It is not very often that a Carolina Hurricane brings home personal hardware at the end of the season. Ron Francis won the King Clancy and Lady Byng in 2002. Rod Brind'Amour went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007 for the Selke. Jeff Skinner was the Calder Trophy winner in 2011. More recently, Jaccob Slavin won a pair of Lady Byngs in 2021 and 2024.
When it comes to the big prizes, the Hurricanes are rarely ever in the conversation. Eric Staal finished 4th for the Hart Trophy in 2006. Frederik Andersen was 4th for the Vezina Trophy in 2021. Otherwise, it's usually a quiet award season. This season, I'm expecting a lot of the same, but that doesn't mean we can't fantasize about it a little.
Realistically, the chances of a Hurricane winning something this season are slim to none, though they'll be more present in some than others. Before you are the cases I would make for them to win each of the big awards, however unrealistic it might be. For an added layer, I've ranked them in order from least likely to most likely, just for fun.
Norris Trophy- Shayne Gostisbehere
It would be much easier to make a case for him if he'd been healthy the entire season. However, Shayne Gostisbehere has only played in 45 of the team's 71 games to this point. Still, he's sixth on the team in scoring with 43 points, posting one of the best points-per-game rates of any defenseman in the NHL (0.96, 8th).
Injuries have interrupted his season a handful of times, starting during the team's State Fair trip in October. When he has been healthy, Gostisbehere has been a legitimate difference maker on both ends of the ice and on the power play. His production has come despite ranking fifth amongst the defensemen in time on ice, playing just under 20 minutes.
This Norris Trophy race is set to be one of the tightest in recent memory. I'm curious whether a healthy Gostisbehere would have been a factor in that conversation. Based on his points per game, realistic or not, he'd be hovering around 65-70 points, which would put him in the Top 8 in scoring. It would still be an uphill climb, though he'd certainly be in the mix.
Vezina Award- Brandon Bussi
Before the Winter Olympics, I was willing to go all-in on a Brandon Bussi Vezina Trophy campaign. He was second in the league in GAA and tied for third in wins, with 23 in 27 starts. Bussi was not-so-quietly grabbing headlines as one of the biggest stories of the season, and he appeared poised to insert himself into the conversation.
Then, the season resumed after three weeks, and Bussi hasn't looked the same. His record at 3-3-0 over his six starts since the pause is far kinder than his other numbers. Bussi has yet to record a save percentage above .885 over those six starts, and he's allowing nearly four goals per game. His performance lost them a game in Calgary, and soft goals nearly ruined a win in Toronto last weekend.
I'm not saying all of this to rag on Bussi. His story is still incredible, even if his recent starts haven't been very good. What once looked like a promising run to being a potential Vezina finalist has completely disappeared. I'm not saying he can't turn the bus around and get going again. I just think it appears unlikely.
Calder Trophy- Alexander Nikishin
The race for the Calder Trophy runs through the Islanders' Matthew Schaefer. What he's doing as an 18-year-old in the league is quite remarkable. There are plenty of other rookies certain to be in contention, so naming a Top 3 is going to be especially hard. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Alexander Nikishin will be there.
It has been quite the adjustment for the Russian defender after coming over from the KHL. However, since Gostisbehere's most recent injury put him on the team's top power play, Nikishin is looking like the best version of himself. While we knew his offense would come, I continue to be impressed with the strides he has taken defensively, even if he still has a lot to learn and develop in that regard.
Nikishin has already established himself as one of the best rookie defensemen in franchise history. He's the first rookie defenseman to score 10 goals. He is two points away from tying the Hurricanes' record for points by a rookie defenseman. Nikishin is doing what we hoped he would, and we can only hope there is much more to come.
Hart Trophy- Sebastian Aho
I long to live in a world where Sebastian Aho one day gets to be part of the Hart conversation. Despite consistently being one of the team's top scorers, Aho has only received Hart votes three times in nine seasons, finishing 10th in 2019, 17th in 2021, and 12th in 2024. I wouldn't consider those results to be challenging for the podium.
In a fully healthy season, thus far, Aho leads the Hurricanes with 47 assists and 72 points, putting him on pace to finish with his fifth point-per-game season. He opened the year on a nine-game point streak, the third-longest to start a season in franchise history, and he has only gone through one "long" stretch without a point, coming up pointless in five straight in mid-December.
Aho has been the embodiment of consistency for the organization for many years, and this season is no exception. He reached the 700-point milestone, and he's on his way to smashing past several franchise records over the coming years. I think Aho deserves some votes for the Hart, but it would be unrealistic to think that he'll come remotely close to winning it this season.
Lady Byng Award- Nikolaj Ehlers
It is well-established that Jaccob Slavin is the team's resident "Good Guy", winning the Lady Byng twice. However, his candidacy to win it this year took a massive hit when he missed more than half of the season. I also considered Seth Jarvis as the team's representative. Then, he amassed 15 penalty minutes in Tampa and Columbus for fighting and a pair of double-minors for high-sticking.
There is no shortage of nice people on the Hurricanes' roster, but I chose Nikolaj Ehlers as the team's best option. It took some adjusting to a new team after a decade in Winnipeg, but Ehlers has fit like a glove with the Hurricanes. Along with being a steady contributor on offense, Ehlers has avoided the penalty box, sitting for just ten minutes this season.
Ehlers has seen time throughout the team's Top 9, finding a home on the Staal line for the last few weeks. With this comes the responsibility of facing many teams' best lines at home. He is a master at drawing penalties, but he's never one who is quick to anger. He plays the game the right way and at a very high level. I think he'd make a good Lady Byng candidate.
Jack Adams Award- Rod Brind'Amour
The Jack Adams is a very hard award to pin down because the criteria for each of the voters is different. Awarded by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association, there are many different ways you could go. I tend to think that this award should be for the coach whose team outperformed their preseason expectations, which would take Rod Brind'Amour out of it.
The Hurricanes were almost universally expected to be the top team in the Metro, but the route they've taken to get there has been anything but straight. The team has dealt with a laundry list of injuries to key players, especially on defense, and remains one of the top teams in the NHL. It's not a story that would make for the best headlines, but facts are facts.
If I had to guess, the Jack Adams feels like Lindy Ruff's award to lose. The Sabres are going to break the longest postseason drought in league history this season and are challenging for the top spot in the conference, along with the Hurricanes. Brind'Amour should garner some support to win his second Jack Adams, though I doubt he'll even be a finalist.
Selke Trophy- Jordan Staal
If there's one award that the Hurricanes have a seemingly legitimate chance of winning, it's the Selke, and that's purely because of the quantity of players who could be considered. Both Aho and Seth Jarvis have recently earned votes to finish in the Top 12. Both are lethal at all strengths, creating magic almost every time they're on the ice together.
However, I'm rolling with the player who has come close to winning the award a few times and is long overdue for recognition as one of the league's defensive forwards. That is the captain, Jordan Staal. The two-time finalist is always hovering around the conversation, but he's yet to see his name at the top of the ballot.
Without Aleksander Barkov around to claim the crown again, this could be the year when Staal gets his due. It would help if the Canes' penalty kill were in a better spot, but I blame some of the early-season injuries for that. Still, as Tripp Tracy has mentioned during the last few broadcasts, if Staal hits 20 goals this season, even if it's not supposed to be about offense, the captain should be recognized.