The Florida Panthers' stars received recognition during the 2023 NHL Awards, with Aleksander Barkov finishing eighth in Selke Trophy voting and seventh in Lady Byng Trophy voting, Brandon Montour placing 12th for the Norris Trophy, and Matthew Tkachuk finishing third in Hart Trophy voting. Despite not winning any awards, the Panthers' players showcased their skills and contributions throughout the season.
Connor McDavid received the Hart Trophy for league MVP at the NHL Awards, but one voter, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, controversially gave him a fifth-place vote. McDavid had a sensational season, scoring a career-high 153 points and leading the league with 64 goals. Rorabaugh instead gave his first-place vote to David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. This is not the first time Rorabaugh has made unconventional voting choices. Despite the controversy, McDavid also won the Ted Lindsay Award, the Art Ross Trophy, and the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Connor McDavid wins the Hart Trophy for the third time at the NHL Awards, while Jim Montgomery delivers a heartfelt acceptance speech after winning the Jack Adams Award. The Chicago Blackhawks make a trade for Taylor Hall and the rights to Nick Foligno, signaling a potential shift in their approach to using cap space. The team still needs to spend around $6 million to reach the salary cap floor. NBC Sports Chicago announces extensive coverage plans for the NHL draft, and the Boston Bruins are expected to make more moves to clear cap space. In NHL.com's final mock draft, Connor Bedard is projected to go first overall, but there is uncertainty about the Blackhawks' pick at No. 19. There are also rumors of Derrick Rose potentially returning to the Chicago Bulls.
The 2023 NHL Awards show was held in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, honoring the best players of the regular season. Connor McDavid won the Ted Lindsay Award and the Hart Memorial Trophy, while Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy. Other winners included Anze Kopitar, Steven Stamkos, Matty Beniers, Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang, Linus Ullmark, Mikael Backlund, and Connor Bedard. The event was hosted by Dierks Bentley and featured musical performances by Brett Kissel, MacKenzie Porter, and Alana Springsteen.
The Boston Bruins are facing a salary crunch and will likely have to make changes to their roster this offseason. Goalie Linus Ullmark, a favorite for the Vezina Trophy, could be one of the players moved. The team has just under $5 million in cap space with only seven forwards and one goalie signed. Coach Jim Montgomery admitted it would be "devastating" to lose Ullmark, but the team will have to win with less next season. Despite the disappointment of their early playoff exit, the Bruins are proud of their historic regular season and are motivated to improve.
Connor McDavid, captain of the Edmonton Oilers, is expected to win the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award at the 2023 NHL Awards, but he says individual achievements are not what motivates him. Despite his continued success, the Oilers were eliminated in the postseason for the second consecutive year. McDavid had 20 points in the 12 playoff games, but it still wasn't enough. He says he is starting to understand the process of losing that usually comes before a team breaks through and wins.
TheScore has announced its annual superlative honors for the 2022-23 NHL season, including awards for the best fit with a new team, worst fit with a new team, best leap year, non-McDavid MVP, player most likely to regress, most drawn-out trade saga, and sneakiest superstar. Matthew Tkachuk won the award for best fit with a new team, while Ben Chiarot won the award for worst fit. Jack Hughes won the award for best leap year, and Tkachuk won again for non-McDavid MVP. Josh Morrissey won the award for player most likely to regress, Jakob Chychrun won for most drawn-out trade saga, and Clayton Keller won for sneakiest superstar.
The Professional Hockey Writers' Association has announced the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. A player from each team is nominated by the local chapter, and the winner will be named at the NHL Awards on June 26.
