As the Winter Olympic break arrives in the NHL, the awards picture has really come into sharp focus.

There are clear leaders for some trophies and clear top-threes for others. But with one glaring exception, there’s still time for players to shake up these races.

Could the Olympics play a role in that? Please recall in 2009-10 that Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy in the same season he backstopped Team USA to an overtime loss in the gold medal round at the Vancouver Games. It’s not that Miller was an unworthy winner in what was his most dominant NHL season. But it’s hard to ignore his margin of victory (23 out of 30 first-place votes from the general managers) and not think there was an Olympic halo effect.

Just something to keep in mind if, you know, Macklin Celebrini scores a winning goal in overtime to hand Canada a gold medal over the United States …

Welcome to the NHL Awards Watch for February. We’ve polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense of where the wind is blowing for the current leaders. We’ve made sure it’s a cross section from the entire league, trying to gain as many perspectives as possible.

Keep in mind that the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) votes for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng finalists, broadcasters vote for the Jack Adams, and general managers handle the Vezina. All stats are from Hockey-Reference.com, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. (editor’s note: statistics are through games on Feb. 3)

Jump ahead:
Ross | Richard | Hart
Norris | Selke | Vezina
Calder | Byng | Adams

Art Ross Trophy (points leader)

Click here for the updated point-scoring standings.

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Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy

Click here for the updated goal-scoring standings.

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Hart Trophy (MVP)

Leader: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Finalists: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks; Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

This is the third straight month MacKinnon has topped the MVP balloting. He has led the Avalanche to the top of the NHL standings, although at a slightly less historic points pace than earlier this season — Stathletes has the Avs projected for 117 points.

The projections remain historic for MacKinnon personally. Stathletes has him finishing with 56 goals, which would be a career high and a record for the Avalanche, topping Mikko Rantanen’s 55 in 2022-23. If we include the Quebec Nordiques — and we might as well since the Avs are dressing like them — then MacKinnon has Michel Goulet’s 1982-83 record of 57 goals in his sights.

“Most even-strength points in the league, plus-44 rating. Yeah, still good,” one MacKinnon voter said.

MacKinnon, seeking his second Hart after winning in 2023-24, earned 59% of the first-place votes from our panelists, which is up from his vote share last month (just over 50%).

One interesting factor in MacKinnon’s candidacy this season: The distance between him and the next-highest scorer on the Avalanche, Martin Necas (62 points in 52 games). MacKinnon (91 points) is 29 points clear of him. Colorado fans who are still bitter about MacKinnon losing the 2017-18 Hart Trophy to New Jersey’s Taylor Hall because of this metric will no doubt find this a bit ironic.

That said, the distance between Celebrini (81 points in 54 games) and the next-highest scorer on the Sharks (39 points) is greater than that and quite frankly preposterous. The San Jose center and Canadian Olympian leads the team with 28 goals, 11 more than Will Smith, and leads all forwards in average ice time (21:12). He has done everything in his power to keep the Sharks circling around a wild-card playoff spot.

It’s a star-making season for Celebrini, who earned around 24% of the first-place votes from our panelists, and it could end with some awards love. Those Sidney Crosby comparisons aren’t going away any time soon if Celebrini also wins league MVP in his second season, the way Crosby did in 2006-07.

But there’s one huge caveat here that the other finalists probably won’t face: Celebrini’s efforts might not ultimately result in his team qualifying for the playoffs.

“Celebrini is lingering, but Sharks need to be more securely above the playoff line to get my vote,” said one voter who didn’t have Celebrini in their top three.

“If the Sharks were actually in a playoff spot, I might give this to Macklin Celebrini. But MacKinnon still leads the field given not only how good he is, but how strong the Avalanche have been all year long,” a MacKinnon voter said.

The final finalist is Kucherov with around 12% of the first-place votes, just nudging ahead of Connor McDavid this month.

