play0:56Matthew Schaefer makes NHL history with OT winner for IslandersMatthew Schaefer becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season.
Matthew Schaefer makes NHL history with OT winner for IslandersMatthew Schaefer becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season.
Matthew Schaefer becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season.
Greg WyshynskiDec 4, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.Follow on X
play0:54Cale Makar scores goal for AvalancheCale Makar nets goal for Avalanche
play0:30Scott Wedgewood makes big-time save vs. CanucksScott Wedgewood robs Canucks with save
play0:34Nick Suzuki lights the lamp for CanadiensNick Suzuki lights the lamp for Canadiens
Nathan MacKinnon lights the lamp (0:25)Nathan MacKinnon lights the lamp (0:25)
The story of the NHL season so far, besides inexplicably bizarre off-ice injuries, has been the incredible performances from hockey’s next wave of stars.
Players like Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Matthew Schaefer are populating nightly highlight reels and leading their teams into unexpected playoff contention. Could flirtation with the postseason lead to postseason hardware for these young standouts? Or are the NHL awards still on lock for the league’s established stars, like the ones leading the Colorado Avalanche to an historic start in the standings?
Welcome to the NHL Awards Watch for December. 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 PHWA votes for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng finalists, broadcasters vote for the Jack Adams and general managers handle the Vezina.
The Avalanche are in the midst of one of the greatest starts to a season in NHL history. Through 26 games, they’re 19-1-6 for a .846 points percentage. For context, the Boston Bruins had a .823 points percentage in 2022-23, when they amassed an NHL-record 135 points and 38 wins. They opened that season 20-3-0. Colorado went 17-1-5 in that span.
The primary reason Colorado sits upon the throne this season with a plus-50 (!) goal differential is MacKinnon, the NHL’s leader through 26 games in goals (22), points (46) and plus/minus (plus-32). Heading into Wednesday night, MacKinnon had more even-strength points (35) than all but six players had total points this season.
“It’s Nathan MacKinnon and by a commanding margin over anyone else I’d consider No. 2 at the moment,” one voter argued.
“I have tried justifying anyone else over him right now, and I can’t make the case,” another explained. “Because it’s not just the goal scoring, it’s his overall game. It’s crazy.”
“The Avs are head and shoulders above the rest of the league right now with Mackinnon and Makar leading the way,” another voter added.
Makar was a finalist last month and earned around 5% of the support this time, well behind his teammate MacKinnon. Also clocking in around 5% was Blackhawks star Bedard, who led his team in scoring by 15 points after 26 games.
“MacKinnon has been unstoppable, but Celebrini has to be No. 2 with Bedard not far off either,” one voter noted.
Celebrini was second to MacKinnon in first-place votes, finishing atop around 10% of the ballots. The second-year San Jose star led the league with 26 assists through 27 games, to go along with 14 goals for 40 points — second only to MacKinnon.
“He’s got points on 51% of the Sharks’ goals. He’s a legitimate two-way force. He’s the definition of most valuable,” one voter pointed out.
Among the Hart Trophy candidates that didn’t receive first-place votes but ended up on our voters’ ballots: Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (35 points in 27 games) and Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel (32 points in 26 games), who led this race in last month’s Awards Watch.
“It’s Nathan MacKinnon and then everybody else,” one voter offered, “despite some of the kids excelling on bubble teams.”
Leader: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche Finalists: Jakob Chychrun, Washington Capitals; Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Call it “group think.” Call it genuflecting to the best defenseman on the NHL’s best team. Call it what you will, but it doesn’t change the fact that Cale Makar was the unanimous choice for the Norris Trophy.
He was one vote away from being unanimous last month. (Montreal’s Mike Matheson, who earned that other first-place vote, was nowhere to be seen on this month’s ballots.)
Makar led all defenseman in points (32) after 26 games, just ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (26) and currently injured New York Rangers star Adam Fox (26). Werenski was second to Makar for the Norris last season. Fox won the award in 2020-21.
