Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, and Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly are among the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The award recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote within their respective chapters, and a single nominee is determined for each club.
Dupuis was forced to retire due to blood clots in December. Gostisbehere recovered from a torn ACL and is among the NHL's rookie scoring leaders despite playing fewer games than most of his contemporaries.
O'Reilly's selection as the Sabres' nominee is somewhat controversial.
The 25-year-old forward leads the Sabres in points, assists, and faceoff percentage, and routinely stays on the ice after practice to run his own drills with teammates in what general manager Tim Murray calls "The O'Reilly Practices," according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
O'Reilly was charged with impaired driving last July after allegedly crashing his pickup truck into a Tim Hortons coffee shop in rural Ontario, Canada. His trial will begin July 11, 2016.
Here are the rest of the nominees who have been announced:
| Team | Player |
|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Jonas Gustavsson |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Nathan Gerbe |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Michal Rozsival |
| Colorado Avalanche | Carl Soderberg |
| Detroit Red Wings | Pavel Datsyuk |
| Dallas Stars | Jamie Benn |
| Montreal Canadiens | Mike Condon |
| Nashville Predators | Carter Hutton |
| New York Rangers | Mats Zuccarello |
| Ottawa Senators | Zack Smith |
| San Jose Sharks | Joe Thornton |
| St. Louis Blues | Brian Elliott |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Anton Stralman |
| Washington Capitals | Dmitry Orlov |
| Winnipeg Jets | Dustin Byfuglien |
The winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards in June.
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