The Tampa Bay star had the spotlight of the Stadium Series shining on him during the voting, but the numbers don’t lie: In his past 27 games, Kucherov has 58 points (18 goals, 40 assists) for an absolutely absurd 2.15 points per game. Kucherov (90) trailed McDavid (95) in points entering Wednesday’s games but had the NHL lead in points per game average (1.80). McDavid was the only other player to receive a first-place vote, once again leading the NHL in points in seeking his sixth scoring title. For whatever problems the Oilers face, McDavid is usually the solution. Since Dec. 1, he has 59 points in 31 games, 12 more than Leon Draisaitl for Edmonton.

McDavid fell out of the top three after being second in the voting last month. But that’s just illustrative of how tight this race is.

“This isn’t a Nathan MacKinnon slam dunk anymore, at least not for now. Connor McDavid is doing McDavid things in Edmonton and Nikita Kucherov can’t stop putting up points in Tampa,” one MacKinnon voter said.

Other players mentioned for the Hart on our panelist’s ballots: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

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Norris Trophy (top defenseman)

Leader: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Finalists: Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild; Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets.

Same as it ever was. Well, almost.

These three were the finalists for the award last season. Makar won the Norris last season over Werenski, who finished second in the voting, and Hughes, who was third. Obviously, the big change here is Hughes swapping the irrelevance of the Vancouver Canucks for the surging Wild via that blockbuster trade, which could be a factor eventually in the voting.

But the Norris is Makar’s to lose for now.

The Colorado defenseman had 56 points in 54 games this season, skating to a plus-27 for the juggernaut Avalanche. He’s averaging 25:05 in total ice time and plays in all situations. Makar has been a finalist for the Norris for the past five seasons, winning the award twice (2022, 2025).

Makar earned around 53% of the first-place votes this month. That’s down significantly from his leads over the past two months for the Norris, in which he was a unanimous choice in December and earned all but two first-place votes in January. Werenski is a big reason for that.

“It’s still Cale Makar, but objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear in the form of Zach Werenski,” one voter said.

The Columbus defenseman has 61 points in 51 games, including 19 goals. He’s second in average ice time per game (26:27) and plays in all situations. He’s a rock for the Blue Jackets on the back end, a suddenly ascendent team in the Eastern Conference after hiring coach Rick Bowness — although they aren’t the playoff given that the other finalists are.

“If the Blue Jackets were in a playoff position, then Zach Werenski deserves serious consideration here. As it is, Makar is just too good,” one Makar voter said.

“If Columbus was in a playoff spot, I might have Zach Werenski over Makar,” another said.

Werenski earned around 35% of the first-place votes.

Hughes was the only other defenseman to receive first-place votes. He could win a Norris for his team in Minnesota alone: 32 points in 25 games, including 29 assists for a plus-10 rating. He’s averaging an astonishing 28:16 in ice time per game since the trade. Overall, Hughes has 55 points in 51 games this season between Minnesota and Vancouver. Interestingly, Hughes averages only five seconds of short-handed ice time per game this season, unlike his counterparts.

One player to watch here, who was mentioned on multiple ballots: Seider of the Red Wings, who has been a defensive rock for them but might not have the point total (37 points in 57 games) to dazzle voters. Cue the “there should be an award for defensive defensemen!” outcry.

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Calder Trophy (top rookie)

Leader: Matthew Schaefer, D, New York Islanders
Finalists: Ivan Demidov, RW, Montreal Canadiens; Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota Wild

Usually when an award is unanimous, we extrapolate who the finalists could be based on the support they received down the ballot. But that becomes a bit challenging when we receive ballots like this:

“Calder: Schaefer, Schaefer and Schaefer.”

The Islanders 18-year-old rookie phenom has 39 points in 57 games, skating to a plus-7. The No. 1 pick in last summer’s NHL draft is averaging 24:05 in ice time per game, killing penalties while running the Islanders’ power play.

He is nine goals and 17 points clear of Carolina rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin (22 points in 55 games), and no other rookie forward or defenseman comes close to his ice time.

Schaefer received 85% of the first-place votes last month. Now, he’s the unanimous choice.