“The hate for Fox because he played four so-so games in a tournament 10 months ago is so strange to me. He’s still elite,” one voter noted, referencing the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“Fox’s defensive play has been notable this year, and the Rangers will sorely miss him. But Makar’s play makes this a non-starter barring any sort of injury,” another concluded.
“There are some fun stories out there this season, like what Jakob Chychrun is doing in D.C., but Makar is once again looking like the guy,” another opined.
Cale Makar scores goal for AvalancheCale Makar nets goal for Avalanche
Chychrun has 23 points in 27 games, skating to a plus-19 for the Capitals. That isn’t Makar’s plus-29, but it is still impressive. More impressive: The Capitals are averaging just 1.55 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 with Chychrun on the ice. He was the next most prominently mentioned defenseman on our voters’ ballots.
Next up was Josh Morrissey, who was a finalist last month as well. The Jets defenseman continues to produce offensively (24 points in 25 games, skating to a plus-11), and Winnipeg is averaging over 4 goals per 60 minutes with Morrissey on the ice. (Sharing the ice with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor doesn’t hurt). The Jets are giving up only 2.2 goals per 60 minutes with Morrissey out there.
Werenski was on a handful of ballots. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and the Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer are also on the voters’ radar. But it’s Makar, unanimously, that leads the Norris race.
Leader: Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders Finalists: Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks; Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild
Islanders phenom Matthew Schaefer is first in the Calder voting for the second straight month, increasing his margin from 81% to 88% of the first-place votes.
“Eighteen-year-old defensemen are not supposed to step into the league and make this kind of an impact,” one voter argued.
Schaefer, the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, was second in rookie scoring through 27 games, with 19 points. That included eight goals, which led all rookies. Just as impressive is his ice time, having jumped into the deep end immediately for the Islanders at 23:22 per game. No other rookie is playing more than 20 minutes per contest on average. Defensively, the Islanders are averaging under 2 goals per 60 minutes with the rookie on the ice.
“He plays more than 23 minutes a night and earned a spot on Team Canada’s long list as an 18-year-old. Ridiculous,” one voter quipped.
“The guy has played himself into Olympic contention and the outskirts of the Norris conversation. We’re rapidly approaching the discussion of whether or not it will be unanimous,” another voter declared of the Calder race.
Matthew Schaefer makes NHL history with OT winner for Islanders
It’s not unanimous, however. Over Schaefer’s shoulder are two young goaltenders who were the only other rookies to earn first-place votes from our panelists this month.
Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt earned just under 10% of the first-place votes thanks to a startling first 10 games for the Wild: 8-0-2, a. 944 save percentage and a 1.74 goals-against average.
Four of his wins have been shutouts. For what it’s worth, the expansion era record for shutouts by a rookie is 15 by Chicago’s Tony Esposito in 1969-70. Stathletes has him leading the NHL in goals saved above expected (10.24) through those 10 games.
It’s a limited sample vs. the other two finalists, but “The Wall of St. Paul” is making his mark early.
Montreal rookie star Ivan Demidov was the most prominently mentioned player down the ballot, after earning first-place votes last month. He has 19 points in 25 games, putting him right behind Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks (20 points) for tops among rookie forwards entering Thursday night. Sennecke was mentioned on several ballots. Also earing attention from the voters was Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
“Strong class, but we really have some commanding early leaders in awards balloting this year,” one voter pointed out.
Leader: Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche Finalists: Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins; Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Vezina race was turned on its head last month when Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck, seeking his third straight trophy win, elected to have a minor arthroscopic procedure on his knee that put him out for at least a month but perhaps longer. That opened the door to other goalies to stake their claim to the Vezina — including one that no one saw coming.
Before joining the Avalanche last season, Scott Wedgewood played for four different franchises. He was a dependable backup to goalies ranging from Antti Raanta to Jake Oettinger, putting up solid numbers in limited appearances. He never received a single vote for the Vezina in his career.
Wedgewood earned 46% of the first-place votes for his stellar start for the first-place Avs. Through 19 games, Wedgewood went 13-1-3 with a .920 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average. He played brilliantly while Mackenzie Blackwood was out with an injury. Analytically, he leads the Avalanche in goals saved above expected (5.7) per Stathletes.