NHL awards: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews wins Hart, Lindsay

By FRED GOODALL, The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews collected the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player and the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHLPA’s Most Outstanding Player at the NHL Awards on Tuesday night.

Matthews, 24, scored 60 goals, leading the NHL for the second straight season. He set a Maple Leafs franchise record and the single-season record for most goals by an American-born player. He led the NHL in even-strength goals (44), goals per game (0.82) and shots (348). He was tied for sixth in points with 106 – the highest total of his career.

Matthews became the first player to score 60 goals since Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos did it 10 years ago, helping the Maple Leafs (54-21-7, 115 points) set franchise records for wins and points. Toronto lost to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.

“I can’t lie, it feels really good. … It’s pretty special,” Matthews said, though he conceded there were some bittersweet feelings about accepting the Hart Trophy in Tampa, where the Lightning and Colorado Avalanche will meet in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday.

“There is some angst, wishing you were still playing,” said Matthews, who also posted career bests with 46 assists and 106 points.

Matthews earned 119 first-place votes for the Hart, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA). Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers was second in the voting (29) while New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin finished third (24).

“Congrats to Igor, Connor on amazing seasons,” Matthews said during his Hart acceptance speech. “Like I said before, so much respect for you guys, you guys are incredible at what you do.”

Matthews – who had 41 goals in 52 games when he finished second in Hart voting in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season – is the first Toronto player to win the NHLPA’s most outstanding player award, which is voted on by the players and was first handed out in 1971. McDavid and Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi were the runners-up for the Lindsay.

“To be honored by players you go up against every night,” he said, “it just means a lot to me.”

The closest vote of the night was for the Norris Trophy, given to the NHL’s best defenseman by the PHWA. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar won it for the first time with 1,631 points in the voting (92 first-place votes). Josi was second (1,606) with more first-place votes than Makar (98). The points allocation on the ballot, which ranks the top five choices, is 10-7-5-3-1. Makar, who was the runner-up for the award in 2021, was named on 195 ballots, while Josi was named on 194.

Makar, 22, finished the regular season with 28 goals, 58 assists, and 86 total points in 77 games, while also posting dominant possession numbers. He not only helped drive the Avalanche offense, but he is also the top defender on one of the league’s best overall teams.

One of the leading contenders for the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP), Makar is the fifth defenseman to win Norris within his first three regular seasons, joining Adam Fox, Erik Karlsson, Denis Potvin and Bobby Orr (twice)..

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was third for the Norris.

“They are such incredible players,” Maker said of the other Norris finalists. “They pushed me hard all season.”

“We’ve got some important things to do (Wednesday),” Makar added, referring to the Stanley Cup Final, which his team leads, 2-1. “But for the boys, this goes out to them.”

Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the League’s top goaltender, which is voted on by the NHL’s general managers. The other finalists were runner-up choice Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.

“It’s a great honor for me to be here,” Shesterkin said at the ceremony. “It’s good to play for the New York Rangers, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Shesterkin led the NHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and a stellar .935 save percentage in 53 games (36-13-4), leading the Rangers to 110 regular-season points, the third-highest total in franchise history. The first-time Vezina nominee, who joined Henrik Lundqvist and John Vanbiesbrouck as Rangers who won the Vezina since the current criteria was set in 1981-82, had a save percentage of at least .940 or better in half (26) of his 52 starts with six shutouts.

Some expected he could be a unanimous choice, but Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin also had first-place votes.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider won the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year, as voted on by the PHWA. The 21-year-old German played all 82 games for the Red Wings and averaged 23:02 in ice time per game, tops among rookies. He led all rookie defensemen in points (50), the third-best total for a first-year defenseman in the last 30 years. He also led all rookies in assists (43) and power-play points (21).

“It’s a really big honor, I didn’t really prepare for a speech, so I’ll just go with the flow here,” he said. “It’s a great organization with Detroit, it’s very fun to be a Red Wing.”

Seider collected 170 first-place votes. Trevor Zegras, the 21-year-old Ducks forward who created several highlight-reel goals this season, finished second with 15 first-place votes (and 100 second-place votes). Toronto rookie Michael Bunting, 26, was third in the voting (seven first-place votes).

Before the Calder Trophy announcement, host Kenan Thompson was shown in a pre-recorded sketch in which he served as an “inspiration” for the type of artistic goals Zegras scored. That video included Hall of Famer Mark Messier lamenting a lack of guidance during his day.

Julien BriseBois of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Drury of the New York Rangers and Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche are the three finalists for the 2021-22 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the NHL draft next month in Montreal.

The league previously announced several awards during the playoffs:

Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award: Anze Kopitar, Kings; Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames; Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication): Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award: Noel Acton of Baltimore, Md. Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (most gentlemanly player): Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets; King Clancy Memorial Trophy (community service): P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils.

ALL-STAR, ALL-ROOKIE TEAMS

First All-Star team: Goalie: Shesterkin, Rangers. Defensemen: Makar, Avalanche; Josi, Predators. Center: Matthews, Maple Leafs. Left wing: Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames. Right wing: Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs

Second All-Star team: Goalie: Jacob Markstrom, Flames. Defensemen: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning; Charlie McAvoy, Bruins. Center: McDavid, Oilers. Left wing: Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers. Right wing: Matthew Tkachuk, Flames.

All-Rookie team: Goalie: Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins. Defensemen: Seider, Red Wings; Alexandre Carrier, Predators. Forwards: Trevor Zegras, Ducks; Michael Bunting, Maple Leafs; Lucas Raymond, Red Wings.

News services contributed to this story.

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