“Ridiculous how good he’s been as a teenager at the toughest position to play in the game,” one voter said.

“Maybe the only lock on any ballot. No notes. No disrespect to Demidov. Schaefer being this good at 18 as a defenseman is just wild,” another voter said.

If there’s one skater who could make this interesting, it’s Demidov. After 56 games, he had the lead in the rookie points race (46) over forward Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks (44 points, including an NHL-best 18 goals among rookies). He entered the NHL with so much hype. Winning the rookie scoring race could make things interesting.

As one voter broke it down: “Schaefer, by a whisker over Ivan Demidov, with Fraser Minten applying some pressure on Beckett Sennecke for the third spot.”

Minten is a center for the Boston Bruins with 29 points in 56 games this season.

“Demidov has been great lately, but Schaefer is still playing major minutes and thriving. That he’s on pace to have a historic season by an 18-year-old defensemen cannot be overlooked. It is harder to do what he is doing at his position and he’s playing the hardest minutes out of any rookie,” said one voter.

Wallstedt, aka the Wall of St. Paul, has been the best goalie in a rather deep pool of rookie netminders this season. After being unbeatable earlier this season, the Wild goalie settled in and has gone 14-5-4 with a .914 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average. He’s the clear No. 2 to Filip Gustavsson in Minnesota, which might limit his games played. But his named popped up on enough ballots that he’s clearly the third choice here.

Due respect to the other rookies: Schaefer is the heaviest favorite among all NHL awards races at the moment.

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Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)

Note: The NHL’s general managers vote for this award.

Leader: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Finalists: John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings; Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

No race suffered a more dramatic shift then the Vezina, as all three of the finalists from last month’s NHL Awards Watch have been replaced by new candidates. Gone are Logan Thompson (Capitals), last month’s leader, along with Jesper Wallstedt (Wild) and Scott Wedgewood (Avalanche).

Vasilevskiy earned around 59% of the first-place votes, powering the Lightning to the top of the Atlantic Division. Through 36 games, he’s 26-7-3 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average. Money Puck has him at 19.6 goals save above expected, second in the NHL this season.

He has been on an absolute heater in 2026: 11-0-1 with a .926 save percentage and a 1.78 GAA.

Vasilevskiy won the Vezina once in 2018-19 but has been a finalist five times, finishing second for the award last season.

“Leads the league in GAA, save percentage, second in wins and by far the best goalie pugilist in the league,” one voter said after the Stadium Series game.

“The Big Cat is back, and boy do he and the Lightning look like a well-oiled machine again,” another said.

But it’s not a lock for the Lightning goalie.

“I’ve got Vasilevskiy right now by the slimmest of margins. This now looks like a two-horse race between him and Ilya Sorokin,” one voter said.

Sorokin earned around 35% of the first-place votes, going 19-13-2 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average in 34 games. Money Puck had him at 26 goals saved above expected, best in the NHL this season. He also had a league-best six shutouts.

Gibson was the only other goaltender to receive first-place votes from our panel. The Red Wings netminder is 22-11-2 on the season with a .905 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. The analytics are less kind to him, as Gibson is 17th in goals saved above expected (8.2). But he’s 9-3-1 with a .925 save percentage since Jan. 1.

Other goalies named by our voters included Thompson of the Capitals and Carolina goaltending savior Brandon Bussi.

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Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)

Leader: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Finalists: Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars; Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers

Aleksander Barkov is skating again and could return to the Panthers during the regular season. Alas, he won’t have enough runway to win his third straight Selke Trophy — and the way Suzuki has collected votes this season, it might be his time anyway.

The Canadiens center earned around 53% of the first-place votes for the Selke from our panel, up from 30% last month. It’s his third straight month as the Selke leader. The Habs give up only 1.91 goals per 60 minutes when Suzuki is on the ice. He wins 49.4% of his faceoffs and also contributes to the penalty kill.

“Suzuki is still above and beyond,” one voter said.

“Continuously impressed with the evolution of his two-way game. An heir apparent to Barkov and [Patrice] Bergeron,” another voter said.

