Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson claimed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, which is presented to the player voted to have "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

It was a breakout season for Karlsson, who tallied 43 goals for the expansion Golden Knights, outpaced only by Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine. The Swedish center posted a league-best plus-49 rating - 13 points higher than the runner-up - while also finishing with just 12 penalty minutes.

Karlsson joined Vegas from the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he scored just six goals in 81 games during the 2016-17 season.

Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly and Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov were also 2017-18 finalists for the award.

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New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie on Wednesday night.

As expected, the voting wasn't particularly close:

Barzal had an impeccable first season, finishing tops among all rookies with 85 points (20 more than Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller, who finished second in rookie scoring). He also led his team in scoring, notching one more point than captain John Tavares.

Barzal's 85 points mark the most by a Calder Trophy winner since Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin tallied 85 during the 2006-07 season.

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Vancouver Canucks forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin claimed the King Clancy Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, awarded to the player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

The Sedins retired in April after 17 seasons in the NHL, all with the Canucks organization. Their community involvement included a $1.5-million donation to the BC Children's Hospital Foundation to expand services and help fund a new hospital.

Since 2010, the Sedins have also helped raise $42 million for the Canucks for Kids Fund, in addition to advocacy work for the Canucks Family Education Centre and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker were also finalists for the award.

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Tampa Bay Lightning blue-liner Victor Hedman earned the first Norris Trophy of his career Wednesday night at the NHL Awards, beating out Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators as the league's top defenseman for 2018.

Hedman tied the league lead among rearguards with 17 goals and ranked fourth with a career-high 63 points for the first-place Lightning.

The towering Swedish defenseman is one of several Lightning in the spotlight at the NHL Awards, as goaltender Andrei Vasilievskiy is up for the Vezina Trophy, while Steve Yzerman is a finalist for General Manager of the Year.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid took home his second Ted Lindsay Award in as many years Wednesday night in Las Vegas, earning the hardware as the NHL's most outstanding player, as voted on by members of the NHLPA.

McDavid is the first player in the history of the award to receive it twice before the age of 22.

The 21-year-old is coming off another sensational offensive campaign in which he paced the league by hitting triple digits in points (108) with 41 goals and 67 assists in 82 games.

No. 97's blistering speed and video-game-like handles put fans in the seats despite the Oilers' struggles. If McDavid can maintain his health and continue to rack up impressive offensive numbers, he could add several more Ted Lindsay Awards to his trophy case.

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Gary Bettman insists he isn't worried about the fate of the Ottawa Senators amid a pair of ongoing scandals involving the franchise.

"There's always going to be some issue somewhere that has to be dealt with," the NHL commissioner told reporters, including The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton, following a Board of Governors meeting ahead of the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

"The headstone has been written over the years for many franchises under a variety of circumstances and none of the burials ever took place. It's a moment in time," Bettman added.

The commissioner has been forced to intervene with other franchises over the years, but he doesn't see the need to do that yet in Ottawa.

"We don't think the club is anywhere close to cardiac arrest ... there's no issue up there," Bettman said. "I think it's more sensationalized than anything else."

Last week, Melinda Karlsson, the wife of Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, applied for a peace bond against Monika Caryk, the fiancee of then-Senators forward Mike Hoffman, alleging a harassment campaign that came to a head after the Karlssons' son, Axel, was stillborn in March.

Hoffman was traded to the San Jose Sharks and then subsequently to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee was arrested and charged with harassment following an alleged incident involving a hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo ahead of the NHL scouting combine. Lee was initially allowed to remain in his executive role but was then suspended by the club until the resolution of his case.

He's due back in court on July 6, meaning he'll miss the NHL draft this weekend in Dallas.

There have also been rumblings that the club might some day be put up for sale, a notion that Bettman attempted to squash before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final last month when he insisted Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is committed to the franchise.

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The Detroit Red Wings don't like the price tag on Martin Frk.

Detroit will not extend a qualifying offer to the 24-year-old restricted free agent, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, meaning Frk will be able to sign with any team of his choosing.

An offer would have seen the Czech forward earn a 10 percent raise on his current salary, bringing his cap hit to $715,000 next season, per CapFriendly.

While the possibility remains that the Red Wings could sign Frk as an unrestricted free agent at a salary lower than his qualifying offer, the level of interest remains to be seen. The deadline for qualifying offers is Monday.

The Red Wings selected Frk in the second round of the 2012 draft. He played four seasons in the minors before landing a full-time role with Detroit this season, in which he tallied 11 goals and 14 assists in 68 games.

This marks the second time Frk has left Detroit. In October 2016, the Red Wings attempted to demote him to the AHL, but he was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Frk returned to the Red Wings the following month when the team reclaimed him.

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One day after a report indicated Phil Kessel isn't opposed to accepting a trade to the Arizona Coyotes, general manager John Chayka made sure to set the details straight.

The initial report stated the Coyotes informed the Penguins a potential trade won't work because of Kessel's $6.8-million salary ($1.2 million is still paid by the Maple Leafs), but Chayka addressed the rumor Wednesday and said that's flat-out not true.

"I think it's terrible reporting," Chayka told Matt Layman of Arizona Sports. "It's inaccurate across the board from start to finish. I don't know where some things come up. I'm the one having trade discussions, those discussions with the Penguins haven't occurred. Unless someone else is making calls that I don't know about, I'm not sure where this information's coming from."

The Coyotes recently traded for Alex Galchenyuk, and have a verbal agreement on a contract extension worth $8 million per season in place with franchise blue-liner Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Taking those transactions into account, Arizona would still have over $10 million in available space, per CapFriendly.

"To speculate on our economics I think is unfair," Chayka said. "I think we're trying to build out our group here. We've got a young group and we're trying to build through the draft and develop. Again, I'm not sure where it's coming from, but the basis of that reporting's not coming from anything tied to the Coyotes and it's certainly not anywhere close to factual. "

Kessel's apparent availability comes weeks after a report revealed he and head coach Mike Sullivan butted heads over his deployment throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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The NHL salary cap will be between $79.5 and $80 million next season, though nothing is firm yet, commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters Wednesday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The number still needs to be finalized with the NHLPA before it can be made official, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

If the cap winds up being on the larger end of that spectrum, it would mark a $5-million increase from last season's $75-million salary cap.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed both defenseman Connor Carrick and goaltender Calvin Pickard to one-year contract extensions, the team announced Wednesday.

Carrick, 24, will make $1.3 million, while Pickard, 26, will earn $800,000 at the NHL level.

The defenseman - who was a pending restricted free agent - recorded 12 points in 47 games in a third-pairing role for the Leafs this past season. He ranked third among regular Toronto skaters in Corsi For rating (52.5 percent), according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Pickard, meanwhile, suited up for only a single NHL game in 2017-18. The ex-Colorado Avalanche backup - another former pending RFA - spent the bulk of the season with the AHL Marlies, where he posted a .918 save percentage in 33 games.

Carrick, a 2012 fifth-round pick of the Washington Capitals who has played two full seasons with the Leafs since coming over via trade, nearly doubles his previous salary. He earned $750,000 per year over the last two seasons.

He called it an "awesome day."

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