Tkachuk finishes 3rd for MVP in 1st year in Florida. And other Panthers get awards votes
Matthew Tkachuk’s historic debut season ended at the NHL Awards on Tuesday, just not with the Hart Memorial Trophy.
As expected, Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy once again as the NHL’s most valuable player.
McDavid, who also won the Hart in 2017 and 2021, led the league with 64 goals and 89 assists last season, and his 153 points were 25 more than anyone else. His Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division and made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Bruins superstar David Pastrnak was the other finalist for the trophy, helping Boston win the Presidents’ Trophy, and set regular-season records for points and wins. He finished second. Tkachuk finished third and also is the second-team right wing on the NHL All-Star team — he also finished fifth in voting at left wing.
Tkachuk, 25, had 40 goals and 69 assists for 109 points. He also posted a plus-minus of plus-29, recorded 36 power-play points, and took 322 shots and blocked 31.
It was his first time as a finalist for the MVP award after he led the Panthers back to the Cup playoffs for the fourth straight year. Although the playoffs are not factored into the award, Tkachuk ultimately helped Florida make the 2023 Stanley Cup Final by scoring four game-winning goals and notching 24 points in the postseason.
His acquisition last year changed the course of the franchise for the Panthers. Florida set star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, star defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and a future first-round pick to the Flames to get Tkachuk, and the hefty price was immediately worth it. Tkachuk’s 109 points were the fourth most by a player in his first year with a new team — only Hockey Hall of Fame forwards Teemu Selanne and Wayne Gretzky, who did it twice, ever had more.
Barkov nets top-10 finishes
All-Star center Aleksander Barkov finished in the top 10 for both the Frank J. Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Monday.
Barkov, who’s a past winner of both awards, finished seventh in voting for the Lady Byng Trophy and eighth for the Selke Trophy.
Three other Panthers also received votes for the Selke, which is given out annually to the league’s best defensive forward: Tkachuk finished 17th, center Eric Staal finished 21st and forward Sam Reinhart finished 25th.
Star defenseman Brandon Montour also finished 12th in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy — and was 12th in voting among defensemen for the All-Star team — and coach Paul Maurice tied for 11th in voting for the Jack Adams Award.
Boston left wing Patrice Bergeron won the Selke, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery won the Adams Award, Sharks star Erik Karlsson won the James Norris Trophy and Kings center Anze Kopter won the Byng Trophy.
