Top Early Candidates for All the Major NHL Awards

The annual NHL awards show is more than eight months away, but what's the harm in taking a stab at who could bring home the league's biggest awards.

It has been an interesting start to the season. Plenty of new faces are gracing the league leader boards, and some of the game's brightest stars have looked human to start the season.

However, over the course of the season, production becomes tougher to sustain. Let's take a look at some of the early candidates for the major NHL awards.

Hart Memorial Trophy

1. Phil Kessel

2. Claude Giroux

3. Alex Ovechkin/Steven Stamkos/Evgeni Malkin

Phil Kessel has stormed off to a commanding lead in points through 13 games of the NHL season. The American-born winger finally has some talent around him, and if the Leafs keep things going, Kessel is a serious candidate for the Hart Trophy as the MVP.

Meanwhile, Claude Giroux is making the Broad Street faithful forget about Jeff Carter and Mike Richards by piling up points in bunches.

While those two are the clear-cut front-runners at this point, Ovechkin, Stamkos and Malkin are all lurking in the wings and have the ability to string together production with the best of them. They are always in contention for this award.

Art Ross Award

1. Phil Kessel

2. The Sedins

3. Alex Ovechkin/Steven Stamkos/Evgeni Malkin

While Phil Kessel is off to a torrid pace, the Sedin twins are putting together another productive campaign. Ovechkin, Stammer and Geno are all sitting at 10 points right now as well. That is far from the league lead but certainly within striking distance of Kessel and Giroux.

Vezina Trophy

1. Jon Quick

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Marc-Andre Fleury

During the preseason, I predicted Jonathan Quick as a dark horse Vezina candidate. So far, he has not disappointed, posting a 1.66 GAA and a .941 save percentage with three shutouts. Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury have also been stellar this season.

Also, it is way too early to count out Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller from this award. Those two have better teams than we are used to seeing in front of them and are both of to solid starts to the season.

Calder Memorial Trophy

1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

2. Jacob Markstrom

3. Sean Couturier

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was expected to have to play another season at the junior level. Instead, the first overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft has burst onto the scene with 11 points in the first month of the season. 

Jacob Markstrom, meanwhile, has blossomed after a Scott Clemmensen injury opened the door to more playing time for the Swedish goaltender.

Sean Couturier is also displaying an outstanding two-way game early in his NHL career.

Jack Adams Award

1. Ron Wilson

2. Tom Renney

3. Dan Bylsma 

If the Toronto Maple Leafs manage to win the Northeast Division, Ron Wilson could be in line for the Adams Award. However, Tom Renney has also done an outstanding job in his second season in Edmonton. Dan Bylsma, meanwhile, just continues to go about his business in Pittsburgh.

Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award

1. Jonathan Toews

2. Nicklas Lidstrom

3. Chris Pronger

The Chicago Blackhawks are on fire to start the season, so Jonathan Toews will get a lot of credit for his leadership abilities. He has developed into an elite captain in the NHL.

Chris Pronger is in his first season as the Flyers captain and, depending on how he bounces back from his injury, could definitely be in line for the leadership award.

Lidstrom is always worthy of mention for any award having to do with leadership.

Norris Trophy

1. Nicklas Lidstrom

2. Shea Weber

3. Dion Phaneuf

Nicklas Lidstrom will be a finalist for the Norris Trophy until the day he retires. However, this season there could be some stiff competition. Shea Weber is firmly in the discussion as the league's best blue-liner.

The biggest competitor for the award, though, could be Dion Phaneuf, who is playing the best hockey of his career in Toronto right now.

Selke Trophy

1. Pavel Datsyuk

2. Loui Eriksson

3. Dave Bolland

We all know that Pavel Datsyuk is the odds-on favorite for the Selke Trophy each and every season. But this year, two newcomers could win over the voters.

Loui Eriksson and Dave Bolland are two of the brighter, young defensive forwards in the NHL, and both are off to terrific starts to the season. Datsyuk could be dethroned for the second straight season.

Rocket Richard Award

1. Phil Kessel

2. Steven Stamkos

3. Thomas Vanek

4. John Tavares

5. Ovechkin/Malkin

Phil Kessel tops the list as the top goal-scorer, and after the start he has had, why not? His talent is undeniable, and the team around him gets better every day. This could be a monster season for Kessel and the Leafs.

Meanwhile, the big three names all once again deserve to be mentioned here, but Thomas Vanek and John Tavares are two sneaky candidates who have emerged early in the season. Vanek is lighting the lamp with regularity on a pretty successful Sabres team. 

As for Tavares, he unfortunately finds himself in a situation where he will have to carry the offensive load for his team.