The puck drops tonight. The 2026-27 NHL season opens with Carolina raising a banner, Florida unveiling the Tkachuk brothers, and 32 teams convinced this is their year. Before a single shift is played, here's who we think is walking away with the hardware in June.
HART TROPHY (Most Valuable Player)
Our Pick: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
This is the year the torch gets passed. Connor McDavid has owned this conversation for a decade, and he'll finish top three again because he's still the best player on the planet. But the Hart isn't for the best player. It's for the most valuable.
Celebrini put up 115 points last season at age 19 and dragged a rebuilding Sharks roster into the playoff conversation. He signed an $18.8 million AAV extension this summer, the richest in NHL history, and San Jose built an entire offseason around him: Mason Marchment, Jacob Trouba, and second-overall pick Ivar Stenberg all arrived to give him real support for the first time.
If the Sharks make the playoffs, Celebrini wins the Hart. It's that simple. No player under 21 has won the award since Sidney Crosby in 2007. Celebrini is the next one.
The case against: San Jose is still San Jose. If they miss the playoffs, the award goes to McDavid (projected 127 points) or Nathan MacKinnon, who has a legitimate case every single season with Colorado's loaded roster.
Odds: McDavid +260 / MacKinnon +375 / Celebrini +450
VEZINA TROPHY (Best Goaltender)
Our Pick: Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
This is going to be a chaotic Vezina race. Connor Hellebuyck is the betting favorite at +400, but he's in a contract holdout with Winnipeg and has publicly expressed a desire to leave. That's not exactly a recipe for a Vezina season.
Thompson landed in Washington after the Capitals' summer renovation, joining a roster that added Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner. He was outstanding in Vegas and now plays behind a dramatically improved defensive structure. The Capitals went from missing the playoffs to a legitimate Cup contender, and Thompson is the backbone.
The Metropolitan Division is loaded with Vezina candidates: Ilya Sorokin on the Islanders, Igor Shesterkin in New York. But Thompson on a team that overperforms expectations is the classic Vezina narrative.
Sleeper: Jesper Wallstedt in Minnesota. He's 23, has 40 NHL games under his belt, and the Wild are built to suppress shots. If Filip Gustavsson's early-season injury gives Wallstedt a long runway, watch out.
Odds: Hellebuyck +400 / Sorokin +750 / Thompson +750 / Vasilevskiy +750
NORRIS TROPHY (Best Defenseman)
Our Pick: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Makar just signed the biggest contract in defenseman history ($163.2 million over eight years) and is coming off a Presidents' Trophy season where Colorado posted the best record in hockey. He won the Norris in 2022 and 2025. He's 27, in his absolute prime, and plays on the most offensively dangerous team in the league. Projected for 84 points this season.
Quinn Hughes is the only real threat. He moved to Minnesota in December and now pairs with Brock Faber to form the best defensive duo in the NHL. If the Wild take a leap, Hughes will get votes. Lane Hutson in Montreal is the dark horse at 22, projected for 77 points and already a Calder winner in 2025.
But Makar on a team that could win 55 games is almost impossible to vote against. When the best defenseman plays on the best team, the Norris usually follows.
The wildcard: Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo. Three of five Swedish NHL writers picked him to win it, and the Sabres are a trendy playoff pick. At +700, he's the best value on the board.
Odds: Makar +300 / Hughes +400 / Werenski +550 / Dahlin +700
CALDER TROPHY (Rookie of the Year)
Our Pick: Porter Martone, Philadelphia Flyers
This is the deepest rookie class in years, and there are three legitimate favorites. But Martone has something the other two don't: NHL experience.
The 19-year-old put up 10 points in nine regular-season games for Philadelphia last spring after jumping from Michigan State, then added five more in 10 playoff games. He scored game-winners in regulation and overtime. He's already proven he can play in the NHL. The Flyers are giving him a top-six role and top power-play unit minutes from opening night.
Gavin McKenna went first overall to Toronto and has generational hype. He'll play alongside John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line. The talent is undeniable. But Toronto is the hardest market in hockey for an 18-year-old, and he took time to adjust at Penn State. The NHL is a bigger jump.
Ivar Stenberg, the second-overall pick in San Jose, had a hat trick in the preseason and could play alongside Celebrini. If that happens, his numbers will be absurd. At +575, he's the best value bet in the race.
The sleeper: Anton Frondell in Chicago at +950. With Connor Bedard injured to start the season, Frondell gets an early runway of elevated minutes alongside Patrick Kane. If he produces, the price tightens fast.
Odds: Martone +270 / McKenna +300 / Stenberg +575 / Hutson +800 / Frondell +900
ART ROSS TROPHY (Top Scorer)
Our Pick: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Don't overthink this one. McDavid has won the Art Ross five times. He's projected for 127 points, nearly 20 more than anyone else in the league. The expanded 84-game schedule gives him two extra games to pile up points, and Edmonton's retooled roster under Mike Babcock will be built around maximizing McDavid's production with two years left on his deal.
MacKinnon (projected 108 points) and Kucherov (projected 100) are the only realistic challengers, and even they need McDavid to miss significant time to catch him.
If McDavid wins his sixth Art Ross, he'll tie Gordie Howe and trail only Wayne Gretzky (10) and Mario Lemieux (6). If he wins his seventh, he stands alone in second place.
ROCKET RICHARD TROPHY (Most Goals)
Our Pick: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl won the Richard in 2024 and has been one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league for five straight seasons. With Edmonton's new system likely to create more 5-on-5 opportunities and Draisaitl's shot being arguably the best in hockey, he's the pick to lead the league in goals again.
Auston Matthews is the perennial threat, but Toronto's roster upheaval could take time to gel. Nathan MacKinnon won it last season and could repeat, but Colorado's depth means the goals get spread around. Celebrini is the long-term future of this award, but not quite yet.
SELKE TROPHY (Best Defensive Forward)
Our Pick: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Barkov is back healthy after missing most of last season with a knee injury, and he's the most decorated defensive forward of his generation. He's won the Selke three times and was a finalist in nearly every healthy season of his career.
On a Panthers roster that now includes both Tkachuks, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett, Barkov doesn't need to carry the offensive load. He can focus on what he does best: shutting down the other team's best players while still producing at a point-per-game pace.
Half of the Daily Faceoff panel picked him to win a fourth Selke, which would tie him with Patrice Bergeron and Bob Gainey for the all-time record. Nick Suzuki in Montreal is the rising threat, but Barkov healthy is still the standard.
JACK ADAMS AWARD (Best Coach)
Our Pick: Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens
The Jack Adams almost always goes to a coach who exceeds expectations, and St. Louis has been doing exactly that in Montreal. The Canadiens made the Eastern Conference Final last spring with a roster everyone said was two years away. Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, and Nick Suzuki are all under 26. Jakub Dobes emerged as a legitimate starter. The system works.
If Montreal takes the next step and wins the Atlantic, St. Louis wins the Jack Adams. Four of five Swedish NHL writers picked him, and the consensus across the hockey media is that he's building something special.
Other names to watch: Andre Tourigny in Utah if the Mammoth make a playoff push, Pete DeBoer on Long Island if the Islanders return to contention, and whoever gets credit for Washington's turnaround.
THE BOARD
The 2026-27 season opens tonight. Carolina raises a banner. Florida unleashes the Tkachuk brothers. Colorado chases redemption. And somewhere in San Jose, a 20-year-old with the richest contract in hockey history is about to make his case for MVP.
It's going to be a season.
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