Connor McDavid (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)
In hockey, awards season is fully upon us as not only is the NHL handing out awards but also the NHLPA. Today, the NHLPA revealed its annual player poll on a variety of on-ice and off-ice topics. Some poll replies more than others are sure to be debated over the rest of the playoffs and offseason. Here are a few of the results from the voting.
And the best goal-scorer is…
A 41-goal campaign in a 56-game season deserves much praise and it was clear that Auston Matthews’ peers felt the same. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ fifth-year centerman won this category gaining 46.27 percent of the votes with Alex Ovechkin coming in second place at 33.82 percent Boston’s David Pastrnak came in at a very distant third place with only 6.02 percent of the votes.
Most Complete Player
When it came to deciding who the most complete player was in the league, Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron’s peers just couldn’t separate the two of them. Crosby and Bergeron would tie for the title, both getting 23.78 percent of the votes – exactly 112 each.
Florida’s Aleksander Barkov would come in third at 14.65 percent, while Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon would get 7.22 and 5.52 percent, respectively.
Winner-Takes-All: Who do you want on your team?
When it comes down to going all in for a win, the bulk of the players sided with the current Art Ross Award Winner and Edmonton Oilers captain in the form of Connor McDavid. McDavid would pick up 36.74 percent of the votes, beating out last year’s winner Sidney Crosby.
Should the regional division format continue?
If you were hoping to see support for the division format from the players I would not hold my breath on that. 68.20 percent of players voted “no” when it comes to keeping this setup in the future. 31.80 percent of players voted “yes” to it but most players agree that the Honda West, Scotia North, Mass Mutal East, and Discover Central remain a one-season necessity.
Which reverse retro is the best?
They were praised the entire season, and the Colorado Avalanche can say their reigned supreme with the team’s Quebec Nordiques throwbacks. The Avs won the vote with 28.57 percent, while Los Angeles’ outfit that combined multiple eras came in second place at 10.49 percent.
