes (2), Nicklas Backstrom (2), Claude Giroux (2), Pavel Datsyuk (1)

Hart Trophy: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Why he wins: It was unanimous. By any objective measure, Patrick Kane was the most valuable player in the NHL this season.

Kane won the Art Ross Trophy by a wide margin. Nine of his first 36 goals were game-winners, tied for second in the league with Sidney Crosby. He finished with 17 power-play goals.

He was a plus player with strong puck-possession metrics. Without Kane, the Blackhawks might have struggled to make the playoffs. He was that good. Always a clutch playoff performer, Kane goes into another postseason with momentum.

He has a good chance of going down as the best American-born player in league history.

Final voting: Patrick Kane (30), Sidney Crosby (20), Jamie Benn (17), Joe Thornton (11), Alex Ovechkin (5), Erik Karlsson (4), Braden Holtby (3)

News and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com, War-On-Ice.com, Hockey-Reference.com and BehindTheNet.ca.