Suzuki has never been a Selke finalist. Neither has Hintz, whose best finish was sixth in 2023-24. The Dallas forward has been his usual stout defensive self this season, as the Stars average 1.67 goals against per 60 minutes and have a .930 team save percentage when he’s on the ice. He doesn’t play a ton of short-handed time (33 seconds per game on average) but his 5-on-5 play — including a 59.2% faceoff winning percentage — is stellar.

Both Hintz and Reinhart earned around 12% of the first-place votes behind Suzuki. The Panthers’ forward was second to his teammate Barkov for the award last season, the first time he was a finalist. It has been a ragged season for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, but Reinhart has been good. He also plays more short-handed time than the other two finalists (2:04 on average per game).

Also receiving first-place Selke votes in a typically crowded field: Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, Flyers forward Noah Cates, Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas and Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon.

“He doesn’t give up much and scores a lot,” the MacKinnon voter said.

Players mentioned down the ballot for the Selke included Vegas center Jack Eichel.

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Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly play)

This is the part where I mention that the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play should be voted on by the league’s on-ice officials or by the NHL Players’ Association instead of the PHWA.

Traditionally, this award goes to a player with a top-20 point total and the lowest penalty minutes among those players.

Among the candidates: Florida’s Sam Reinhart (54 points in 55 games with 8 PIMs), Montreal’s Nick Suzuki (65 points in 56 games with 10 PIMs) and Vegas center Jack Eichel (64 points in 48 games with 10 PIMs).

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Jack Adams Award (best coach)

Note: The NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes on this award.

Leader: Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
Finalists: Lane Lambert, Seattle Kraken; Dan Muse, Pittsburgh Penguins

Cooper didn’t win the Jack Adams by coming out dressed as Tony Montana for the NHL Stadium Series game in Tampa. No, he won the Jack Adams when he came out in that outfit for the second period, with the temperatures dropping and his team getting mauled by the Boston Bruins after the opening 20 minutes. That’s dedication.

OK, Cooper’s Ybor City tribute costume theoretically shouldn’t factor into his Jack Adams candidacy. The fact that he has led the Lightning through incredible injury adversity to the top of the division should be a factor. And so should the fact that the person many consider to be the NHL’s best coach has never won the Jack Adams despite two Stanley Cup wins and four conference titles in his 1,015 games with the Lightning.

Our panelists gave him a whopping 82% of the first-place votes. And yes, they loved the outfit.

“It’s Jon Cooper and not just because of his gangster look for the outdoor game,” one voter said.

“How many other coaches could have pulled off his Stadium Series outfit? None, which matches the number of Jack Adams awards he’s won in his career,” another voter said.

“The Winter Classic sealed the deal for Coop. Between the Tony Montana outfit, sticking with Vasilevskiy after he gave up five goals so we could get the goalie fight, then coming back to win in a shootout. That, and Tampa has won 17 of 19 despite managing injuries to several key players,” another voter said.

Muse has a classic Jack Adams case: a first-year coach taking a team many believed would miss the playoffs and turning it into a postseason contender. He unlocked something in the Penguins’ supporting cast, and voters have taken notice. He earned around 12% of the first-place votes.

Lambert earned first-place support for doing much like Muse has: taking the Kraken and making them a playoff contender. It’s also a redemption story for Lambert after his first NHL head coaching gig with the Islanders didn’t pan out.

The only other coach to receive a first-place vote was Avalanche bench boss Jared Bednar, who was among the finalists last month with Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville. It would follow past history if Bednar missed out on coach of the year in a season in which Cooper won it, considering how many times Cooper was snubbed for the award because his teams were too good.

“Bednar will probably get it, but what Cooper has done with the Lightning missing so many top players is Jack Adams-worthy. So is his suit from the Stadium Series,” one voter said.

Other coaches mentioned down the ballot included Todd McLellan of the Red Wings; Rod Brind’Amour of the Hurricanes; and Lindy Ruff of the Sabres, who we imagine might get a longer look next month if Buffalo keeps this up.