Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is this year's recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy, the NHL announced Saturday.
Barkov won the honor for the second time in his career. He last claimed it for the abbreviated 2021 season and was also a finalist for the next campaign.
The 11-year veteran beat out Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews and Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal for this year's award, which recognizes the league's top defensive forward.
Barkov ran away with it in a landslide. Here's how the top 10 shook out among the 41 players to garner votes:
| Place | Player | Voting Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksander Barkov | 1817 |
| 2 | Jordan Staal | 539 |
| 3 | Auston Matthews | 514 |
| T4 | Sam Reinhart | 440 |
| T4 | Anze Kopitar | 440 |
| 6 | Roope Hintz | 315 |
| 7 | Adam Lowry | 308 |
| 8 | Seth Jarvis | 152 |
| 9 | Sidney Crosby | 85 |
| 10 | Joel Eriksson Ek | 65 |
Barkov excelled at both ends of the ice in 2023-24. In addition to posting 80 points in 73 games, the 28-year-old played a significant role in the Panthers tying the Winnipeg Jets for the fewest goals against.
He authored a sublime 61.07 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, while ranking among the NHL's best in standing points above replacement, wins above replacement, and goals above replacement, per Evolving Hockey.
Barkov also dominated in the faceoff circle, winning a career-high 57.3% of draws (ninth in the NHL among players with 50 games played and at least 500 taken), while lining up for a team-high 1,100 in total.
Matthews ranked second in the league in SPAR, WAR, and GAR while trailing only Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin in takeaways (by five) among all NHL skaters.
Staal boasted favorable underlying numbers of his own while helping the Hurricanes allow the fourth-fewest goals.
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